Why are new homes built mostly McMansions when people want smaller?

[dvcgirl67]

i have a few old friends who are doing the nomadic lifestyle and seem to adore it. in all cases they sold their existing homes and are traveling to their hearts desires. in all cases though, they did through advice or experience decide that they needed some kind of 'home base'. with at least one it was due to the realization that for tax advantages they wanted to establish legal residency in a friendlier state than they were retiring from, with some others it was to establish a primary care provider they could at least have call in regular scrips/sched to see for annual checkups. whatever works for folks-i just like seeing the photos they post of their adventures!

Yes, we have homework to do on this front...establishing residency somewhere when we sell the house...etc. I believe it's also a big deal where we purchase our health insurance on the ACA exchange as that will determine price, docs, out of network considerations...etc. I know that in the RV community a lot of people establish residency in South Dakota...you only need to be there 24 hours and there are services that forward your mail...etc. But healthcare is a concern. So...not sure there's any perfect solution.

I'm definitely not opposed to maintaining a reasonable apartment somewhere as a base...and nomading from there. We've gone back and forth on keeping the house, possibly renting it out, but have decided against that. It's too much of a pain and we'd be lousy landlords....too forgiving I think. Maybe being gone for 3 month stints...back for a couple in an apartment in another state... and out again would work. The other consideration early on will be our little dog, who is not a traveler to date, and from what I read the airlines are really curtailing the "in cabin" pets (not service or emotional support dogs)...even if they can fit under the seat in a carrier, etc. I've read about dogs being put on a "no-fly list" without explanation to the owners...lol.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Yes, we have homework to do on this front...establishing residency somewhere when we sell the house...etc. I believe it's also a big deal where we purchase our health insurance on the ACA exchange as that will determine price, docs, out of network considerations...etc. I know that in the RV community a lot of people establish residency in South Dakota...you only need to be there 24 hours and there are services that forward your mail...etc. But healthcare is a concern. So...not sure there's any perfect solution.

I'm definitely not opposed to maintaining a reasonable apartment somewhere as a base...and nomading from there. We've gone back and forth on keeping the house, possibly renting it out, but have decided against that. It's too much of a pain and we'd be lousy landlords....too forgiving I think. Maybe being gone for 3 month stints...back for a couple in an apartment in another state... and out again would work. The other consideration early on will be our little dog, who is not a traveler to date, and from what I read the airlines are really curtailing the "in cabin" pets (not service or emotional support dogs)...even if they can fit under the seat in a carrier, etc. I've read about dogs being put on a "no-fly list" without explanation to the owners...lol.

To the bolded: When we relocated in 2015, we flew our pets down. It cost $125 per pet, and they become your carry-on. Keep that in mind--I'm sure it hasn't gotten LESS expensive with time! You can imagine my struggle, having a cat, a dog, a 9yo, a 12yp, and one carry-on between the three of us.

 

[dvcgirl67]

To the bolded: When we relocated in 2015, we flew our pets down. It cost $125 per pet, and they become your carry-on. Keep that in mind--I'm sure it hasn't gotten LESS expensive with time! You can imagine my struggle, having a cat, a dog, a 9yo, a 12yp, and one carry-on between the three of us.

I can't imagine trying to wrangle a dog, cat and two kids! I'm worried about one little dog...lol. Yep, I'm not sure of the cost in cabin these days. But...I do know that airlines are turning a lot of pets away. And I'm talking about people who have flown with their little dogs dozens of times and had to beg just to fly back home....and in some cases are allowed to do that knowing that they may never bring the dog on that airline again. These owners are never told why the dog has been "banned". I'm betting the pet made noise or a mess on a flight and someone complained. It just seems that the people who were flying with their "emotional support peacock"....and other nonsense like that probably ruined it for regular people who obeyed the rules. Also the people who got fake prescriptions from a doc friend that they needed a pet with them for some medical reason (that isn't really a reason).

It just seems like the major airlines are pretty much done with pets in the cabin. I've been checking into this a bit and see that there are "services" that specialize in shipping dogs to international destinations, but those dogs are definitely going in the cargo hold and that can cost 2-3K! I guess they claim that they really know what they're doing and make it safe, but I know we'd never do that.

I've seen groups forming online that band together to actually charter smaller private jets, like 10-16 person jets...and have 3-4 groups split the fee to fly their pets to places like Costa Rica. The price for that ran around 5K per person (if two people and one little dog). I know there's a company called Perro Air that flies from Florida to Costa Rica. And a new one just started....Bark Air. But again...very pricey for those as well.

 

[kanerf]

Somehow during my travels I ended up in Western, PA in a small former steel town. I bought a largish house, with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. It has a finished attic and a full basement. In addition there are two bonus rooms where a previous owner who was a doctor had his practice. There is an alcove next two these two rooms that I use as a pantry and it has a spigot and valve where I guess he used to have a Bunsen burner. It is an older house, built in the 30's, but I like it. Here is the best part, it only cost me $96K in 2003. I am staying put. That said, I currently work in D.C. and don't get a lot of time to spend at home, but when I retire in a few years the place will be paid off and PA, unlike many of the surrounding states, does not tax your retirement.

 

[tvguy]

It should be a choice of the buyer. Others that don't have a car are basically forced to pay for off street parking whether they like it or not.

Not buyers I am concerned about. In the examples I cite, these are new multi-family buildings being built without parking, replacing single family homes with parking in established neighborhoods. A four plex with 3 residents each, 12 total, on a property that used to only house 3 total with parking is causing gridlock for on street parking. That is the goal of the city, denser population at the expense of necessities like adequate parking for the number of residents.

 

[kdonnel]

My life has always been so car focused I would never consider buying a property that did not have parking.

My neighborhood is all 5+ bedroom homes with the large families to match. As the kids got older the cars multiplied. My home is no exception. At the peak there were 6 cars that needed to be parked. At least at the moment we are down to only 4. Two in the garage, one in the driveway parked so the two in the garage can both get out at any time, and one on the street.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I can't imagine trying to wrangle a dog, cat and two kids! I'm worried about one little dog...lol. Yep, I'm not sure of the cost in cabin these days. But...I do know that airlines are turning a lot of pets away. And I'm talking about people who have flown with their little dogs dozens of times and had to beg just to fly back home....and in some cases are allowed to do that knowing that they may never bring the dog on that airline again. These owners are never told why the dog has been "banned". I'm betting the pet made noise or a mess on a flight and someone complained. It just seems that the people who were flying with their "emotional support peacock"....and other nonsense like that probably ruined it for regular people who obeyed the rules. Also the people who got fake prescriptions from a doc friend that they needed a pet with them for some medical reason (that isn't really a reason).

It just seems like the major airlines are pretty much done with pets in the cabin. I've been checking into this a bit and see that there are "services" that specialize in shipping dogs to international destinations, but those dogs are definitely going in the cargo hold and that can cost 2-3K! I guess they claim that they really know what they're doing and make it safe, but I know we'd never do that.

I've seen groups forming online that band together to actually charter smaller private jets, like 10-16 person jets...and have 3-4 groups split the fee to fly their pets to places like Costa Rica. The price for that ran around 5K per person (if two people and one little dog). I know there's a company called Perro Air that flies from Florida to Costa Rica. And a new one just started....Bark Air. But again...very pricey for those as well.

Flying private isn't cheap--even in a group--but it could be your best option.

Another issue we had was, to get to the "dog walk" area, you had to come back through security. Security was a nightmare the first go-round--the cat carrier partially broke when I had to take him out to go through the metal detectors, and I was petrified it would break the rest of the way, so Max the cat was staying in! I didn't know if the 12yo could manage the dog and going through security without me, so we used pee pads in a family restroom for the dog. Don't even get me started on my oldest picking us up in a car with no AC (in NC in July) and running a stop sign on the way to the new house...

 

[TheIncredibles!]

My town has a 5 acre rule for new builds. This obviously only works in a rural area but with that nobody is building 2-3 bedroom homes, they’re building 4+ home these days.

It’s my stupid dumb dream to win billions then go off and buy land and make affordable housing duplexes that caters to independent living disabled people mixed with independent living senior citizens. I don’t even play the lottery but I dream about it

 

[goofyernmost]

Oh, I totally know what a sneaky (blank) life can be. My husband and I are going to be taking a break from being homeowners. Once our two oldest dogs go to "the bridge", we're going to be nomads in early retirement. If we tire of that, or need to settle somewhere due to one or both of us needing or wanting to be more settled (possibly due to health reasons), we'll likely choose a place to live more permanently.

We're not exactly sure if we'll ever own again. It's been a long time since we've been renters, but we're also truly over the never ending repairs and costs of homeownership. We're planning to travel....and if we get tired of the nomadic existence we'll figure it out from there.

At one point in my life I owned three houses. One was where I lived, one was a rental property and the biggest and oldest was a very large house that we used as a 15 resident care home (level 4 nursing home). I also held another part time job and did all the maintenance that was possible. I, of course, had to deal with all the mechanical things like washer, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, plumbing, electrical, painting, lawn care, staffing and minor repairs on all three properties.

I no longer have to deal with any of those things and it is wonderful. If my stove breaks I call the property management office and they send someone over to fix it or replace it. Same with the AC, heat many of the light fixtures. It's like being a king with a lot less glamor but it is what I call retirement.

 

[tvguy]

At one point in my life I owned three houses. One was where I lived, one was a rental property and the biggest and oldest was a very large house that we used as a 15 resident care home (level 4 nursing home). I also held another part time job and did all the maintenance that was possible. I, of course, had to deal with all the mechanical things like washer, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, plumbing, electrical, painting, lawn care, staffing and minor repairs on all three properties.

I no longer have to deal with any of those things and it is wonderful. If my stove breaks I call the property management office and they send someone over to fix it or replace it. Same with the AC, heat many of the light fixtures. It's like being a king with a lot less glamor but it is what I call retirement.

I think a lot of people lose sight of the fact that when you rent you don't have to do the repairs for pay for them directly, you ARE paying for the repairs each month with a portion of your rent. Landlords would go bankrupt is they didn't charge more than it cost to keep up a property.

 

[NotUrsula]

I think a lot of people lose sight of the fact that when you rent you don't have to do the repairs for pay for them directly, you ARE paying for the repairs each month with a portion of your rent. Landlords would go bankrupt is they didn't charge more than it cost to keep up a property.

Think of the condo tower that collapsed in Surfside, FL in 2021. There were 136 units in the building, and the bill for the structural repairs that were about to start on it was $15M. The smallest assessed share for that work was $80,190, and it got larger based on unit size.

Getting hit with a surprise repair bill that is equal to or more than the cost you paid for the dwelling in the first place is a shocker that most owners of SFHs never have to take into account, but when the building is 12 stories tall, repair bills can get pretty darned big really fast.

(BTW, the building that will replace that one, though roughly the same height, will have only 57 units -- most of the people who lived there before would not be able to afford to move into the new building.)

 

[dvcgirl67]

Flying private isn't cheap--even in a group--but it could be your best option.

Another issue we had was, to get to the "dog walk" area, you had to come back through security. Security was a nightmare the first go-round--the cat carrier partially broke when I had to take him out to go through the metal detectors, and I was petrified it would break the rest of the way, so Max the cat was staying in! I didn't know if the 12yo could manage the dog and going through security without me, so we used pee pads in a family restroom for the dog. Don't even get me started on my oldest picking us up in a car with no AC (in NC in July) and running a stop sign on the way to the new house...

I contacted the company that flies from Fort Lauderdale to Costa Rica on private jets. I was just fishing for prices and she quoted me a "special deal" and actually asked that I not tell the other passengers if we took the deal. One way, to Fort Lauderdale to Liberia CR....$5,900 for two adults and my little dog. So, what this told me is that these companies might negotiate if they're getting close to their departure date and they have seats to fill. They fly about once a month down and back.

I would imagine it's super stressful going through the airport as you describe. I would pay 6K for the three of us one way....for a trip when we'd be away for several months. She's our youngest dog and there's no way my husband would put her in a cargo hold...he's super attached to that little one .

 

[dvcgirl67]

I think a lot of people lose sight of the fact that when you rent you don't have to do the repairs for pay for them directly, you ARE paying for the repairs each month with a portion of your rent. Landlords would go bankrupt is they didn't charge more than it cost to keep up a property.

True, but you control your costs in a way. Plus, for DH and I at least...we could easily live in a studio or very small one bedroom. Renting essentially anywhere in this country, and certainly internationally is going to be much cheaper than what we pay monthly here for taxes, upkeep, insurance, repairs...etc. And...if we happen to be on the road and doing longer stays in AirBnbs and VRBOs....all of your utilities costs are included as well.

Just in the last few months we needed to have our gas lines that run in the basement switched out because the town changed their code requirements. They also decided we needed a "chimney liner" for a chimney that vents our furnace. That was 4K. New faucet set up in the kitchen as the other one kicked it....$750. And having my cast iron outdoor grill entirely rebuilt to avoid buying a new one....$1,200....new one would have been $2,500. So...$5,950 since the new year in expenses. It never ends.

 

[White Cat]

Yes, we have homework to do on this front...establishing residency somewhere when we sell the house...etc. I believe it's also a big deal where we purchase our health insurance on the ACA exchange as that will determine price, docs, out of network considerations...etc. I know that in the RV community a lot of people establish residency in South Dakota...you only need to be there 24 hours and there are services that forward your mail...etc. But healthcare is a concern. So...not sure there's any perfect solution.

I'm definitely not opposed to maintaining a reasonable apartment somewhere as a base...and nomading from there. We've gone back and forth on keeping the house, possibly renting it out, but have decided against that. It's too much of a pain and we'd be lousy landlords....too forgiving I think. Maybe being gone for 3 month stints...back for a couple in an apartment in another state... and out again would work. The other consideration early on will be our little dog, who is not a traveler to date, and from what I read the airlines are really curtailing the "in cabin" pets (not service or emotional support dogs)...even if they can fit under the seat in a carrier, etc. I've read about dogs being put on a "no-fly list" without explanation to the owners...lol.

We do similar in that we maintain residency’s in 2 countries. Our dog is very small and is a frequent flier. She’s been all over. The cat some but not as much. We have no problems with her. Most flights the person next to us will comment that they had no idea we had a dog with us. Just have the proper carrier for the airline, not all the same. And paperwork for customs. I haven’t heard about airlines stopping pet in cabin, like I saw we do t frequently.

 

[dvcgirl67]

We do similar in that we maintain residency’s in 2 countries. Our dog is very small and is a frequent flier. She’s been all over. The cat some but not as much. We have no problems with her. Most flights the person next to us will comment that they had no idea we had a dog with us. Just have the proper carrier for the airline, not all the same. And paperwork for customs. I haven’t heard about airlines stopping pet in cabin, like I saw we do t frequently.

I would love to just be able to bring her in the cabin...in a carrier. What kind of dog do you have...and which airline do you typically fly if you don't mind sharing.

Here's the article that I initially saw about this....not sure if you have a WSJ subscription.

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/dogs-flights-pets-ban-united-9901171e

 

[tvguy]

True, but you control your costs in a way. Plus, for DH and I at least...we could easily live in a studio or very small one bedroom. Renting essentially anywhere in this country, and certainly internationally is going to be much cheaper than what we pay monthly here for taxes, upkeep, insurance, repairs...etc. And...if we happen to be on the road and doing longer stays in AirBnbs and VRBOs....all of your utilities costs are included as well.

Just in the last few months we needed to have our gas lines that run in the basement switched out because the town changed their code requirements. They also decided we needed a "chimney liner" for a chimney that vents our furnace. That was 4K. New faucet set up in the kitchen as the other one kicked it....$750. And having my cast iron outdoor grill entirely rebuilt to avoid buying a new one....$1,200....new one would have been $2,500. So...$5,950 since the new year in expenses. It never ends.

Absolutely you are on the hook for repairs when you own rather than rent. My daughter bought half a duplex in a development of duplexes. Her payment with taxes and insurance is $1,000 a month. That floor plan of duplex rents for $2,000 a month. So in the five years she has owned it she has saved $60,000 over what she would have paid if she rented it. But she was responsible for the $10,000 cost of replacing the HVAC and $5,000 in other repairs, mostly plumbing and electrical issues. But she is still $45,000 ahead of the game over renting. She will be on the hook for $15,000 for a new roof when it needs replacing so she has saved some of her savings for that. And that doesn't include the money she is saving on her income taxes by being able to write off the interest portion of her payment.

 

[White Cat]

I would love to just be able to bring her in the cabin...in a carrier. What kind of dog do you have...and which airline do you typically fly if you don't mind sharing.

Here's the article that I initially saw about this....not sure if you have a WSJ subscription.

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/dogs-flights-pets-ban-united-9901171e

Thanks I’ll look.
Allegiant, Air Canada, Westjet, Flare, AA, United, Delta.

This also, our places aren’t the White House. We had big houses and all of that. But not now. Smaller, easier to maintain, secure areas, lock the door and leave.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Absolutely you are on the hook for repairs when you own rather than rent. My daughter bought half a duplex in a development of duplexes. Her payment with taxes and insurance is $1,000 a month. That floor plan of duplex rents for $2,000 a month. So in the five years she has owned it she has saved $60,000 over what she would have paid if she rented it. But she was responsible for the $10,000 cost of replacing the HVAC and $5,000 in other repairs, mostly plumbing and electrical issues. But she is still $45,000 ahead of the game over renting. She will be on the hook for $15,000 for a new roof when it needs replacing so she has saved some of her savings for that. And that doesn't include the money she is saving on her income taxes by being able to write off the interest portion of her payment.

Well, you have to look at opportunity cost....what her downpayment is costing her not being invested elsewhere...etc.

My house for example, was 535K when we bought it in 2007 (paid cash). It's now worth around 800K. Yes, we did buy at a bad time as the value was down for years due to the housing bubble. However, had we just taken that 535K and plopped it in an S&P 500 fund....it would be 2.25 million today. Nearly four times what my house is worth.

I look at a primary home as this....a forced savings account. In the end I didn't make a lot of money on this home at least. However, it's tough to put a price on a place where you settle for what will be nearly 20 years in a community. We watched our niece and nephew grow up here and have relished this part of our lives. All six of our dogs have spent some, or all of their lives here. It's been a lovely phase of life.

But I'm looking forward to letting someone else do all of the heavy lifting in the next phase .

 

[tvguy]

Well, you have to look at opportunity cost....what her downpayment is costing her not being invested elsewhere...etc.

My house for example, was 535K when we bought it in 2007 (paid cash). It's now worth around 800K. Yes, we did buy at a bad time as the value was down for years due to the housing bubble. However, had we just taken that 535K and plopped it in an S&P 500 fund....it would be 2.25 million today. Nearly four times what my house is worth.

I look at a primary home as this....a forced savings account. In the end I didn't make a lot of money on this home at least. However, it's tough to put a price on a place where you settle for what will be nearly 20 years in a community. We watched our niece and nephew grow up here and have relished this part of our lives. All six of our dogs have spent some, or all of their lives here. It's been a lovely phase of life.

But I'm looking forward to letting someone else do all of the heavy lifting in the next phase .

I just look at buying versus renting as a less expensive way of having a place to live. Her down payment was $12,500 so the lost income from that money might be $4,000 over 5 years if invested well, so still 10's of thousands of dollars ahead of the game buying versus renting. She paid $250,000 and current market value is about $390,000.

 

[sam_gordon]

I would love to just be able to bring her in the cabin...in a carrier. What kind of dog do you have...and which airline do you typically fly if you don't mind sharing.

Here's the article that I initially saw about this....not sure if you have a WSJ subscription.

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/travel/dogs-flights-pets-ban-united-9901171e

FWIW, I've seen a number of dogs walking through Delta concourses at the airports I've been in recently (and some small ones in carriers on their planes).