New Homes Drop in Size: First Time Since 2009

Yes the Millennials are gradually entering the single family market. However, I believe that Boomers still move the market. In my area, there are a lot of communities going up that are targeted toward seniors who want to downsize from their current McMansions. These retiring Boomers want smaller homes on one level and on smaller lots. I think the average size of new single family homes will continue to drop for many years to come.

I found the premise of this article somewhat humorous based on a drop of only 55 square feet. I guess journalists must have something to write about! I would love to find a home of about 2000 square feet with only two full baths. Less to clean! A four-season room incorporated into the living area, not a separate room - to bring the outdoors inside. A gas fireplace. And hardest of all, some acreage, but not too far from town. Dream on!

We want to be somewhere along the Gulf Coast, from Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Ala. to Pensacola/Gulf Breeze, Fla. We are in our 60's, maybe still work part time. Want a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, decent size master bdrm and bath w/walk in closet, single level home with a gas fireplace, open floor plan, a yard, patio. A pool would be awesome, but if not in my back yard, then in the community.
If it ends up we are in the Gulf Shores area, I realize that it's a tourist town, but aren't there activities for the senior age people other than golf to be involved in?

That's exactly what our new neighbors are building down the street from us.

Last week the topic of building during retirement came up.
We're finding this endeavor quite perplexing and very stressful here in TN. We are wondering if this is the situation in other areas as well.
It took more than 2 months just to obtain a building permit. We were required to line many pockets, compared to our neighbors that built several years ago.
"Tomorrow " just means "not today;" it more than likely means 2 weeks from tomorrow. Sometimes they don't show up because there is rain in the forecast; then it doesn't even sprinkle. Or it's a holiday and nobody is working anywhere. It doesn't seem to rain on those days, but the 3 days following the holiday it will rain or sprinkle; OR it is still too wet to do anything.
When a subcontractor does show up to do
something, they send 5 guys; 2 do the work and the other 3 stand around and watch. Wouldn't it be great to have a job like that? How can you support yourself if you only work a day or two a week?9
We are beside ourselves trying to figure this out. We sure hope this changes, but the locals warn us to relax because that this is just the way it is here. Arrrggggg

I currently live in a 1170 sq. ft. house, and it is too big for me alone. However, when I retire, I plan to rent a bedroom to a graduate student for the extra money, and will be happy with the bigger space.

We just moved from a 3300 sq.ft. home in St. Louis to our retirement destination-the mountains of East Tennessee. We could not find a smaller home that met our needs. Builders apparently think that 'larger' homes should be luxurious, while 'smaller' homes should be bare-bones "starter" homes! So we had to build. We built an 1800 sq.ft. home on a hillside with a great mountain view. We have the smallest home in a pretty prestigious neighborhood. It is a 'nice' home-just not as large as those of my neighbors (we're past the stage of trying to "impress the Joneses"). We have three bedrooms (master, office, and guest bedroom/music room), and we made the dining room into a library. Exactly the space that we need, and no excess space to clean or maintain!

James,
What city are you close to, if you don't mind sharing?
Did you experience the difficulties I mentioned above?
Thanks

In my area, smaller homes are very hard to come by. Most new home communities, even the 'adult communities' are building multi level large homes. When will developers start to see that most retirees don't want these large homes. I think they are missing a large segment of the people willing and able to buy. I will probably have to relocate to find the amenities mentioned above for retiring boomers. Very frustrating.

We have been watching real estate in our target area for over a year. It seems as though the existing homes are either too small or too big! We cannot afford to build and the ultimate recycling would be to make an existing house work. The smaller homes would be okay but I loving have two bathrooms and don't want to give that up! We are considering buying one of the 1940s houses and adding a master suite - not a huge one - just a bedroom with a closet and master bath. Got to have 2 bathrooms and if we have to be snowed in for a week there had better be some room for both of us to exist :-) Those tiny houses from TV are not for us!

just curious I want to retire in Florida cant decide the gulf side or the Ocean side
Thanks everyone!

Don, I lived on the Gulf side, in Clearwater for 10 yrs. We only experienced a mild hurricane one time during that time. HOME Prices are pretty affordable.

My preference would be the gulf side. A little less crowded and the beaches are nicer in my opinion.

Thanks for answering I'll keep that in mind

Help! We just sold our 4 bedroom 2 story house in western New York. It was listed for 5 days and we received 4 offers. I know, not a bad problem to have. But, we don't have a house or even definite area we are moving to. We're in the process of throwing, donating and packing and will be storing furniture etc., and hoping to short term rent. Our kids live in DC, so are looking to move within 2 hours of them. We've been looking at the Richmond VA and Harrisburg/Gettysburg PA areas. Any advice for us?

Don I would like to mention a couple of hints for choosing your Florida location. I don't know where you are from but in general you will find the east coast, particularly the father south you go, to have a large population from the northeast...New York, New England etc. The west coast of Florida is largely populated by midwesterners... think Ohio, Illinois, Michigan... and places south and west of those states. Of course there are exceptions but think of what population you would fit in best with. Also, east coast benefits more from off shore breezes making the east slightly cooler and not quite as humid in the summer. As a transplant though you probably wouldn't notice the difference. Good luck finding your spot.

Checking out East TN - we live in Northern VA currently. Love Knoxville and eastward.. Small, up-do-date and one-level. They are hard to find! Might have to build as well. Thanks for the potential issues with builders and subcontractors.

Hi Patti, Don, and Julie,
You may want to check out the State Retirement Guide for state info on The states and areas you're interested in. You can also type in the areas in the search bar for past articles. On the Forum under the states and areas you can post questions.
Good Luck in your search!!

Laura, Do you have thoughts on who moves to the central part of Florida like the Orlando area or Ocala? Thanks.

Patti,
It depends on what you're looking for. If you like hiking and/or mountain scenery, you may want to travel a little further south. Traveling to the Harrisonburg, Staunton, etc. area you have the Shenandoah National Park to the East and a very large tract of National Forest land just to your West. Hoping you find your sweet spot!

I'm coming from 5 bedroom home with 25 years of accumulation. The thought of downsizing to a smaller home is overwhelming. How small is too small?? I look at homes 1,000 square feet and say "no way". Has anyone made that transition?? How did it work out?

Florence, my hub and I live in an average 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath house. We have lived in it for 42 years. No children. We have accumulated massive amounts of 'things'. December and January we donated a total of 25 bags of 'stuff' to the Vietnam Veterans. They came to our house and picked up the stuff. It was an assortment of everything, clothes housewares, tools. That didn't even make a dent! Hub has rented a giant dumpster at least 3 times over the last 4 years and he has cleaned out his sheds and garage. Still have tons of stuff. We have sold stuff and given stuff away. If you have children, I would start with them and start giving them stuff you don't want. Then start loading up garbage bags of clothing and housewares and when you get 4 or 5 bags run the stuff to Goodwill. I take stuff there every couple of months. Get the receipts from them or any organization and you can deduct them on your income tax. My hub had one job where they were always throwing out stuff and the guys could get a scrap pass to take the stuff home. He worked at that place for 20 years so you can imagine the stuff he brought home! We can't even park in the garage! Since retirement he has been pecking at organizing the garage and his tools. He has donated lots of duplicates. Funny, when we were first married we lived in a single wide 2 bedroom mobile home. We seemed to have enough room at the time! Now we have a good size house full to the brim! My Mom and I would go to tag sales over the years and sometimes I would see something that caught my eye and I'd say I don't have any room for it. She would say, just put it in a corner. I would say, I ran out of corners a long time ago! LOL!

Florence, I think you need to ask yourself a lot of questions.
How many bedrooms do you need if you downsize?
What are minimum bathrooms you need.
What kind of furniture do you plan to move? Is it big and bulky? Do you have a formal dining room with hutch? Will the furniture you have now fit into a smaller home? Do you need to get rid of furniture due too having too much for a smaller home?
Do you have hobbies that require room to spread out like sewing, crafts, jigsaw puzzles?
Do you have so much stuff in your closets that you won't be able to put it all into a smaller home?
What are you activities in your home now? Do you have lots of guests over and require a large dining table or more seating in your living room? Are you used to a porch, deck, yard for entertaining outdoors?
Is a garage a necessity?
Is a basement a necessity?
A lot of people can't deal with downsizing and rent a storage unit to store their stuff. That is costly at probably $250 monthly or more depending on size.
Maybe you are putting too much stress on yourself to downsize so drastically. Maybe you could up your square footage to a more roomier place. What do you do in your 5 bedroom home now that you would feel restricted in a 1,000 sq ft house? If storage is a problem, try to find a house with a basement, pantry, or more closets than normal. Some garages have loft areas.

I used to have a Timeshare (2 bedrm & fold out couch sleeper) that slept 6 people. The kitchen was minimalistic. It had six dinner plates, six forks, six spoons, six butter knives, 6 steak knives, a variety of glasses but 6 of each. One big pot, one strainer, maybe 2 skillets a variety of cooking utensils and a couple of pots. Not much and in my home now, I probably have 16 forks and all the rest of the silverware too. The point is, 6 is really enough and yes you run out and by gosh, you have to wash them and you can start reusing them! Hahaha, I just keep pulling more and more out of my drawers till I have a ton of silverware in the sink. I have pots and pans, 2 pressure cookers, 2 slow cookers, skillets, bowls, casserole dishes, tons of utensils, you name it, I have it. But, do I really need it...probably NOT!

Florence,

I recently (5 months ago) moved from a relatively small 3-bedroom home to another state (TN), and am now renting until i find my chosen destination. I would like to encourage you, whether you stay or go, to start downsizing NOW. We had sooooo much junk we didn't need! And a lot of good stuff we didn't truly need as well (three colanders and one strainer, anyone?). It was very stressful as we waited too long. Do it when there is less pressure; you are further in time from the anticipated move. We told ourselves that,no matter what, at least we weren't leaving this mess for our kids!

Us too.
5 bedrooms with 7 walk- in closets. Huge shed. 23 years of stuff. Kid's moved out and left all kinds of stuff. We donate it, or pay to unload at the dump; then they'll decide that they wanted it. Beautiful dishes and china, they don't want. What to do? This is difficult all the way around. They seem resentful that we want to move away. Communication is strained, or they just want to avoid all the work involved.

Caps, you are the adult. Make a list of the stuff you don't want and tell them they have first dibs. Then donate it and don't look back. Tell your kids they have till such a date like 1- 2 months to decide what they want to take and then tell them you are going to donate it. Stick to your guns! If they know you mean business, then they will either take the stuff or not. If not, time to purge! Move on or you will be drowning in STUFF till the end of days!

There are also ebay assistants who will sell your stuff for a % of the sale. Look up ebay assistants and if your stuff is worthwhile they will sell it for you. Or find a 'picker' in your area. They will take consignments and you can get about 60% and they get 40% of the sale.

Caps, I found your comments interesting. When my parents retired, downsized and moved to a double-wide mobile home in Florida, I and the other adult children lived thousands of miles away. I did not realize what my mom must have gone through until now that I am retiring and getting ready for a move. She packed up every childhood memento she had kept per child, and mailed them to each of us (we all lived in different states). She didn’t ask first if we wanted them or tell us these packages were coming; she only explained that she would not have room for them in their new home. All she kept were the family photo albums.

I remembered feeling kind of sad when I received my unannounced package – kind of hurt that my mom did not “want” these things anymore. However, I did enjoy seeing them again and sharing them with my child. Over the years I have thrown some away due to storage limits and I already started giving my child some of her things.

So this is my advice – pack up as much as your children’s “stuff” in boxes and insist on them physically taking the boxes (by a certain date) and doing what they want with them. Anything that can’t be boxed or other home items you don’t plan on taking with you, offer them to the kids with the stipulation they need to be out of your house by a certain date or you will dispose of them. And stick to that. The younger generation has already been coddled and accommodated enough to the point they don’t seem to understand they need to think about what others might be going through and how they could be helpful. I only wish I had been "aware" enough when my parents retired and flown back home and helped them do this.

Then apply Louise’s advice. I am trying to do that now.

BeckyN, I think your Mother was smart to mail out all those packages to her children. No arguing about it!

Wish I had someone to mail my stuff to! However, the Goodwill and other organization get plenty every year.

I already have a small pile waiting for The Vietnam Veterans to pick up but will wait till the pile is a bit bigger to call them! Last pick up was 11 giant garbage bags full in January!

I had to clean my Mother's house out when she passed and it was a gigantic undertaking. My hub cleaned out the whole basement which was loaded to the moon with stuff. It took a whole giant dumpster for that with a little left over room for other stuff. He made a million trips up and down the basement stairs and it was hot weather. We had a charitable organization take about 99% of the furnishings. We donated dog items to Animal Welfare, donated to Goodwill and gave some kitchen things to a friend. Only my Mom living in that house and she had tons of clothes I donated. This was a pretty small house and the guys who picked up the stuff said they never saw so much stuff in one little house! LOL! They filled up their whole truck and there were several things like mattresses they wouldn't take. Plus, a recliner and a love seat that had damage. They wouldn't have had enough room if they could have taken the rest! We also hired a company to take an ancient freezer out of the basement that weighed about 800 lbs! It looked as if it was from the 1940's and came with the house. It was a scary freezer and looked like a coffin! It took 3 guys to get it out! Needless to say, this was a major, major chore!

My Sister in Law got suck with cleaning out her aunts apartment in NY after the aunt died. The apartment was rent controlled and between the aunt and the aunts parents they probably lived there a total of 110 years! The aunt was around 70 years old and lived there her whole life. The parents lived there and had older children who also lived there when younger. This apartment was a disaster and full of bed bugs. The aunt must have had dementia plus, she was very, very sick and had a hoarder situation going on. Things stacked to the ceiling and a small path to get to the bedrooms. Everything had to be tossed even new stuff. Sister in law hired some company and it cost her something like $14,000 for them to clean it out and they had to wear protective gear because of the bed bugs. The building is probably 150 years old and once they exterminated it I am sure the bugs ran to other apartments. UGH!!!!

Thanks for all of the advice. We have been throwing out but it is a daunting task. I went through the kids stuff and put things I thought they might want into storage containers for them. I kept my momentos from them as well.
I have a lot of semi good furniture that I am reluctant to part with. A good dining room set, some antique pieces etc. I guess I still need a house with a formal living and dining room, as well as a family room, but in our new downsizing price range these things are hard to find. Don't want or need a basement though. We are beginning to think if it makes sense to buy a lot and build but I'm not sure that's something we want to undertake.

Florence, We built our house in 1975. It is a raised ranch and an average size. We have never moved and over the years I have really wished we had built another style of house. But when we built I was only 22 years old and hub was 24. So what did we know about styles of homes back then? We were just kids and were so fortunate to have saved enough to build a home! Over the years we have become pretty good cooks and with that acquired a lot of cooking equipment. Our kitchen is very unsatisfactory for endeavors of cooking like a pro. We need more counter space, a very large walk in pantry, a nice island, lots of cabinet space. Another thing I would like is a large laundry room. What I have now is totally inadequate and a tad bigger than a walk in closet. I also like pocket doors for the space saving they provide. Also, I would like to have large enough bathrooms and install some grab bars and things in case one of us needs it later down the road. So, my point is, I would need to build a house too, to get what I want. I also want a one floor home. I have looked at Mobile home designs and a lot of them have what I want. One floor and gourmet kitchen. I am not sure how much customization they will do but for money, they will probably do a lot to satisfy. However, I do not want to be in a MH park. I would want a private lot. So it would be necessary to drill a well or hook up to city water and a septic system or city sewer. Mobile homes are not the 'trailers' of yesteryear. They are built to very high standards like stick built homes. The Mobile Home places will work with you and from what I have heard they can build a home pretty quickly. They build them inside giant warehouses. They come to your lot in two or three pieces depending on the width and is delivered and put together. Then plumbing and electrical work needs to be done. They have done this a million times so I am sure they are good at it. There is a home in our neighborhood that is a modular home and I think they have a basement and it is considered a home not a MH. It is gorgeous and we admire it every time we pass by it.

Thanks Laura Im from long Island where everything is so expensive...I love the warm weather

Louise
What I think you're referring to are Manufactured Homes, and yes some are very nice!! We're considering that as well if we could just decide where we want to be!!!

You might hear the terms mobile homes, manufactured homes, modular homes and site built (stick-built) homes. The differences can affect a home's price and its resale value, and even determine whether or not it can be built on your land.

• MANUFACTURED homes were formerly referred to as mobile homes or trailers, but now come with many more style options than in the past.
• Manufactured houses are built in a factory.
• They conform to a Federal building code, called the HUD code, rather than to building codes AT THEIR DESTINATIONS
• Manufactured homes are built on a non-removable steel chassis.
• Sections are transported to the building site on THEIR OWN WHEELS..
• Multi-part manufactured units are joined at their destination.
• Segments are not always placed on a permanent foundation, making them more difficult to re-finance.
• Building inspectors check the work done locally (electric hook up, etc.) but are not required to approve the structure.
• Manufactured housing is generally less expensive than site built and modular homes.
• Manufactured homes sometimes decrease in value over time.

• MODULAR homes are built in sections at a factory.
• Modular homes are built to conform to ALL STATE, LOCAL OR REGIONAL BUILDING CODES AT THEIR DESTINATIONS (just like stick-built).
• Sections are transported to the building site on truck beds, then joined together by LOCAL contractors.
• Local building inspectors check to make sure a modular home's structure meets requirements and that all finish work is done properly.
• Modular homes are sometimes less expensive per square foot than site built houses.
• A well-built modular home should have the same longevity as its site-built counterpart, increasing in value over time.

Restrictive Covenants and Deed Restrictions
• Communities generally have no restrictions against traditional, site-built homes. Many housing developments do set minimum size requirements and stipulate you must build a house that conforms to published restricted covenants or be approved by an architectural review committee.
• Most developments allow modular homes. Some do not, but, in those cases, the restrictions seem to have been imposed because of an ongoing confusion about the differences between modular homes and manufactured homes.
• Restrictive covenants and deed restrictions often exclude manufactured homes.
Investigate the deed restrictions thoroughly before purchasing land for any type of new home. Further, obtain a copy of the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, also known as the CC&Rs for your new neighborhood. Study the plat map and know where your easement boundaries lie to make sure you do not place your modular home on top of any easements.

My daughter had a new modular home with garage built and placed on an existing lot in a suburban neighborhood. First they demolished the existing house, had a basement dug and modular homes delivered and tied down to foundation/basement. They had to secure local contractors to complete this process and all electrical and plumbing connections, finish work, driveway and sidewalk work. I got the impression it was a lot of coordination and hassles but much less expensive. When you look around in the home, you cannot tell any difference from a stick built home track home.

Yes, Manufactured Homes. Would like input from those who bought a Manufactured Home and put it on your own property. My friend has a Manufactured Home in a Mobile Home park and pays around $550 a month lot rent and that is too much. I have a home on an acre and I pay less than that in Town taxes. Plus, she doesn't use the amenities like the pool due to it being over run by tons of kids and she doesn't use the club house.

I would be interested in relocating to Georgia. Anyone know of areas that allow you to buy property to place a Manufactured Home on?

My friend lives in a beautiful double-wide. However, before purchasing, i would look into the home's depreciation vs. appreciation on a stick-built (regular) home. Additionally, i've been told that it's difficult to sell as banks are adverse to giving a mortgage to a buyer of a used manufactured home. For your own financial security, please look into these issues before purchasing. I may be ill-informed; but then again, perhaps i'm not.

Wow, BeckyN, thanks for that lengthy exploitation! Very informative! Thank you!

An aunt of mine bought a nice manufactured home, but when it came time to sell it, she took a loss, because first time home buyers couldn't get a loan to purchase it. It was listed at $129k but they only got about 90k for it.

Exactly what BeckyN listed. We built a 3000 sq ft 2 story with 2 car garage and basement with 9 ft ceilings. My husband was the general contractor and coordinated the build and inspections. The home is top quality regarding it's construction and unless told you would not know it from stick build. There is another manufactured home nearby over 6000 sq ft for sale on large acreage going for over $2 million. There is no discrimination in our area among premium custom built homes with high real estate values. However, that being said I do not think all manufactured homes are created equal and there are differences between states. IMO just like a stick built home it will depend upon the builder and materials used - it is all about quality. There are plenty of stick built homes build on slabs that I would not touch for their cheap / poor construction. As always - buyer do your homework.

BeckyN, Arrggg, I meant lengthy EXPLANATION!

I have concerns about attic and basement storage as I get older. I can't picture myself carrying storage bins up and down the stairs!!

And with good reason, Staci. We're all planning, now, for a future that is not comparable to our pasts. May be boring, or seem too careful, but i do think it's wise.

We're building a wider staircase to the bonus room, in case we ever want to add a tram; As well a gentle ramp off the deck for back yard access; otherwise it's basically a one- level with wide doors and hallways. These upgrades may cost more now, yet still considerably less expensive than assisted living.
Hopefully, the home may be more appealing to sell for the same reasons when that time comes.