Just some interesting factoids about real estate this week.
|
Average House Sizes and Occupancy – USA |
||
|
Year |
Avg. Home Size Sq. Ft. |
Avg. Household Size-Persons |
|
1950 |
983 |
3.37 |
|
1960 |
1,200 |
3.33 |
|
1970 |
1,400 |
3.14 |
|
2001 |
1,693 |
2.58 |
|
2006 |
2,394 |
2.60 |
|
2011 |
2,135 |
2.58 |
For years the average square footage went up while the number of people living there went down. Now were squishing 2 ½ of us into 2,100 sq ft.
I was looking at 19th century house plans the other day. Bedrooms were 7′ x 8′ and no closet—probably slept in your clothes. Tumbleweed Tiny House Company will sell you plans for a tiny house. I like the Whidbey that comes in at 461 sq. ft. plus a loft. To give you a size comparison, your two car garage is 400 sq. ft. or so. Look at it this way, your wi-fi signal will not have to travel far and the refrigerators is real close.
The Japanese have practiced “small is better” for years. You can lease a modern studio apartment there that comes in at 110 sq. ft., or about 10′ x 11′ and that includes the bathroom! Family units in the suburbs run a spacious 650 to 1,000 sq. ft.
The average room size in a newly built home in England is 12′ x 14′ or about 170 sq ft. Average house size is 979 sq. ft. (with an occupancy of 2.4 persons) worth around $350,000!
But everything’s bigger in Texas. The average size of a new (2010) home in the Houston area has fallen to 2,849 square feet from 2,873 square feet in 2009. Notice that’s still about 700 sq. ft. larger than the national average. Hey our households run 2.78 people per house, .2 persons more than the national average so we need the space. But we’re the 12th fattest state in the union so maybe that accounts for the need for more space.
Tiger Woods’ ex found a $12 million teardown in Florida. Just didn’t suit her needs, I guess. I can find some cheaper teardowns for you if you’re interested. For $8.85 million I can get you a nice 7,000 sq. ft. (6/5/1 in TX REALTOR® vernacular, 6 bedrooms, 5 baths, 1 car garage) in San Francisco.
But if none of those tickle your fancy, we have a great selection available in the area with 30 year loans under 4% interest!. Let me know how I can help.