Denser Urban Living - The New Cool

Interior Design magazine reports that as the downturn in the housing market deepens buyers dive into more densely populated areas nearer transit, businesses, and other amenities. This prevalent trend bucks what has been popular in the not too distant past. The magazine states that the current popularity in "infill sites" results in a focus on homes that are on smaller lots and positioned closer together than homes located in traditional neighborhood landscapes.

Apparently, potential buyers are making these choices based not only on living convenience but, also with resale value in mind. I guess the old adage, location, location, location never has strayed far from the top of the list of wants and needs when purchasing real property. It just depends on what the chic location is at the time you are considering your purchase.

Small IS better!

I bet you never thought you'd hear that!

Several months ago I was watching television one night and saw a spot on the new rage of tiny homes that is starting to grip the US and the world. The homes I saw looked like miniature homes with all the amenities we currently enjoy, except excess space. These tiny houses were only about 100 square feet more or less, that is less than the size of my family room.

Then today I see that Oprah has done a special on small houses so I do a little poking around. It seems you can but the plans for these small homes for less than $1000 from Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. Not only that, it seems that you can even get a book, Tiny Book of Tiny Houses, that is all about the cute little homes.

I think that these tiny homes are becoming so popular because they are billed out as being "green." That makes sense because you don't need an entire forest of trees for the wood nor do you need all the other materials you'd need to build a much larger home. The average size is around 100 square feet, they can fit just about anywhere, and some are even mobile. Peak your interest?

It peaked mine enough to perform some searches to gain some more understanding, I concluded that the buzz about these tiny houses is so popular there is even a blog about it.

Here are some examples of these small homes for your viewing pleasure. They are so cute!