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Uh, 1996, the oldest Boomers were 50 and the youngest 36.
Boomers bought lots of McMansions.
Yes very true, My Dad was 35 soon to be 36 in 1996 and in Spring 1991, our family purchased a 2262 square foot colonial with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths in a great school district. I was only 7 years old at the time. Well before he was even close to 36.
And then in 2005, my parents upgraded to a 3200 square foot house built brand new. I just turned 21. Then lived with my parents and saved money to buy my own home in cash in 2013 when I just turned 29.
So yeah, Baby boomers did buy McMansions which I would define as 2000 or more square foot colonial with 4 bedrooms and at least 2.5 baths.
It’s wishful thinking. The property will go to kids, be a rental or get sold at high prices.
The only time california real estate will be “affordable “ is when there is a market downturn and house prices go in the toilet aka THE DREADED HOUSING BUBBLE CRASH MUAHAHAHAHA.. Too bad when that happened a very large percentage of would be buyers are out of the market due to the inability to buy. Sure there is the wishful dreamer waiting till the market dumps so they can get a good deal. Meanwhile everyone ekse is 10 years deep in their 30 year mortgage enjoying huge equity gains and living life. A select few will have the money but a majority won’t. The last bubble showed who bought. Flippers and hedge funds. The rest was mom and pop LLs abd then finally average Joe looking forward a family home
Unfortunately true probably.
Although even during the dreaded housing bubble crash, Southern California homes were still very expensive and far from affordable even in 2009-2012. Far more affordable than now and even 2014-2016? Yes by far.
But affordable? Not even close. Prices were still dramatically high in Southern California even in 2009-2012. Higher than than even most places in the United States today with the noosebleed level rise in prices the last 7.5 years. Today's high prices in most places in the United States are still far more affordable than Southern California was even 10 years ago. A few places are just magnitudes more expensive than most of the United States and most places in California happen to fall into that category. Same with Seattle, Washington DC, Boston, New York City metro areas.
So yeah, Baby boomers did buy McMansions which I would define as 2000 or more square foot colonial with 4 bedrooms and at least 2.5 baths.
The number of bedrooms doesn't define a McMansion. It is all the other rooms that get added. a 'Master Suite' with sitting room, his and her walk in closets, a spa. Then an exercise room, his and her hobby rooms, multi car garage, etc.
All on a postage stamp lot.
4 bedroom 'colonial' with 2.5 baths (one master, one common hallway upstairs, a half bath for convenience and visitors downstairs was a pretty standard tract house in the suburbs throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It was when they started glitz and extras and made the rooms larger that it became a McMansion.
The number of bedrooms doesn't define a McMansion. It is all the other rooms that get added. a 'Master Suite' with sitting room, his and her walk in closets, a spa. Then an exercise room, his and her hobby rooms, multi car garage, etc.
All on a postage stamp lot.
4 bedroom 'colonial' with 2.5 baths (one master, one common hallway upstairs, a half bath for convenience and visitors downstairs was a pretty standard tract house in the suburbs throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It was when they started glitz and extras and made the rooms larger that it became a McMansion.
How many square feet would you say defines a McMansion. And what extras need to be added? And minimum bedrooms and baths?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Originally Posted by Wolverine607
How many square feet would you say defines a McMansion. And what extras need to be added? And minimum bedrooms and baths?
Our late '70's tract homes are 2,500-3,000 sf, on 10,000-12,000 sf lots. My home, for example is 2,990 SF, 5 BR 2.5 BA plus bonus room, and there are 4 others just like it around the neighborhood. Our new developments are 4,000-4,500 sf homes on 5,000 sf lots. Neither would be considered McMansions. To qualify it must be a custom home, and may be as small as 4,000 sf, usually larger, but with 7-8 bedrooms and a bath for each. More importantly, a McMansion is near or next to normal homes, so that it sticks out like a sore thumb. Often they have a wide footprint, as if to emulate a real mansion.
Our late '70's tract homes are 2,500-3,000 sf, on 10,000-12,000 sf lots. My home, for example is 2,990 SF, 5 BR 2.5 BA plus bonus room, and there are 4 others just like it around the neighborhood. Our new developments are 4,000-4,500 sf homes on 5,000 sf lots. Neither would be considered McMansions. To qualify it must be a custom home, and may be as small as 4,000 sf, usually larger, but with 7-8 bedrooms and a bath for each. More importantly, a McMansion is near or next to normal homes, so that it sticks out like a sore thumb. Often they have a wide footprint, as if to emulate a real mansion.
See that is the problem defining them I agree on the ratio of land to house footprint but I disagree about the need to be 'custom built' and always '7-8 Bedrooms and a bath for each' The houses I see around here considered McMansions are usually 3-5 bedrooms, production built (with a laundry list of options) often in medium size subdivisions (usually within larger buildout projects) most infill ones are done as 'renovations' either by flippers or the property owners looking to upgrade. The McMansions have huge master suites. One had a sitting room, office, dressing room, exercise room, spa bathroom, minibar (complete with microwave/convection oven, refrigerator, and compact dishwasher). There were three other bedrooms two of which shared a playroom/study along with a bathroom (but separate vanity sinks in each dressing room/walk-in closet) while the last bedroom had it's own bathroom and sitting alcove but smaller closet (I guess you don't want guests staying too long). There was an option in that house to have two of the bedrooms built as a second 'owners suite'
So I see the McMansion as an overdoing the visible luxury of the structure and putting the most house on the least land. But it may vary from market to market.
A McMansion is just smaller than a mansion but bigger than what you would call a standard sized house.
My house is only 1700 square feet and no basement, but plenty big for someone single. By today's standards it almost seems anything less than 2000 square feet even with a basement is considered small starter home. And and 2500 square foot is considered average and it is not even considered huge at 3000 square feet but just large. I mean its like only 4000+ square feet these days is considered huge.
Why has there been such an obsession with more space and larger homes given that the birth rate is going down?
In the 50s through 70s, they built a lot more small 1000-1300 square foot homes and even 70s to 80s, 1500-1700 square foot homes.
Why has bigger homes become so much more n demand than back then for new construction?
It seems to me 1000-1300 square feet are starter homes at least by my definition? Maybe not anymore by what most people would call starter homes
There is still plenty of them in Southeast Michigan in popular suburbs. But almost no new builds of that size really anywhere here or elsewhere.
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