In suburbs, mansions are only getting bigger Hot housing market opens doors to mini-Taj Mahals
From the kitchen of her 5,300 sq. ft. home, Alyson Skinner complains:
...I think Pottery Barn is responsible," Skinner said. "You get the catalogue showing playrooms, then there's a craft room, and you're like, 'Yeah, I need a craft room.'
"The irony is, the bigger the house, the more junk you buy. Then you have nowhere to put it, so you want more storage."
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Is this article really meant to be taken seriously? *Many of my neighbors are on this "bigger is better" trip.... large house on the lake, boat, pool, summer kitchen, home theaters, pots of money spent on designer decorators (who give you their vision of your taste!?) *The people I gravitate towards are the ones who've left it behind, traded out of these mansions, after realizing that they spend all their time servicing their "stuff" not enjoying the company of their children and family/friends. *Who needs a house that big? *After growing up in a house of about 850 sq ft for 4 people I wouldn't want to go back to that - but there are definite limits - do these people really want to be so remote from each other in their houses that they can't even tell that anyone else is in the house?
We're talking here about appearances and conspicuous consumption again, and how the "American Dream" feeds into the consumer cycle which is so important for the US economy. *I would also say that it's the power of marketing and advertizing in the psyche of the US consumer. *LBYM just does not have any attraction to most US consumers - it's just not sexy to save instead of spend....
We're a weird lot on this board, you know that, right?
jj
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too cheap to even use dryer sheets - never mind recycle them!
For retirement? We have @1000sf 2 bd 1 ba house and still have one son at home, other one has grown and moved. This is all the house we have and mostly what we want. Its crammed full but we would fill any additional space if we had it. Interesting thing is this house in Southern Cal is valued over $500K. Bigger would cost more to buy, more to maintain, more tax, we would fill it up with stuff and not have any more life than we have now.
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“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The
other is as though everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein
I downsized to 1670 sq feet less than 2 years ago with 2 kids at home at that time.
Now I have 1 kid at home who is considering joining the Army, so the house will actually be a little large for just me.
I'm using 1 of the bedrooms as an office and the other will be a spare bedroom for my son or guests.
I guess it'll be ok, I can handle the extra space for the first time in my life.
For retirement? We have @1000sf 2 bd 1 ba house and still have one son at home, other one has grown and moved. This is all the house we have and mostly what we want. Its crammed full but we would fill any additional space if we had it. Interesting thing is this house in Southern Cal is valued over $500K. Bigger would cost more to buy, more to maintain, more tax, we would fill it up with stuff and not have any more life than we have now.
Wow! $500K for 1000 sq feet? I have 1800 sq feet here in Texas for $140K. More room than I need really. I can buy a trailer in Missouri where I plan to retire for $27K on three lots with a garage. About 800 sq feet or so. You could take the $450K left over and come pretty close to retiring.
Wow! $500K for 1000 sq feet? I have 1800 sq feet here in Texas for $140K. More room than I need really. I can buy a trailer in Missouri where I plan to retire for $27K on three lots with a garage. About 800 sq feet or so. You could take the $450K left over and come pretty close to retiring.
Like your sig.
Yeah, our condo (Texas) and house (Illinois) are both around 1000 SF.
Both pretty nice, and I paid WAY under 100K for each of them.
We are looking to down size to around 2500 sq. ft.* We like a lot of open space and need some extra bedrooms for visiting family and some "get away space" to maintain marital bliss.* *
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Work? I don't have time to work....I'm retired.
I wonder whether these superize mcmansion will lose its attraction at some point. Entry level housing in the burbs (aka pasture) here are easily 4000 sqft at less than $40/sqft. It is all quantity and no quality at all. They are built like mobile homes. Within 10-15 years everything will need replacement and repairs. The trend seems bigger is better. But you got to pay for and heat/cool/maintain it which people tend to forget. Some of my former colleagues said they never went upstairs. Only family would use it during Thanksgiving. I am happy with 1700 sqft + garage but could do with less if we did not run a business from home.
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 6,438
1650sf + garage
"Valued" at $80sf or so; bought at $68sf...
__________________ Have Funds, Will Retire "...but do feel free to assert your duly noted opinion on this subject again without benefit of reference or provision of additional information..."
My sister and her dh just went from the little cottage to the McMansion, it's only 10 years old and already needs repairs. I can't wait till they get the first heating bill this winter.
__________________ Dogs aren't our whole lives, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras
McMansions aren't the status symbols they were 10 years ago. These days, people are downsizing from McMansions not only to capitalize on the appreciation (which is getting more difficult), but also to move somewhere with a shorter commute.
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He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it . . . It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. -- The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Our lot's LAND is 15,000 sq ft, considered huge by Hawaii suburban residential standards. That's doubled in value over the last five years.
The house is just 2400 sq ft of depreciating materials & maintenance hassles. But last night's rainstorms confirmed that we've indeed fixed both roof leaks. I can't wait to get up there and drill more holes for solar panels!
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* For more info see "About Me" in my profile.
I have to admit, Pottery Barn has some nice looking stuff. However, the vast majority of it is over-priced.
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He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it . . . It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. -- The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
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