Driving around different neighborhoods in Denver, you may notice that different areas cater to a certain breed of home. Washington Park is renowned for its large, Victorian and modern homes that face the park on every side. Not far is Cherry Creek, one of the most expensive places to live in the city where buyers expect to drop a million or ten to own a piece of property. If you head towards Uptown and Chessman Park, you will find little brick bungalows and quaint townhomes with character for days. Then you find your way west to the Highlands, where new builds are popping up on the daily but resemble more homes found in San Francisco, tall, sleek structures with views to boot. Every part of the city has a certain feel to it with homes ranging in size in every neighborhood. But as I work with some new build developers, I have realized that there is a shift in the square footage of homes these days. What I am finding, and am gathering more facts to back this up, is that the square footage of homes is getting smaller.
Let’s dive a little into the history of houses in the United States. For example, in 1900, a typical American home contained 700 – 1,200 square feet of living space with two-three bedrooms and one (if they were lucky) or no bathrooms. Fast forward to 1950 and not much had changed with a typical house being around 1,000 square feet, small and lacking basic amenities and plumbing. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average size of a new single-family American residence in 1950 was 983 square feet. Jump way, way ahead how to 2000 and things have changed dramatically. A typical home is around 2000 square feet or more with three or more bedrooms and two and a half baths (we finally got that plumbing thing down). Garages are a standard along with central air conditioning. Today, it is nearly 2500 square feet. As home sizes ballooned over that time, family size shrank. Finally, we make it to the present, where a revolution has begun to happen where people are now looking to downsize their homes and will trade in square footage for more freedom to travel and be more mobile.
One such thing that proves this is true is the tiny house evolution that has swept our nation in the past few years. Tiny homes are giving people the chance to own a place but not have all the responsibilities that come with owning a larger home. Tiny homeowners also can pick up and take their home with them if they so desire and for the younger generations who are into moving around and traveling more, a tiny home is an ideal investment.
For those of you who want to have a smaller home but not ready to commit to something as small as a tiny home, there are plenty of new builds happening around the state that can cater to your needs. Richmond Homes are bringing back the Seasons homes that have no basements and are less than 2000 square feet. There’s also my product, Easton Homes on Pinyon Street that are 2100 square feet with no basements but offer a very large garage for storage. Both of these are showing the way homes are going – more people are looking for less square space but still a home they can comfortably live in.
If you are thinking it is time to “downsize”, contact me today and let’s discuss your best options.
