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I recently downgraded from a 3 bedroom house to a teeny tiny 1 bedroom cottage and I couldn't be happier I spend most of my time outside (or at work...or in the air ) so it doesn't make much sense to spend a bunch of money on furniture/cleaning/knick knacks or time on cleaning when I'm rarely there.
I'm not a huge fan of big homes, but perhaps that's because I was raised in Germany where square footage is a luxury. I live on 2 acres which is adjacent to a big working cattle ranch so I definitely prefer views and land over housing
My 1894 Victorian is rather small compared to the braggarts responding here.the tittle of this thread should be changed to I can afford more than you can and I can prove it. what a stupid thread
There you are incorrect. Just because my house is bigger, that doesnt mean I can afford more. Cost per square foot varies greatly across the nation. I had to move to another state so I can get a larger home with the square foot I wanted, and at that, I had to buy a bank repo because I surely couldnt afford the $600K they wanted for a similar sized home where I used to live.. Not even close.. I paid less for my 6,000 sf home than my neighbor who is listing their 1500 sf home up on the market for, and almost as cheap as the 1300 sf 2 bedroom home next to them.. Size in many neighborhoods is a negative, not a positive. Too large of a home with too much usnusable space for most people = a severly depressed price..
There you are incorrect. Just because my house is bigger, that doesnt mean I can afford more. Cost per square foot varies greatly across the nation. I had to move to another state so I can get a larger home with the square foot I wanted, and at that, I had to buy a bank repo because I surely couldnt afford the $600K they wanted for a similar sized home where I used to live.. Not even close.. I paid less for my 6,000 sf home than my neighbor who is listing their 1500 sf home up on the market for, and almost as cheap as the 1300 sf 2 bedroom home next to them.. Size in many neighborhoods is a negative, not a positive. Too large of a home with too much usnusable space for most people = a severly depressed price..
well if you can afford the utilities,property taxes and such have at it. Somebody needs to buy those old status symbols
My 1894 Victorian is rather small compared to the braggarts responding here.the tittle of this thread should be changed to I can afford more than you can and I can prove it. what a stupid thread
I looked at a bunch of victorians in Astoria, Or. a while back. All had nice hardwood floors but they were only 750 to 900 Sq. ft. And none of them had any closets. Tiny bedrooms but great old windows. Too much work for me. One actually had gas chandelliers that still worked.
well if you can afford the utilities,property taxes and such have at it. Somebody needs to buy those old status symbols
Utilities on my 6,000 sf home is lower than the 2,000 sf home. Gas bill is almost 1/2 as much, and electric remained the same despite more computers and a larger home. Taxes are higher, its not much..
My 2,000 sf home has a tax rate of about $2,000 a year
The 6,000 sf home, was $3200 but under appeal to lower them to $2400. The $400 more in taxes was far worth the upgrade, and after I'm done writing off 20% of the tax bill and the utilities, I'm actually ahead, especially considering I'm no longer renting storage for the business at $300 a month.. It was about $6K a year cheaper to move to a larger home and out of the dump I was living in. (excluding maintenance of course, because I'm sinking the savings back into the home to finish it).. Former owner was a top manager for GM, and he lost his job in the mist of expanding the home.. so I've needed to finish the work..
edit to add: Forgot, the mortgage went up of course, but thats because the previous house was almost paid off and we paid almost nothing for it as well.. It went up the $300 I was spending in storage so we still came out cheaper moving to a larger home.
I looked at a bunch of victorians in Astoria, Or. a while back. All had nice hardwood floors but they were only 750 to 900 Sq. ft. And none of them had any closets. Tiny bedrooms but great old windows. Too much work for me. One actually had gas chandelliers that still worked.
closets did not exist then you had your own wardrobes that you owned. my home has 2 15x15' bedrooms with 10' ceilings you could land a small plane in. the real deal
I don't. Then I would have to clean it all. I am OCD about it so I couldn't hire a maid, either. I never want more than four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
ETA: Different locales have different styles. Our home in FL is a 1978 3/2 1450sf ranch with a 20x20 family room. That room was the selling point. Now I realize I more value the kitchen area, it's horrible working in a small space and also not having enough storage. We had a one car garage which we used for storing our lawn equipment and the Bowflex.
Now we're renting a 2/1 800sf lower in a Milwaukee bungalow that was built in the 1800s. Detached garage out back (one spot for me, one spot for the guy in the upper and DH parks alongside the garage), long driveway to shovel which kind of blows, being from FL and all. But this entire neighborhood is AWESOME as far as architecture. I love these old homes. High ceilings, molding everywhere, archways, wood-cased double windows, old style radiators, even the inside of the hinges on the front door have designs on them! Our front door is like 8 feet tall. We have a three season room out front which I LOVE. The kitchen absolutely sucks, though. The smaller bedroom has a closet, the one we use as the master has a wardrobe that the landlord is letting us use...I think this room used to be the formal dining room because there is a stained glass window on one wall and a set of double doors at the entrance. We're just renting so I'll make due with the kitchen but in looking at homes available for sale in the area, many of them have redone the kitchens so they're more modern. Same with the bathrooms. The rest of the house has been maintained to preserve the architecture while updating wiring and pipes, etc. That kind of home is what I dream of now. We're about five blocks from Lake Michigan and as you walk east down our street, the houses get super nice and super big. A condo downtown is the other option for after we don't have a dog anymore. Both have great resale value and prices seem to not have dropped much in this market.
But still, I'm not sure I would ever want more than maybe 2500sf due to having to clean and furnish all of it.
Last edited by andrea3821; 12-15-2010 at 10:30 PM..
I recently purchased a house that comes in just under 7400 square feet, and will be putting an addition onto it either late next year or in the summer of 2012. Why? Because I like having the space for if I entertain, I love being able to have different areas of the house with different themes, and, frankly, I like working my way through the driveway and seeing something nice on the horizon that I know is mine.
Utilities on my 6,000 sf home is lower than the 2,000 sf home. Gas bill is almost 1/2 as much, and electric remained the same despite more computers and a larger home. Taxes are higher, its not much..
My 2,000 sf home has a tax rate of about $2,000 a year
The 6,000 sf home, was $3200 but under appeal to lower them to $2400. The $400 more in taxes was far worth the upgrade, and after I'm done writing off 20% of the tax bill and the utilities, I'm actually ahead, especially considering I'm no longer renting storage for the business at $300 a month.. It was about $6K a year cheaper to move to a larger home and out of the dump I was living in. (excluding maintenance of course, because I'm sinking the savings back into the home to finish it).. Former owner was a top manager for GM, and he lost his job in the mist of expanding the home.. so I've needed to finish the work..
good for you.I completly insulated my 1400 sq' home and highest heat bill was 40$ last year prop tax is 600$. not bad for an 85000 fixerupper that I saved from the developer flipper crowd
I never dreamed of owning a big house because all it represents to me is a lot of cleaning. A lot of property, though, is a different story.
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I spend most of my time outside (or at work...or in the air 
) so it doesn't make much sense to spend a bunch of money on furniture/cleaning/knick knacks or time on cleaning when I'm rarely there. 
