During the boom, people were flocking towards those grand and spacious homes with the circular drives and enormous iron doors at the entrance. Beautiful homes with multiple garages, multiple dishwashers, multiple baths. They had game rooms and family rooms and bonus rooms and hobby rooms. They had islands in the kitchen, islands in the closet, even islands in the garage. They had indoor kitchens and outdoor kitchens. Fireplaces in the great room and master and outdoors on the patio. The more the merrier, right?
Perhaps the current economic climate has something to do with it, but indicators suggest times are changing. Trulia, a real estate web site recently conducted a poll about the ideal home size. USA Today reported on these findings and reported the survey indicated that most Americans, approximately 55%, indicated the perfect size of a home is no more than 2,600 square feet. Only 9% preferred homes of 3,200 square feet or more. As much of the country struggles with economic issues, employment (or unemployment, declining home values, raising costs of education, etc) homeowners are re-evaluating what’s important to them, they are shifting the focus on what they need vs. what they want. Ah, times are a changing. Sounds like good ole American values once again.
As for me, all square footage is not created equal. It’s how it’s used. I’ve seen some terrific, very livable and spacious-feeling homes with 1,300 square feet where neighboring homes of 1,800 square feet felt chopped up, boxy, closed in and dark. So, when asking your real estate agent to implement a home search, don’t let the square footage number alone dictate the perfect home – it’s how the floor plan is laid out that is most important.
©2010 Tom Weiskopf, PLLC. Tom Weiskopf, PLLC is an Arizona licensed real estate agent with John Hall & Associates serving the Phoenix area.
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