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Why are houses under 1000 sq feet so hard to find?
My dream house would be around 850 sq feet of space.
I notice that in the 1960s and before plenty of new housing developments were built with houses under 1000 sq feet..
I don't see this in new construction today...Anyone know Why?
I hope to find a mid century home that is under 1000 sq feet......But even an older home at this size is not super common either....They exist, just not very common.
Supply and demand… AND the local governing body- which could also be called “property tax revenue”.
All neighborhood developments go through a review process with the local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction). That review process deals with many facets of “impact” that that development will have. The land itself, infrastructure, traffic, schools, etc., etc., etc. And it also looks at potential tax revenue. Is the revenue enough to compensate for those other impacts- if not, they apply a minimal sq/ft for each dwelling.
Again, that is “minimal square footage”. Most builders will exceed the minimal sq/ft just due to the fact that people don’t want a 1200/1500sq/ft home. Then there’s the other part of the equation- how many units (lots) will the AHJ allow for a development? This is another part of a complex equation- what will be a good ratio to be profitable for the builder.
I have been involved in these planning meetings, and more involved in the other end- what to build to get the most profit. There’s so much planning involved it would make most people’s heads spin.
I also think it’s quite funny when people think that when they see a site being cleared for new homes, that it happened “over-night”! It was actually more like two years in the process!
For someone looking for a house that is under a 1k sq/ft, your choice will MOST LIKELY be limited to existing homes. There are very few AHJ’s today that would allow new construction of a dwelling under 1k sq/ft.
Why are houses under 1000 sq feet so hard to find?
My dream house would be around 850 sq feet of space.
I notice that in the 1960s and before plenty of new housing developments were built with houses under 1000 sq feet..
I don't see this in new construction today...Anyone know Why?
I hope to find a mid century home that is under 1000 sq feet......But even an older home at this size is not super common either....They exist, just not very common.
I welcome your thoughts!
Thanks
Had the same problem when I was looking. Settled for 1085 sf but it's really too big.
For someone looking for a house that is under a 1k sq/ft, your choice will MOST LIKELY be limited to existing homes. There are very few AHJ’s today that would allow new construction of a dwelling under 1k sq/ft.
Thanks for your very informative post! Losts of great insights there!
In response to the above bolded.....Why are their very few AHJ's today that would allow new construction of a dwelling under 1k sq/ft.....but in the 1950s-60s-early 1970s....houses under a 1000 sq feet were commonly built?
What has changed since their early 1970s....that prevents homes under 1000 sq feet to NOT be built for new construction?
Why are houses under 1000 sq feet so hard to find?
My dream house would be around 850 sq feet of space.
I notice that in the 1960s and before plenty of new housing developments were built with houses under 1000 sq feet..
I don't see this in new construction today...Anyone know Why?
I hope to find a mid century home that is under 1000 sq feet......But even an older home at this size is not super common either....They exist, just not very common.
I welcome your thoughts!
Thanks
Nobody builds 1000sq ft houses because (generally) the land is too expensive, builders make more money with larger houses and there is higher demand for larger houses.
Here in north NJ, the only houses in the sub-1200sq ft range were built in the 1930s or earlier. In some cases they were originally built as vacation homes. These homes have been full time homes since the 1940s. Most of them have been expanded or knocked down and replaced by a larger home.
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