Bigger is not better after all—even in real estate. Just as restaurant chain TGIF is downsizing its portions and prices to meet consumer demand, in the wake of expanding waistlines, homebuyers will also choose to reduce their portions in the near future. Are Americans beginning to realize that good things come in small packages? Is this a return to the days of 6 oz. colas and cozy little homes?

 

Apparently, the price of a large home goes beyond the mortgage payments; some experts maintain that the recent proliferation of the “McMansion” (a super-sized home) has contributed to the deterioration of the family bond. Compounding the problem is the amount of cell phones and computers inside each of these large homes, encouraging individual, rather than family leisure time. In the past, smaller homes, even those with multiple bedrooms, ensured a “talking distance” between family members, and there was normally one phone in the house, usually in the kitchen. This meant that everyone was privy to each other’s conversations, and social plans. And, of course, the living room was the place to meet for family television viewing after a family dinner.

 

To create a healthy, close-knit family environment, the size of the home matters more than many homebuyers realize, according to the article “Family Intimacy Erodes in Big Homes,” by Katherine Salant (The Boston Globe, February 23, 2007). “Near proximity counts far more than we realize consciously," Dan Goleman, a psychologist and author of Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence, stated in the article.

 

Naturally, teens by nature can be privacy-hungry, welcoming their super-sized space. However, they would still benefit from observing and participating in social interactions that encourage sharing, problem-solving, and casual conversation. In addition, small children, their brains developing rapidly, require appropriate behavior modeling, and constant verbal and physical interaction. A smaller home facilitates social learning. “We're not programmed for social behavior like a fish whose brain is fully mature at birth," Peter Whybrow, a psychiatrist and director of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience at UCLA, stated in the article.

 

Many scientists assert that social interaction provides the necessary vehicle for appropriate brain chemical development, such as oxytocin, the bonding chemical. “The more verbal interactions a child participates in or observes, the more the brain develops. This will happen naturally when family members are in the same space. Not only are their interactions richer, ‘it’s terrific for brain development,’” Goleman stated in The Boston Globe article.

 

While these scientific explanations highlight why a relatively smaller home may be beneficial for the family, it is changing demographics that may ultimately decide what will happen in the housing market.

 

In 2006, the average home was built at 2,459 square feet, up from just under 2,000 square feet in the 1980’s, according to a recent article, “Houses in the U.S. Have Been Getting Bigger for the Last 35 Years, But the Upsizing Trend May Have Come to an End,” by Steve Brown. (The Dallas Morning News). Gopal Ahuwalia, a top researcher with the National Association of Home Builders, explained in the article that the McMansion phenomenon was a result of people “buying homes not to meet the functional needs; they called it ‘lifestyle,’” and acknowledged that as family size has declined, square footage has increased over the past 35 years.

 

With a deluge of empty nesters, and Baby Boomers retiring, many are choosing to move into smaller homes and adult communities, respectively. They want low maintenance, easy living, and they are savvy homebuyers. “By 2011, over half of the homes in the U.S. will be owned by someone over the age of 50,” researcher Margaret Wylde, stated in The Dallas Morning News article.

 

Economic strain will also play a role in the rise of smaller homes, as energy and construction costs rise. Some insiders predict a backlash against the oversized home. “We will probably see a resurgence of the small house,” said New York architect Victor Mirontschuk in The Dallas Morning News.