Exploratory Tours are Step 2 of Dylan Serna’s ADU buyer process. After your Vision Session, we tour homes in Orange County and LA County with different ADU potential layouts on homes with adu potential and ones with already built adu’s, like a garage conversion, a detached garage you can build onto, a new backyard unit, or room for two more units, and compare which one fits your budget. For every property you get a booklet with the projected rent for the house, the rent for each ADU option, the approximate build cost and the financing options that make it work. The goal is simple: by the time we write an offer, there’s no question left about what you’d build and what it pays.
If you already read what happens in an ADU Vision Session, this is the part where the plan turns into actual houses.
Exploratory Tours at a Glance
| What it is | In-person tours of homes with ADU potential, judged against the budget and goals from your Vision Session |
| Where it fits | Step 2 of 3: Vision Session, then Exploratory Tours, then Offer and Escrow with an ADU feasibility report |
| What we tour | Corner lots, RV-gate lots, alley-access homes, homes with detached garages and deep, flat backyards |
| What we compare | Garage conversion, building onto a detached garage, a new detached ADU, an ADU above the garage, two units, and SB 9 on bigger lots |
| What you get | A booklet per tour: house rent, ADU rent per option, approximate build cost, monthly payment and financing options |
| Area covered | Orange County and LA County |
| Who runs it | Dylan Serna, The ADU Realtor, eXp Realty, DRE #02217359 |
Why Tour Layouts, Not Just Houses
Two homes at the same price can be completely different investments. One has a detached two-car garage at the back of a long lot with alley access. The other has an attached garage and a narrow side yard. On paper they look the same. Once you price out what each lot can actually hold, they can end up more than $1,500 a month apart.
That’s why I don’t show you a house and ask if you like the kitchen. On every tour we walk the lot together and talk through which ADU layouts fit, what each one costs and what it rents for. State law gives you a lot of room to build. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) enforces the rules that require cities to approve qualifying ADUs. But every lot has its own limits, so we look at them in person.
The ADU Layouts We Compare on Every Tour
Not every property fits every option. Here are the ones we go through, roughly from the lowest cost to the most units.
1. Convert the garage
Usually the cheapest way to add a unit, because the walls, roof and slab are already there. A two-car garage typically becomes a studio or 1-bedroom around 400 square feet. In Orange County that’s often around $150,000 to build and around $1,800 a month in rent. The trade-off is a smaller unit and losing the garage. Full numbers are in garage conversion ADU cost in Orange County.
2. Build onto a detached garage
If the home has a detached garage, we can often convert it and add square footage to it, turning a 400 square foot space into a 2-bedroom around 750 square feet. You get a bigger unit with more rent, and the build cost usually lands between a straight conversion and a brand-new unit. This is one of the layouts I get most excited about on tours, because the detached garage is usually already in the right spot: at the back of the lot, away from the main house.
3. Build a new detached ADU in the backyard
A new 2-bedroom unit around 800 square feet, built from scratch. You keep the garage, the tenant gets more privacy, and the unit rents for more. It’s also the highest build cost of the single-unit options, often around $275,000 in our area. I compare the two approaches in detached vs. attached ADUs.
4. Build an ADU above the garage
When the backyard is small but the garage is solid, going up can work. It keeps your parking and your yard, but costs about 10% more per square foot and runs into height rules. More detail in ADU above garage: cost, height rules and when it makes sense.
5. Add two more units
This is where the numbers can really change. On many single-family lots, state law allows a combination like a garage conversion plus a new detached ADU, or an ADU plus a junior ADU inside the main house. Cities apply the rules differently, so we confirm with the city and the architect before you count on it. See how many ADUs are allowed on one property in California and JADU vs. ADU for how the unit types stack.
6. Look at SB 9 on bigger lots
On larger single-family lots, an SB 9 lot split can open up even more units, and sometimes a second parcel you can sell. It has its own rules, including owner-occupancy requirements in many cases, so it isn’t right for every buyer. When a lot qualifies, I put it in the booklet next to the ADU options. I break down the trade-offs in ADU vs. SB 9 lot split.
What’s in Your Tour Booklet
Every property we tour gets its own page in the booklet, so you can compare them side by side after the tour instead of trying to remember which house had the alley.
- Projected house rent: what the main home rents for today
- ADU rent for each layout: based on current rents for similar units nearby. My city-by-city numbers are in ADU rent by city.
- Approximate build cost for each layout: conversion, addition, new detached or two units
- Cash needed: down payment plus build cost, so you see the all-in number
- Monthly payment vs. total rent: the simple test of whether the property pays for itself
- Financing options: which ways to pay for the purchase and the build fit this property
- Lot notes: access, setbacks, utility locations and anything that could slow a build down
A Sample Booklet Page
Here’s what one property can look like when we run every layout. This example is based on a Garden Grove-area home with a detached two-car garage.
| Layout | Build cost | ADU rent | Total rent | Cash in (25% down + build) | Monthly payment (PITI) | Rent minus payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep as is (rent the house) | None | None | $4,100 | $262,500 | About $6,850 | About -$2,750 |
| Convert the garage (studio/1-bed, ~400 sq ft) | $150,000 | $1,800 | $5,900 | $412,500 | About $6,990 | About -$1,090 |
| Build onto the detached garage (2-bed, ~750 sq ft) | $230,000 | $2,700 | $6,800 | $492,500 | About $7,070 | About -$270 |
| New detached ADU, keep garage (2-bed, ~800 sq ft) | $275,000 | $2,800 | $6,900 | $537,500 | About $7,110 | About -$210 |
| Two units (garage conversion + new 2-bed) | $425,000 | $4,600 | $8,700 | $687,500 | About $7,260 | About +$1,440 |
Assumes a $1,050,000 purchase price, 25% down, 7.75% on a 30-year investment loan, build cost paid in cash, property tax at 1.15% of price plus build, and $200 a month insurance. Before vacancy, repairs and management. Example numbers, not a quote.
Look at what happens across the table. The same house goes from losing about $2,750 a month to making about $1,440 a month, depending on what you build. That’s the whole point of the tours. The right answer depends on your budget: if you have around $500,000 to work with, building onto the detached garage gets you close to break even. If you have closer to $700,000, two units turn it into real cash flow.
Financing Options We Go Through
The booklet doesn’t stop at the build cost. For each property we talk through how you’d actually pay for it, so the plan works with your cash and your loan.
- Investment purchase loan: 25% down is the usual minimum. In Southern California, a rental often needs closer to 50% down to break even without an ADU, which is why the extra rent from the unit matters so much.
- Cash for the build: the simplest path, and the one used in the sample table above.
- HELOC or equity from a home you own: a common way to fund the build without selling anything.
- Renovation or construction financing: some loan programs can include ADU work, like Fannie Mae’s HomeStyle Renovation loan. Eligibility depends on the program, the property and whether you live there, so I connect you with a lender to confirm.
- Cash-out refinance after the ADU is built: once the unit is finished and rented, the added value can help you pull cash back out.
- ADU rent to help qualify: in some cases, a lender can count rental income toward your loan. I explain how in using ADU rental income to qualify for a mortgage.
I compare these and a few more in ADU financing options: 6 ways to pay for an ADU.
What We Tour, and Where
Some lots make ADUs easier and cheaper to build, so these are the ones I put on the tour list first:
- Corner lots: a second street frontage means easier construction access and a separate entrance for the tenant
- RV-gate lots: a wide side yard lets equipment get to the back of the lot
- Alley-access homes: the ADU can face the alley with its own entry and parking
- Homes with detached garages: often the best spot for a conversion or an addition
- Deep, flat backyards: room for a new detached unit, or two
Where we tour depends on what came out of your Vision Session. Many of my buyers end up in places like Anaheim, Garden Grove and Long Beach, where lot sizes and ADU rules tend to work in your favor.
What Happens After the Tours
Once you’ve seen the layouts and compared the booklet pages, we narrow it to a handpicked list of homes that fit your plan. When the right one comes up, we write the offer and open escrow. That’s Step 3: during inspections and appraisal, you connect with an ADU architect who prepares a feasibility report on the property before your contingencies end. I lay out that step in my escrow ADU verification checklist, and the full process is in how I help buyers find properties with ADU potential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an ADU Exploratory Tour?
It’s Step 2 of Dylan Serna’s ADU buyer process. We tour homes in Orange County and LA County that fit your Vision Session plan and compare the ADU layouts each lot can hold, with a booklet showing rent, build cost and financing for every option.
Do I need a Vision Session before the tours?
Yes. The Vision Session sets your budget, goals and target cities, so every home we tour is judged against your numbers instead of the listing photos.
How accurate are the rent and build cost numbers?
They’re estimates based on current rents for similar units and recent build costs in the area. They’re meant to help you compare properties. Before your contingencies end, the ADU feasibility report in Step 3 confirms what can actually be built.
Can I add two ADUs to one property?
On many single-family lots in California, yes. Common combinations are a garage conversion plus a new detached ADU, or an ADU plus a junior ADU. Each city applies the rules a little differently, so we confirm with the city and an architect.
Is it cheaper to convert the garage or build a new ADU?
Converting the garage is usually cheaper, often around $150,000 in Orange County compared to around $275,000 for a new 800 square foot detached unit. The new unit usually rents for about $1,000 more a month, so the better choice depends on your budget.
What areas do you tour?
Orange County and LA County, including Anaheim, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Buena Park, Orange, Costa Mesa, Westminster, Lakewood and Long Beach.
Start With Your Vision Session
Exploratory Tours start once we know your budget and goals. If you’re planning to buy in Orange County or LA County and add an ADU, book your Vision Session and we’ll set up your first tour from there.
👉 Book a buyer ADU consult call to go through your options with Dylan
Prefer to talk now? Call Dylan Serna, ADU Realtor at 714-860-2868.
Dylan Serna | The ADU Realtor | eXp Realty | DRE #02217359
This post is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Payment, rent and build cost figures are examples; confirm numbers, financing and ADU rules for any specific property before you buy.