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actually i have seen this trend over the last yr but especially this yr.
the majority of my business is still in the 300k price range and about 2500-3200 sq ft but it is changing for al ot of builders. i live in a 2300 sq ft house with my wife, my 6 yr old son, and my brother right now (he came to work for me out of the army) and at 2300 sq ft it is rather tight but we manage.
to elaborate some, when construction costs go up due to $6 fuel these 1200-2000 sq ft homes will end up costing 200-250k. my house at 2300 sq ft was about 200k but we got several discounts (my wife worked for the builder).
Unfortunately the President will not support an increase in the gas tax. A floating gas tax to keep the pump price of gas at $3.50- 4.00 /gallon has been proposed by some energy economist. This is the price level needed to trigger conservation and product development for energy efficient cars.
Keeping gas at $3.50-400/gallon will definately help the average Americans pocket book...Oh..I forgot...it really won't affect their wallets...everyone drives a porsche like you rlchurch....
Keeping gas at $3.50-400/gallon will definately help the average Americans pocket book...Oh..I forgot...it really won't affect their wallets...everyone drives a porsche like you rlchurch....
A lot of folks aren't properly educated or someone drops the ball and doesn't discuss the true cost of maintenance and the value of upkeep, it's sad, and borderline negligent.
Believe me, there is a market for 1200 - 1800 square foot homes if the builders would actually build them.
Absolutely. Builders seem to be the last to realize that people have smaller families today*. Two kids seem to be the norm for most 20-30 somethings, compared to the 4-6 that was standard when I was growing up.
Another big market is empty nesters who want to downsize and often want a "patio home", a detached house, but with little or no yard. Two of our last 3 homes have been patio homes and on general they are on the MLS for about a week before getting an offer. However, in both of those markets there are plenty of bigger, more expensive to heat, cool and insure, 3500+ places sitting on the market, taking one price cut after another.
* Before someone starts a rant about how they, or their neighbor have 5 or 6 kids and therefor I must be wrong, or says "video or it's not happening", I do realize that there are still some large families, I personally know several couples in the 30s and 40s with 5 or 6 kids. However, when I was in elementary and junior high school our family of 6 kids was pretty normal for our neighborhood. Two families had 9 each, there were a couple with 7 or 8 and only a few with one or two. Average was probably 4.5 kids per household.
Concrete costs are high because the Middle East is the main supplier and China is the number one consumer - everyone else is secondary and; therefore, pays higher prices.
not to change the subject, i just found an intersting article on the cement subject.
The mighty cement cartel - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/html/20060729t210000-0500_110465_obs_the_mighty_cement_cartel_.asp - broken link)
i can't imagine why we stopped tariffs on cement imports. i am sure that the united states has enough material to produce all of their own cement needs without importing.
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