Market for 800-1200sqft houses in Texas? Building/Selling (Houston: sales, real estate)

[BigFam16]

Does Texas have a market for building/selling smaller (700-1200sq ft) houses? I'm not worried about getting lots, it's more whether or not people want a home in this size range. They would be energy efficient and affordable, built to feel large and open while making the best use of space. I used to live in Houston, but people there seemed to always want the biggest house they could get for their money. Is this true in most of Texas?

[verybadgnome]

I don't see a lot demand for this as far as single family homes are concerned, but can think of one developer who has had some success:
SOL Austin :: Modern Austin Homes :: home

On the horizon is this one, a rehab project of small, 1920's homes:
Garden Square Homes Just another WordPress site


Now if you are talking about small multi-family units there is burgeoning demand for those, even some as small as 320 square feet:
Could you live in 320 sq feet? Microunit trend spreads to E.... | www.mystatesman.com

[Mark Senior]

Originally Posted by BigFam16

Does Texas have a market for building/selling smaller (700-1200sq ft) houses? I'm not worried about getting lots, it's more whether or not people want a home in this size range. They would be energy efficient and affordable, built to feel large and open while making the best use of space. I used to live in Houston, but people there seemed to always want the biggest house they could get for their money. Is this true in most of Texas?

You would find no lots inside the city limits of Tyler you could build that small of a home on, except in an older area, scattered old homes you could tear down then build, but the end cost would be way above what you could sell the house for. Most places are not Bellaire or West University or the Heights.

It would be hard to find undeveloped land within 5 miles of Tyler, that could qualify for an affordable home like you are speaking, imo. Former, Real estate broker, very aware of construction costs for land and it's availability.

But there sure as heck would be a demand for it here if, it were somehow possible.

Oh, one builder is offering 700 sq.ft home built for $80,000, granite, custom inside, bland looking box looking out side, but the land, yeah, is not included, nor any land prep cost, septic, sewer, well, community water, those would really add up even if you could find the land.

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by Mark Senior

You would find no lots inside the city limits of Tyler you could build that small of a home on, except in an older area, scattered old homes you could tear down then build, but the end cost would be way above what you could sell the house for. Most places are not Bellaire or West University or the Heights.

It would be hard to find undeveloped land within 5 miles of Tyler, that could qualify for an affordable home like you are speaking, imo. Former, Real estate broker, very aware of construction costs for land and it's availability.

But there sure as heck would be a demand for it here if, it were somehow possible.

Oh, one builder is offering 700 sq.ft home built for $80,000, granite, custom inside, bland looking box looking out side, but the land, yeah, is not included, nor any land prep cost, septic, sewer, well, community water, those would really add up even if you could find the land.

Wow, this is crazy, yet believable. It's almost as if people are being forced either to throw away their money on luxury or to live in a run-down area of town.

[Mark Senior]

Originally Posted by Westerner92

Wow, this is crazy, yet believable. It's almost as if people are being forced either to throw away their money on luxury or to live in a run-down area of town.

Thought I might need to give a overall view of real estate in Tyler. You can find a nice 3-2-2 older brick, 30-50 years old for 150,160,000, around 1,600 - 1,800 sq.ft living area (heated and cooled area). Occasionally maybe less cost is possible. Average sales time in MLS is only about 35 days, pretty fast. But those I'm talking about sell, in few days, if not much work needed on the house.

There is very little land available for single family homes INSIDE the city limits, builders called it "built out". Main reason Tyler hasn't/doesn't annex unless a builder asks the city to annex a plot of land, so again, no lots available. There has been "infilling" going back and building on more costly lots, or tearing down older homes and building new ones, even in Tyler, for over 20 years. NO, not nearly to the extent being built in Dallas, Austin, Houston.

Most lots left in Tyler will be for custom homes, that sale for at least 250,000 mostly higher. Now, some town homes can be found for under 200,000 a few for 170,000, new are being built now, 192 units on East Grande, should sale for 170,000, maybe.

[jackalope48]

Corpus has a big demand for them. Lots of retirees and empty nesters want them as well as single parent families.

[WestTxLawrence]

With the drilling boom in west Texas there is a demand for small family homes, but the small towns of west Texas
are pricing themselves out of the market with price gouging on rents and appraisal value of mortgage-able homes
in or near their city limits.

There are tracts of land in the Pecos, Texas area available for $500/acre with paved county road access. I advocate steel frame 1200 square foot family starter homes, built in modular form so they can be easily added onto as income money and growing family size dictates. And such homes CAN be built for $25/square foot...finished out inside to
suit the family as money and time to work on it allows.

But, EVERYONE is trying to gouge prices on such beginner homes, and in many places the cities and counties are passing ordinances making building such a beginner home on cheap land impossible.

There is indeed a huge untapped market there IF Texans will stand up and tell local governments to BACK OFF!

Texans should be free to do whatever it takes to provide their family with a decent home.

WestTxLawrence

[Westerntraveler]

Originally Posted by WestTxLawrence

With the drilling boom in west Texas there is a demand for small family homes, but the small towns of west Texas
are pricing themselves out of the market with price gouging on rents and appraisal value of mortgage-able homes
in or near their city limits.

There are tracts of land in the Pecos, Texas area available for $500/acre with paved county road access. I advocate steel frame 1200 square foot family starter homes, built in modular form so they can be easily added onto as income money and growing family size dictates. And such homes CAN be built for $25/square foot...finished out inside to
suit the family as money and time to work on it allows.

But, EVERYONE is trying to gouge prices on such beginner homes, and in many places the cities and counties are passing ordinances making building such a beginner home on cheap land impossible.

There is indeed a huge untapped market there IF Texans will stand up and tell local governments to BACK OFF!

Texans should be free to do whatever it takes to provide their family with a decent home.

WestTxLawrence

The boom has busted.Although oil is almost double what it was months ago but its only about 50 bucks or so still