Recently, my parents downsized their home to a smaller house.
While on vacation in South Dakota (yeah, I vacation in South Dakota), I got to see it for the first time.
During our stay, I was surprised at how often my mother commented that “they just love their smaller house.” I wasn’t so much surprised that she felt that way about living small (I am a minimalist after all), but I was surprised at the frequency. It was a comment that she repeated over and over again during our one-week stay.
Toward the end of the week, I sat down with my mom and asked her to list all of the reasons why she is experiencing more happiness in her smaller house. And this post is the result.
Some people decide to start living small once they find that there are many advantages to downsizing. A smaller home means smaller bills and a smaller set of responsibilities.
People buy larger homes for a number of reasons:
- They “outgrow” their smaller home.
- They receive a promotion and raise at work.
- They are convinced by a realtor that they can afford it.
- They hope to impress others.
- They think a large home is the home of their dreams.
Another reason people keep buying bigger and bigger homes is that nobody tells them not to.
The mantra of the culture again comes calling, “buy as much and as big as possible.” They believe the lie and choose to buy a large home only because that’s “what you are supposed to do” when you start making money… you buy nice big stuff.
Nobody ever tells them not to. Nobody gives them permission to pursue smaller, rather than larger. Nobody gives them the reasons they may actually be happier if they downsize their home.
Here are 12 reasons why you may be happier if you downsized and bought a smaller house:
1. Smaller homes are easier to maintain.
Anyone who has owned a house knows the amount of time, energy, and effort to maintain it. All things being equal, a smaller home requires less of your time, energy, and effort to accomplish that task.
2. You spend less time decluttering.
And that should be reason enough.
3. Smaller homes are less expensive.
Smaller homes are less expensive to purchase and less expensive to keep (insurance, taxes, heating, cooling, electricity, etc.)
4. Living small means you go into less debt and less risk.
Dozens of on-line calculators will help you determine “how much house you can afford.” These formulas are based on net income, savings, current debt, and monthly mortgage payments. They are also based on the premise that we should spend “28% of our net income on our monthly mortgage payments.” But if we can be more financially stable and happier by only spending 15%… then why would we ever choose to spend 28?
5. Owning a smaller house is mentally freeing.
As is the case with all of our possessions, the more we own, the more they own us. And the more stuff we own, the more mental energy is held hostage by them. The same is absolutely true with our largest, most valuable asset. Buy small and free your mind. That’s one of the benefits of minimalism.
6. Smaller homes have a smaller environmental impact.
They require fewer resources to build and maintain. And that benefits all of us.
7. You free up more time.
Many of the benefits above (less cleaning, less maintaining, mental freedom) result in the freeing up of our schedule to pursue the things in life that really matter – whatever you want that to be.
8. Smaller homes encourage family bonding.
A smaller home results in more social interaction among the members of the family. And while this may be the reason that some people purchase bigger homes, I think just the opposite should be true.
9. Downsizing your home forces you to remove baggage.
Moving into a smaller home forces you to intentionally pare down your belongings.
10. Smaller homes lessen the temptation to accumulate.
If you don’t have any room in your house for that new treadmill, you’ll be less tempted to buy it in the first place (no offense to those of you who own a treadmill… and actually use it).
11. You’re less obligated to decorate.
While some people love the idea of choosing wall color, carpet color, furniture, window treatments, decorations, and light fixtures for dozens of rooms, I don’t.
12. Smaller homes are in a wider market to sell.
By its very definition, a smaller, more affordable house is affordable to a larger percentage of the population than a more expensive, less affordable one.
Downsizing your home and living small is a very personal decision that weighs in a large number of factors that can’t possibly be summed up in one 800-word post.
This post was not written to address each of them nor was it written as a “how to downsize your home” article.
Only you know all the variables that come into play when making your decision.
I just think you’ll be happier if you buy smaller—rather than the other way around.
Useful Resources:
I love this. We bought our small 3br/1br twin home 22 years ago when we were making much less money . It was supposed to be a starter home. However, having a small mortgage allowed me to stop working and stay home with my kids when they were babies. They’re in college now, and I work full time as an RN. My husband and I keep going back and forth because we feel like we should have bought a bigger house and its time for some renovations— so are we going to renovate to sell, or are we going to renovate to our tastes…., but I have no desire to move. I love my garden, my home and my neighborhood. I love how close we are to the city, while still being in the suburbs. So we finally decided to do our renovations to our taste. I needed to read this today!
I meant 3BR / 1BA
We raised our 6 kids in 1500 square feet. Never felt like we needed more house. We moved to another state, houses were cheaper and bigger. We bought 2000 sf. It felt huge, but everyone was moving away for bigger. Our kids are all grown now and we find ourselves living in the 1200 sf main floor and having plenty of room. The rest of the house is for company. But all around us 4000 to 5000 sf homes are popping up everywhere. I don’t get it. Our house is paid for. When we will pop at cash for a little house on a bit of property and enjoy the coziness.
They are affordable, use fewer materials, cleaning is easy, and allows you to live your best life. They offer affordable living. If anything, those who live in such homes have nothing but praise for the roofs over their heads.
Forget about the mortgage and start living big in a tiny house.
I generally support the idea of minimalism. Having a bigger house is not always a reasonable choice. I think the idea is to have the house that fits to your personal needs without unnesessary squares. The same concept can be applied to buying a car. It is very tempting to have a big expensive car with a large trunk. As a result, you would never use it. Instead you would pay every month extra bill on gasoline and pollute the atmosphere by unnecessary carbon.
I always believed in minimalism. I would always tell my spouse to look at the better homes and garden magazines, and what do you see? Why do the rooms photographed look this way, because there is simply no clutter, Clutter in the home brings so much negative vibes to any room. I only need a smaller home since I stopoped shopping so much and stopped buyinng things I didnt need. It was freeing.
We are a family of 6 living in an 1100 sq ft 3bed 1bath. We feel like it’s huge since we moved here from a 300sq ft camper that we lived in for 3 years. Soon we will be moving into an 800 sq ft plus 2 loft rooms. We will have much more outdoor space and a huge deck. I’m excited and hoping this next one is my forever home.
We took the plunge and became a small home owner of an 1100 sq foot 1943 farmhouse house & loving it.
We decided to rent out our 3,300 sq foot , 5 bedroom, 4 bath home to move into this small house.
All you said is true.
My evenings are now spend playing with my children instead of cleaning. My electric bill is about $400 less than it was. What did we need the “big house” for anyway? Family does not visit enough to make all the extra effort worth keeping the big house. My older kids became teenagers and didn’t need much space beyond the phone in front of their face. Lol! All in all, I feel many homes from generations past had the right idea. We have less home and more time for what matters.
Also, the house was not for sell. So we did ask the previous owner if they would be interested in selling the home and it worked out. Did not even use a realtor.
We feel like we have a secret that so much of our current culture is missing out on.
Me and my wife have a 2,400+ square foot house with a living room and great room. It was built in 1964 and took me 16+ years to cash flow the renovations which I did 90% of myself. I’m looking forward to buying a smaller house less than 2,000′ square feet with more land to enjoy being outside. Kudos to the folks like yourself that have made smaller houses work and it’s great to hear other folk’s point of view that have gone this route.
I loved your comment, Erica! I agree with you, we have been living under very peculiar and useless parameters. This is absolutely freeing, not to mention very much rational. Best of luck for you and your family!
Your comment about the teenagers not needing much space other than for the phone In front of them made me laugh. I need that laugh. I had gallbladder removal surgery last Thursday and I’ve had a miserable recovery not simple like most ppl. It’s so true though. No one really needs a lot of space. I live in 800sq feet and honestly I could chop that down to less than a quarter of it
“They are convinced by a realtor that they can afford it”
As a Realtor in Texas, I would like to say that this statement is completely untrue. The Realtor doesn’t have access to the client’s financials, the LENDER does. And the lender functions very specifically so that they know that the buyer CAN afford the house so that they cut their own losses. It doesn’t make sense to lend to someone who can’t afford it because then they don’t get their money back?? Realtors don’t even know the clients financials in a cash deal. Typically if they have enough cash to buy a house outright, they have a financial advisor or they just make an educated decision based on what they are comfortable with. All we get in this instance is a letter from the bank (called a proof of funds) stating something like, “this person has the funds readily available in their account to buy this house”. There is no dollar amount concerning how much money this person has in their account. Realtors don’t “convince” people they can afford something. We show houses in the price range specified by our clients or their lenders. Please don’t throw someone’s lively hood under the bus for just another bullet point on your article’s “cons list”.
With that being said, I love The Minimalist, and I think it’s a great way to live if you can swing it!
That is exactly right. I don’t know if any real estate agent that actually encourages anyone to spend more then what they can afford. Also, I bet there are many cases where people may have bought a little more house then they needed a few years ago, but that larger house appreciated at a much greater rate in this market, so if they sold now they did very well! One of my taglines is I help people RE-dream their real estate needs. That could be to upsize or downsize. Not all baby boomers want to downsize, but many do and that is their choice. The code of ethics says an agent should be a fiduciary, so they should be and most do advocate for their clients best interest.
???? I’ve purchased 5 homes in Texas and have family members that are realtors. I can remember two different times that my realtor and loan officer spoke to each other which resulted in the realtor attempting to encourage me to buy a much bigger house (very aggressively). I’ve heard many others say the same thing. MOST realtors find out one way or the other exactly how much you qualify for. Not all but the majority of them pursue the biggest commission they can get. #12 is ???? spot on, in most cases, and he is just educating/bring awareness to it. Not “throwing anyone under the bus”
In Texas also. Same experience. Realtors were disappointed we didn’t want to spend as much as we “qualified for.”
Some realtors do play a part in influencing the buyer’s decision to buy or not to buy. I do not think they purposely sit down, calculate their commission and meet you at the property to intentionally convince you to buy that property. Both the sales agent and buyers have to understand each other. Do not feel uncomfortable telling the realtor that they are not exhibiting but they are “convincing” which can influence buts to make premature conclusions on a property that will be too much for them too expensive to fix up maintain the lawn the pool and reserve the beauty that the property deserves. We have a property that we have enjoyed for 14 years but between my husband’s work, my small business, our daughter, and social life we rarely can finish gardening each year it is getting harder and harder to maintain the house interior ily it takes me three days to clean the house and outdoors it falls in New England by the time I finish spreading the mulch; it is October by the time I toll up the gardens fence and it is November when we cover the pool! I moving to a small house I want to spend more time listening to music sounds knotting crocheting sewing small gardening manageable listening to podcasts and audiobooks and talking and laughing on the phone with friends and traveling more often than cleaning a 2,400 sq foot house collecting buying reserving this to use someday and never using it. I am 54 years old and I am already tired! I’m going to be a minimalist I just don’t know yet what state or city to move to or whether it will be a 55-plus community or a 1934 country small ranch house or a small cottage at the shore line with a fishing ship for fun :)) I’m just dreaming!
I have bought and custom built several homes. Realtors/Agents ask for letters (that you give) from your financial institution, stating your purchasing power (in dollars). That letter is routine. That is done so that the parties involved are not wasting their time and energy looking for properties they cannot qualify for. That is just business. Agents do not “know”your financials. But they do have an idea based on talking with you. People/Agents are not stupid.
Great response. As a former Realtor, I was disappointed to see Realtors blamed for buying more than their clients could afford. Thank you for clarifying how the process actually works.
Definitely have had a realtor try to sell above our price range we could afford, so it does happen. We were preapproved for a certain amount, but I didn’t feel comfortable with our house payment being that high. Our realtor did know what we were preapproved for because we had to have the preapproval to start looking. You do get paid a percentage of the sale though, so it does behoove you to sell a more expensive house. That’s logic.
I’ve always had realtors try to push me over the amount I have said.
On my pre-approval out have the exact amount that on able to purchase. Right down to the very last dollar and cent. How ever I’m sure not all sure that way. I’m in Tennessee I think that the article meant though is that the realtor tells them oh your approved for 100,000$ you can get so much more for that amount than you can the 75 grand that your wanting to spend. Now this is only my opinion and strictly just that ????
I consider myself a minimalist but I think blanket statements like “smaller houses are better” are untrue for all people. We bought a larger home 2 years ago and couldn’t be more grateful for this extra space. First, it was in our budget as we were able to sell our previous home of 10 years for a down payment. We also have 4 children and do foster care… so we are utilizing the space for what we feel called to do. Of course for your aging mom with no kids at home downsizing makes a ton of sense. Much simpler for an elderly person to maintain. Or for you with just two kids, you could have your kids share a room and make it work in a 2 bedroom if you wanted to. But I think knowing your family goals and what your “calling” is should play into this more than wanting to fit into the minimalism world. We have learned that we can live in a large home and still be frugal eco minimalists. We are living under our means (not all locations would make a large house affordable), we don’t fill up all our rooms to the brim, we buy second hand, and we make our lifestyle work for us.
My best memories from childhood are of being at my grandma’s house – 4 bedroom, 3 bath – with aunts, uncles and cousins visiting from all over the region. Even with all of the beds and couches, several kids had to sleep on pallets on the floor. It was awesome. I now have three kids of my own who in a few short years will be going off to college. I’d really like to downsize but my husband and I want to have plenty of space for our kids’ future families to come whenever they want, even all at the same time. It’s a conundrum. Not sure what to do.
We have a large house with a dedicated spare room and cots that set up in our sunroom and tv room. And we have had many summers where it has been overflowing with family and friends. My sil and her two girls were visiting when the lockdown was first put in place. They stayed for more than a month with us and it was wonderful. They used to come every summer, March break and christmas. But now my son is 18 and my nieces are heading off to universities. I’m torn between keeping it on the chance we will have big family get togethers again and wanting to simplify. It’s a tough call.
I think there is one huge advantage of living in a small house – it is full of life. We cannot really hide in our bedrooms for too long, and the family spends more time together. This gives us more precious time together.
One thing that I considered in purchasing my current home was my elderly mother who lives with me. I have a ranch, 3 bedroom, 2 bath (one is my office), sun room, living, dining and kitchen: it is approx 1700 sq ft (after renovations). We upsized from a ~ 1300 sq ft cape. While smaller would have been lovely, we needed to easily maneuver a walker/wheelchair which limited which homes were feasible. Doorways are now 36 inches wide and the washer and dryer were moved to the main floor. I grew up in a home that was less then 700 sq feet with 5 people. Very few people realize the privacy you give up in smaller spaces when there are more then 1 or 2 people. Also, you must be diligent about cleaning as anything you do quickly becomes a mess. I love smaller homes; however you need to bear in mind while some things become easier, others become more challenging – which is true of every situation.
Correction: One of the bedrooms is my office, not the bathroom.
That’s what I also read bathroom as an office and a workable workspace Lol.
We sold our home 2 years ago when we retired and traveled in our RV for 2 years. Next week we’re closing on a 1200 sq ft, 2-bed, 2-bath home. We’ll put a Murphy bed in the second bedroom (office) for guests, and also use the RV for guests to have their own space. We’ll still travel but I’ll be happy to have a small home base.
I truly agree with you on this as living in a smaller home is beneficial in many ways like its very cozy, cost effective, low maintenance and helps you to be more closer to your family. Thanks for sharing this article!
My husband and I just moved into our first purchased home with our 3.5 month old. Our situation was a bit different. Our landlord sold out from under us and we had two months to find a new home (yes with our premie son in the mix). Average rent in our area was starting at $1750 for a one bedroom, so it was actually cheaper to buy and build equity! Eventually we will end up moving to a bigger place as our family grows (also because our HOA mandates you can’t have more than 4 people living in our condo). We definitely don’t want to move into a huge house, but a small home with a yard in a good neighborhood. Anyway, we were shocked at how much stuff we still had even though we’ve subscribed to a minimalist lifestyle for several years (it hides in the depths of the closets). We got rid of a lot and it feels great. Future dream after the kids go off the college- tiny house living!
On principle, I agree with purchasing a home you can afford. We have always done that and it has worked, however, I wish we would have purchased as our first house a house that would have caused us to stretch a BIT financially because 1. my family doubled in size of over the years 2. We planned to move and buy a slightly bigger home, but housing prices outpaced our increases in income. 3. The pain of moving is real. So I would say, look to your future needs and buy the best house you can, then buy once and stay put.
Wendy, I seriously thought that I was the only one who felt this way. I also wished we had stretched a bit when we bought our first home, especially knowing that we are the type of people who like to stay put. (And indeed, we are still in our first home that we bought in 1991.) Our house is just over 1,740 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths. My husband and I live here with our two daughters, 23 and 25, and my 25 year old’s husband. We also have 2 cats and 2 dogs. This is a situation that I am very bitter about, never wanting my daughter and her husband to be living here, now going on 3 years into their marriage and no end in sight. My husband and my son in law especially have so many hobbies and interests, and the house and two car garage are bursting at the seams. The mantra of minimalism is, you DO have enough room if you just get rid of the clutter, but the reality for me is, there simply is not enough room for all of the stuff that people want to keep. If and when my daughter and son in law move out, my house will be just perfect for the three of us (my 23 year old is on the autism spectrum and could very well be with us for a long time, if not forever.)
We have repeatedly tried finding a house with a smaller square footage. It seems that with a certain square footage also come other features that may or may not be desirable for the homeowners. The neighborhood is a big one. We live in about 1,500 square feet for a family of 4. We think it’s just right, but we could also be happy in less. However, houses much smaller than ours tend to be in more run down neighborhoods where neighbors don’t seem to take a lot of pride in ownership. Or there are no sidewalks for us to enjoy family walks together. Or there is not enough yard for us to garden and let our young kids enjoy some safe independence. So as much as we’d love to downsize, staying put and helping my husband to resist upsizing is the best we can do :)
I love reading all these comments! We decided to stay in our starter house from our 1993 marriage, and now I am so glad we did. It is the most cozy house at 1200 square feet. We just put out air matresses for guests. It’s been so nice to have a cushion in our budget as our kids are heading to college, too. We have been able to make some nice upgrades, in cash. We always have money to go on at least two vacations a year. We have realtors calling us daily making insane offers on our home, but we are not selling. Where would we go? I am so glad we didn’t move up like everyone said we needed to. And yes, my country blue countertops are staying because I love them!
Good call! My aunt & uncle bought a comfy little 3×1 in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, surrounded by farms for $17k. Paid it off and stayed put. 40 years later, it’s inner-ring, established, & worth about 3/4 of a million.
I totally agree with you on this. There’s no doubt that small homes are seeing a resurgence as people realize how cozy and cheap they can be. Smaller homes just feel good and living in one makes it easier to be close with your family. Plus, the cost-savings of smaller homes can really add up over the long term.
My wife and I live in a 1440 sf house, and are quite happy with it. We have no kids, so don’t need anything bigger. I told a friend of mine who sells real state and has never seen my house that it is 1440 sf, and her eyes lit up. “I wish I had some of those to sell!” I go for long walks every day through mine and surrounding neighborhoods, and most houses are bigger than mine. I realize how people must feel obligated to work hard and earn a lot of money just to afford their mortgages. This is not a wealthy area, but prices are rising rapidly- I am so glad we bought out house in 1997 when housing costs were much lower. I feel real blessed.
♡♡♡♡I Love this!!!! My Husband and I and 4 cats.. We live in a 1,390 ft² house.. I absolutely love it! It’s very cozy. I’ve had thoughts of wanting to dime size to something even smaller like a 1000 ft²…. But the Way the market is right now.. We will probably stay put for a while….. Besides our interest rate is at a very low fixed rate.. We are very happy here
I have one of the smallest houses in our subdivision. I receive messages on my front door about once a week from realtors with clients looking for my house size/model (the models are available on our property assessors website by address).
The reason? It attracts first time homebuyers who are trying to get into the neighborhood/school district. My house value holds even when the larger ones fall with the market!
Yup.
I couldn’t agree more. I have seen numerous neighbors and friends make the move to “bigger/better” from actually pretty large homes (1800-2000 sq. feet) to pretty massive, expensive homes. We are a family of three in an 1800 square foot home with an acre of land. I would rather have my mortgage paid off to travel than be forced to pay larger bills/mortgage. We just continue to maintain our home well and make upgrades/improvements to the home we already almost have paid off, and will have paid off prior to age 50! Yay!!
I have had a large beautiful house(4000 sq ft) and I can honestly say I felt more alone in that house than I do in my downsized home of 1750 sq ft. Personally having the larger home felt like it was for everyone else to enjoy with hosting and presenting. My smaller house gives me a sense of home and my own happiness and not to really care what others think. I could have afforded the 4000 sq ft house forever. I am happier to say I will be debt free from my smaller home in just a few years time.
I own a super cute 2 bed cottage. I can’t actually afford anything bigger. I do feel like a bit of a failure though because my 3 girls share a room. They are cool with it, but I’d love to offer them more ?
You are providing a loving home that you are not at risk of losing because you are smartly living within your means. Sounds like a winner to me! Best to you.
Naw, I hear that, but I hope you don’t take those feelings too seriously!
I grew up sharing rooms with my sisters, and it didn’t hurt. (And I wasn’t one of those kids who adored sharing, either – we fought constantly and decapitated each other’s toys far too regularly!)..
Of course we all want to provide our kids with “the best,” but the best isn’t in a floor-plan. Learning to appreciate what they’ve got, and not expect life to be handed to them on the proverbial silver platter is arguably the best way to set them up for a satisfied life anyway.
I live happily in 293 square feet!