Small and affordable homes rock! We bought our older home in 2011. We got an amazing deal on it and we love the area it’s located. When we bought it everyone and their dog would tell us it was a good “starter home”. Please. I think the whole idea of progressively buying bigger houses with even bigger mortgages is absolutely ridiculous. What’s wrong with a smaller home, that’s full of character, and will be paid off sooner than most people’s houses? Nothing! Dare to be frugal. Stick it to the man. Here are 15 benefits of small & inexpensive homes.
1. Not as expensive to purchase.
Seems obvious but a $150,000 house is $100,000 cheaper than a $250,000 house! That’s a lot of money. Not to mention all the money you’ll save on interest, especially if you pay it off sooner.
2. Lower property taxes.
You can seriously save thousands of dollars per year.
3. Less to furnish and decorate.
It doesn’t make sense to have multiple living or family rooms. That’s a lot that needs to be furnished. One room that can be multi-functional works perfectly. Besides, so many people in larger homes don’t even use most of their space.
4. Not as much to repair.
In a smaller house there won’t be as much that can go wrong. The maintenance is so much easier and cheaper.
5. Cheaper utilities.
A smaller house doesn’t require near as much to heat and cool. It also won’t need as much lighting etc.
6. Less to clean.
I’d much rather clean 1 bathroom instead of 3. Ahh, who am I kidding? My husband cleans the bathroom. #win
7. Closer family relationships.
Less space means more hanging out together in the same room. Living closer together means you’ll be more in tune with each other’s lives, thoughts, and feelings. Family time is the best time.
8. More environmentally friendly.
It’s true. Lower carbon footprints are prodigious.
9. Not as spooky.
People usually feel more comfortable in smaller homes. It’s cozier.
10. More intentional and conscious about your belongings and purchases.
Limited space means you have to confront your relationship with stuff. Compulsive consumerism and over consumption isn’t cool.
11. Cultivates creativity.
You can totally customize your house to reflect your quirky or quaint personality. Smaller spaces encourage you to find creative solutions, just take a look at the awesome tiny house movement.
12. Easier to sell.
If you do ever decide to sell your house, there’s a lot more buyers looking in that price and size range.
13. Good future rental property.
If you end of moving somewhere else, there’s more renters looking for affordable housing rather than McMansions.
14. Limited “Joneses Neighbors”.
Chances are you won’t be living next to any Jones families. Most of them are in cookie cutter suburbs. I love my older neighborhood that’s full of elderly folks, young families, and individuals that are all unique and down to earth.
15. Freedom.
In general you’ll potentially have more financial freedom, freedom of time, and less stress. You can have a mega garden in your front yard, and you can’t do that in an HOA neighborhood.
