Live Near Friends has arrived in Los Angeles!
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Some news: We’re selling Radish next year
Interested in buying a ready-made friend compound in Oakland? Keep reading ... This is a personal one. I'm Phil, the founder of Live Near Friends. Radish is my home in Oakland— a friend compound that houses 20 adults and 8 (soon to be 10) kids across 6 buildings. It&
Making the ask: Persuading family to move nearby
Sisters Sarah and Sydney took advantage of the opportunity to live next door to each other. Then they persuaded their mom to move a few blocks away. Here’s how they successfully made the ask at each critical juncture, and their advice for other families and friends who want to
After the Palisades fire: How two families found home together again
Editor's note: This is a case study from Live Near Friends' social media manager, Morgan. Like many people who work with LNF, Morgan lives near her friends. Here is her story. After losing their Topanga home in the Palisades fire, Morgan and Greg faced the daunting question
We build you a custom friend compound (Bay Area)
We’ve heard from many of you: it’s really hard to find a move-in-ready compound that truly works in the Bay Area. * The units aren’t big enough for families * The space is hard to divide legally * The layout or design just isn’t right So we’re launching
Building a Family or Friend Compound in Sonoma County
This post is written by Graham Hunter — the Live Near Friends agent covering Marin and Sonoma counties. Graham helps people like you make the dream a reality. And he knows the lifestyle well. He built two different compounds in Sebastopol and Santa Rosa with his family and friends. We get
Why You Shouldn’t Use a Random Real Estate Agent (when you want to Live Near Friends)
If you’re dreaming of buying a home near your favorite people—or even co-owning a place together—a regular real estate agent probably isn’t enough. And yet, most people click around on Zillow/Redfin etc, get matched with whoever responds fastest, and hope for the best. Or they
✨ Start Here: Your Guide to Living Near Friends
We built this blog—and this company—to help you get from “wouldn’t it be cool if…” in the group chat to actually living near your friends. If you’ve ever dreamed of raising your kids next door to your besties, building a backyard ADU for your parents, or
The new Seattle housing laws that make it easier to live near friends
Grab your party hat, bring on the noisemakers, and pop the champagne (if that’s your thing). Seattle is making it easier, and more affordable, to live near family and friends. Over the past several years, both the City of Seattle and Washington State have passed a wave of changes
Seattle ADUs 101: What you need to know
(Also see: LNF primer on Seattle's new housing laws) You know how much we love accessory dwelling units (ADUs) for living near friends. It’s by far the easiest way to share a yard and be close to each other. We’ve published a general guide in the
Crocs: The (un)official footwear of living near friends
Want to know if someone lives near their besties? Don’t look at their address. Look at their feet. If they’re rocking something like this: …then they probably had to drive, bike, or cross a ravine just to borrow an egg. But if you see this? That’s a
The great internet Baby Monitor Debate
(You can probably guess our take on this) Slate just dropped a firestorm of an article this week about parents using baby monitors to watch their sleeping children while they sneak away to hotel restaurants. The piece describes how an influencer couple faced intense backlash for using FaceTime to check
media
Live Near Friends in the news - Culture Study, Architectural Digest and more...
Live Near Friends (and living near friends) has been in the news a lot recently. Sharing some of the highlights I did a Q&A with the wonderful Anne Helen Petersen in her newsletter, Culture Study. It's one Substack newsletter that I very gladly pay for every
Reflections
Does your friend next door need to be your *best* friend?
So many people dream of living next door to their friends and family—but not that many actually do. What stops them? One common blocker we see is what we call the “Bestie Barrier.” People latch onto one specific person—their best friend—as the only person they’d consider
🎉 Live Near Friends now available in SEATTLE
Exciting news: Live Near Friends just launched in SEATTLE!
Your starter guide to living near friends in Seattle
Whether you’ve dreamed of having your besties next door, downstairs in a duplex, or right across the backyard, we’ve got you covered. Live Near Friends specializes in all the financial, legal, and zoning considerations that go into purchasing homes next door – so you can turn those dreams into
Case study: Xander & Colby secure their future friend compound
Xander and Colby purchased their future Berkeley friend compound in January 2025. They found the property through Live Near Friends and purchased it with Max Nelson, a Live Near Friends realtor. It’s a lovely 3-home property (one duplex + an ADU) near Ashby BART. They plan to live in one
How to pick a realtor (if you want to live near friends)
When you want to live near friends, the right realtor can make a big difference. While any realtor can help you view properties, coordinating these types of purchases requires a guide who understands the unique intersection of multi-party dynamics, creative financing, and unconventional property arrangements. In a given city, there
The long-awaited Friend Compound laws in California
It’s now much easier to build a friend compound in California. I used to tell people that their “all my friends on a plot of land” dream was impossible in California. Getting permits would be too much of a nightmare. This is no longer true. Here’s a breakdown
North Bay (Marin, Sonoma): Now available on Hot Friend Compounds
By popular request, we've expanded coverage of the Hot Friend Compounds to the North Bay – Marina and Sonoma counties. We'll be showing you the best properties for friends & family, and laying out exactly how you can make it happen. 💡If you are not yet a
ADUs: The biggest unlock in the history of living near friends
💡ADUs are total game changers when it comes to living near friends, allowing you to turn any property with a big enough lot (or even just a garage) into a multi-home friend compound. When you’re trying to live near friends, knowing that ADUs are an option expands the range
Reflections
Want to Live Near Friends? You'll need an Instigator
So you want to live near friends, but you’re not sure how to get everyone on the same page. This article will cover everything you need to know about assembling a group of friends, assessing fit, and getting from fuzzy to firm commitment. The advice here applies to any
How to charge your friends rent
Renting to friends: Fun but sometimes awkward
10 Ideas For Your Future Shared Yard With Friends
Shared backyards are a highlight of sharing property with friends. With two or more households contributing effort, skills, and resources, it’s half the effort to make (and maintain) the yard of your dreams. In this article, we’ll explore 10 ideas to transform your backyard into the perfect shared