The pandemic made many Americans dream of more space and rushed to find it. The sale of large homes is booming. Those are the little ones too.
These homes are often no larger than 350 square meters, or hardly larger than a standard hotel room. They are usually built in suburban backyards or converted west coast garages, where new laws designed to reduce the region’s housing shortage have encouraged their construction.
But they are also available for sale or rent in rural Maine and Vermont. They show up in Wyoming, Alaska, Georgia and Texas. Florida City officials have proposed zoning changes to allow them.
While it’s hard to track all of these mini-homes in the US, the number of listings featuring tiny houses or other types of guest apartments has grown an average of 8.6% per year over the past decade, according to a July survey by Freddie Mac. There are now more than 1.4 million homes that share many of these units.
The high housing costs are a factor. The median price a new buyer pays for a home is about $ 266,500, according to the National Association of Realtors, which is out of reach for many younger owners. Tiny Homes can be rented for about the price of a traditional apartment unit of the same size. For small homeowners, the units generate income or serve as guest accommodations. Owners often rent them out to students or offer them to older family members so they can stay close.