Cater to Boomers or Millennials? Homebuilders Caught in Between
Las Vegas — The U.S. housing industry is being pulled in two directions. Baby boomers with big housing bucks to spend still rank at the top of many builders’ customer lists. But rising sales to millions of millennials have sent builders scrambling to tailor houses for the next generation of buyers. “Millennials are really coming into the market in significant numbers,” Dan DiClerico of Consumer Reports told homebuilders from around...
Considering a Tiny Home? Try Before You Buy
Croydon — Hilary and Shane Lentz were hooked on the idea of a tiny house, but they weren’t sure the reality would be so appealing. Their curiosity led them to the hills of New Hampshire, where a business that started at Harvard University rents out tiny houses for $99 a night. The company, Getaway, has drawn visitors from afar who come to sample life in a 160-square-foot house before they dive headlong into the lifestyle. “It’s a way...
Downsizing Trend in Retreat as Big Houses Make a Comeback
Minneapolis — Sprawling single-family houses, spurned just a few years ago by buyers, are back. And they’re bigger than ever. For the first time, the average size of a new single-family home built in the United States topped 2,600 square feet in 2014. About a third of the houses built last year were larger than 3,000 square feet. “You have seen the homes just growing bigger and bigger and bigger,” said Teresa St. Amant, a Twin Cities...
