By Chris Parker | Realtor.com
In 2010, data engineer Victor Chin knew he couldn’t afford to buy a home in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the median sales price was $520,958 (it’s since shot up to $930,000). Still, he kept dreaming of a place of his own—and came up with a plan.
It took four long years of saving and planning. But finally, he was able to purchase land in suburban San Carlos, design a 2,200-square-foot home, and then have it built. The key to making it all work financially: installing an attached 800-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath unit where he and his wife have lived since 2015 while renting out the main house to pay off the mortgage.
