NEW YORK – July 27, 2017 – The idea of “living small” has blanketed TV and social media for the past few years. The “tiny house” has surged in popularity. But now a new survey suggests that people may not be happy living in 400 square feet or less.

Forty-four percent of more than 2,000 adults recently surveyed by the real estate website Trulia said they had housing regrets – and the biggest regret among homeowners centered on the size of their home. One in three homeowners said they wished they had chosen a home that was larger, and only 9 percent of owners wished they had downsized.

Gene Tempest wrote a personal essay in “The New York Times” about the struggles she faced living in a 492-square-foot tiny home with her husband. She says they chose the lifestyle out of financial necessity more than as a way of life.

“Deep inside the expensive custom closets and under the New Age Murphy beds, the pro-petite propaganda has hidden some unseemly truths about how the other half lives,” Tempest writes in her essay. “No one writes about the little white lies that help sell this new, very small American dream.”

She says the items in her tiny home seem more imposing than they would in a larger space. The inside of the home also gets more wear and tear because of the smaller square footage. She also explains how the building of a tiny home can be challenging in complying with business codes and securing a loan for it.

But there are still plenty of tiny-home proponents who emphasize the perks of this way of life that has several benefits. It’s budget friendly, requires fewer materials and allows for more simple living, they argue

Source: Florida Realtors