Hello hello!
I think a lot about these newsletters I send you. I never want the appearance of an email from me in your inbox to inspire a groan, or worse yet, an automatic delete response. My goal is to share only information that is interesting, useful or, dare I say, heart warming?
To that point, here goes:
In response to the huge rain storm we had a couple of weeks ago I received many calls about water intrusion and I saw, with my own eyes, five homes with minor to major leaks. When it hasn't rained hard for a long time a home is going to act like a wooden boat that has been out of the water for ages and then put back into the sea - leaky! Wood is a great material for building homes for several reasons; it is light weight yet strong, it is flexible and it breathes. When exposed to moisture, directly or merely in the air (humidity) the cells swell up, and it becomes more water tight, not less. When the air is very dry and the wood has not gotten wet for ages it will dry out so utterly that the cells now have space between them and when suddenly wetted it will act like a sieve. That is just reality but you can make sure that your windows etc (sills, fascia, trim) are sealed, caulked, painted and generally in good, water-tight condition. The other protective measure you can take is to maintain your rain gutters. When rain gutters are filled up with debris they overflow, sending water in all the wrong directions. The worst direction is back toward the house - imagine a river bank overflowing along your roof line. This can happen silently or dramatically. Regardless, please clean your rain gutters! If you want to do it yourself then I highly recommend purchasing the "Little Giant" ladder - it is a very safe, stable ladder with so many functions. https://www.littlegiantladders.com/
The second issue I want to tell you about is Senate Bill 9
SB-9 was passed recently and goes into effect this January 1st. I have attached a link to a summary sheet but want to give you the basics (and please, if you actually want to do something with this information, read the linked document and email me so I can put you in touch with a consultant, this stuff is complicated and these are merely my notes).
See here for information on SB9:
https://mcusercontent.com/72a86e6b96b15aea971f7df64/files/8f701e54-7eea-eb30-1d8a-80493bb7db7b/SB9.pdf
Like the new ADU laws, SB-9 is an attempt to create dense urban centers where housing is widely available and more affordable hence preventing continued urban sprawl. Here is the gist:
- A home owner may split their urban lot of greater than about 2,400 SF into two lots, each with their own parcel number, entirely separate from each other, then build a new house on that lot and sell it.
- The lot must be split at a minimum of 60/40, ie, if the original home sits smack in the middle of a 3,200 SF lot the split may not be possible but if the home sits on the lot in such a way that there is at least 40% of the lot remaining then it should be able to be subdivided.
- If the lot is within 1/2 mile from a "high-quality transit corridor" (or one block from car-share) then no added parking will be mandated.
- Access to the new lot need not be from the street or sidewalk but my be created by way of a walking easement through the other property.
- No "plan-review" (ie, no neighborhood meetings, complaints, input). THIS IS KEY and just like the new ADU laws.
- In terms of size of the new structure, the new building must fall within whatever the local square foot to lot size ratios of the local jurisdiction.
- If the original home was built in such a way that it is now "too close" to the lot line (ie, setbacks are too small for current codes) but at the time it was built it was done with permits then the new house may mimic these setbacks.
- Homes may not be built in fault zones, fire zones or wetlands. These zones are described by the law and maps can be obtained.
Many of you may be upset by this new law, and I understand. Many of you may see an opportunity to age in place or to retain family wealth. For example, a house rich but cash poor family may take a HELOC out, subdivide, build and sell the new house and therefore remain in their home for the remainder of their lives, ultimately leaving the property to their children.
Love it or or hate it SB 9 seems to be here to stay. I am happy to talk more or share resources if you need them.
It has been an absolutely fantastic year with over 50 million in sales at this writing. I have split my energy between listings and buyers and have deeply enjoyed shepherding so many people through this huge life transition. I am always so grateful for your referrals, they are everything to me. Thank you.
With love,
Sarah
Sarah Ridge - Realtor - 510-860-3435 - Lic#01990459 www.sarahridgerealtor.com
1577 Solano Ave,
Berkeley, CA 94707
