Will Your Next Home be Smaller than Your Current Home?

Smaller homes are becoming more popular. The reasons are many. Many real estate professionals will suggest that it’s another phenomenon that can be attributed to the baby boomer retirees. Still others feel that the current economic situation has put larger, more expensive homes out of reach of many in the middle class. 

Environmentally-conscious builders, buyers and homeowners are also trying to find ways to live comfortably in less space. Obviously smaller homes would be favored by anyone in the green-building movement.

Architects and designers are looking at the lifestyles of potential homebuyers and have discovered that many spaces in traditional homes are not used all that frequently. Formal living rooms and formal dining rooms often sit empty except for holiday entertaining. The result is that homes designed for today’s lifestyle often have great rooms that serve the functions that these formal spaces did in older homes. 

Builders’ shows have “featured concept” homes that are smaller than in the past. Their research found that although people may say they want smaller spaces, they don’t want to feel like they are in a smaller space. Thus, many newer home and townhouses boast larger windows, french doors that open to the outside and skylights to make the spaces feel more expansive.  Another trend on the rise is wraparound porches and more outdoor living spaces.

Even here inside the 128 belt and Arlington in particular, where the housing stock is older, agents are reporting that new home buyers are remodeling older homes but not always adding large amounts of square footage as was the practice in the past.

Current homeowners might want to take this trend into consideration when they are trying to decide to "add on" or move.