A recent article on the Wall Street Journal Blog discussed the median household income over the last decade in relation to the average square footage increase of new single family homes. While the median household income has not changed significantly over the last decade, the average square footage has increased dramatically. Square footage matters, and our Housing In Crisis report produced months ago discussed this booming trend:The Housing in Crisis report indicated that the variance increase in the average to median sale price from 6% to 22% can be most notably attributed to building size. Property data from public records noted that during the recent construction boom, many areas of the country experienced home sizes exceeding 2,200 square feet by the end of 2008.
Essentially, homes got larger while homeowners’ pockets didn’t. Couple this with significant overbuilding and easy lending and the keys to a housing boom are in place. Now with the economy looking towards recovery, this excess of larger homes – or ”McMansions” - could suffer from a demand shortage in some areas. This also forces builders to consider new construction with smaller floor plans to accomodate buyers. Will larger home values drop to meet demand? Are we seeing a halt to larger construction for some time? These answers remain to be seen.
What is certain is that square footage matters. As the market begins correction, the basic economic laws of supply and demand should return back to balance.
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