National real-estate Web site, Trulia, recently released the results of its American Dream survey and the results are interesting, but not that shocking.
We are getting smaller. Well maybe not in the waist, but in our housing choices.
| Size of House | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 3,200 + | 9% |
| 2,601 – 3,200 | 13% |
| 2,001 – 2,600 | 27% |
| 1,401 – 2,000 | 28% |
| 800 – 1,400 | 9% |
| Not Sure | 9% |
My first thought is … “really they needed to do a study to figure that out?”
Americans are getting older and with the Age of the Golden Boomer rolling out in 2011 the American dream has once again been adjusted.
But it goes even further than just the Boomers. In the biggest recession that most Americans have ever faced, they are taking stock of what they have … and what they didn’t have. The house they used as an ATM to finance and keep up with the Jones throughout the 90s, has now become an albatross around their neck.
Suddenly, that “McMansion” in the suburbs isn’t worth the cost of maintenance and up keep. It isn’t hard to see how this has caused a change in the thoughts of Americans.
Will bungalows like this become the future of new homes? (Robert Linder/sxc)
And finally, those in Generation X and Y that are starting to enter the buying market, have no interest in those square-footage houses. They are looking at houses that are more economical and just as important cheaper and ready to move into.
Of course, I’m being very-very general with these statements. There are thousands of people that will buck the trend — and the age, socioeconomic, and lots of other factors will go into this decision … and it will move as the person moves through life.
There was a time when I thought the bigger the house the more impressive. But I’ve changed and it doesn’t do that for me anymore like it used to. And that’s the thing to remember most, trends are just that a moment in time look at what a selection of people like.
So what does your selection of real estate look like today?
