Are Alternative Homes The New Affordable Trend? Could You Actually Live In A “Tiny House?”

First, let me say in a country as wealthy as the United States the fact that its citizens do not have functional safety nets in place for emergencies is disgraceful. Recently, the House of Representatives voted to extend the eviction moratorium and this means thousands of Americans will possible be homeless when or if it expires.

With so many people losing their livelihoods due to the pandemic, the moratorium is one of the things keeping renters afloat while they try to recover from the financial setbacks the pandemic has caused so many. And the reason many people in the first place is because they are unable to buy homes…..renting used to be cheaper than a mortgage, but now……

If you felt like homes were expensive before, after the pandemic hit, home prices began to soar! More and more I have been thinking about how unobtainable homeownership is for millions of Americans. But there are starting to be some unconventional alternatives and one is buying a “tiny home”.

What is a tiny home?

A tiny home is small. It is usually, 400 square feet or less in square footage but has everything a larger house has for example kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area, living room etc. Where a larger home has large rooms, a tiny home is usually one room that uses its space optimally. Most of us grew up in dwellings with at least two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and full bathroom and some form of storage.

The feature of storage is usually very important to us as most of us have a lot of stuff. Living in “tiny” dwelling forces us to get rid of our stuff and only keep the necessary items we need to live because the space just won’t allow hoarding. And many people find that when they start getting rid of items to prepare to live in a smaller space, they do not really need all the things they have.

In a tiny home, you can cook, bathe, sleep and lounge, just like you do in a regular sized home. Americans have some of the biggest homes in the world. The average size of a home in the United States is a little over 1,600 square feet so it would be an adjustment for most of us but there some people who are willing to try to do it. Why? The cost!

What do these homes cost?

The median home price in America is around 272,000 dollars and this is simply unobtainable for some. The fact that a tiny home is less expensive would sway anyone with a low income to want to purchase one. The average price of a functional tiny home is 30,000 to 60,000 and that is highly attractive when you factor in you could possibly save over $200,000 and still get a home.

Granted many tiny homes only have space for one, many can accommodate a couple and a few models even accommodate a family. When you are willing to go up in price and reach more towards the high end you will get more square footage, and amenities like porches, which give you more living space.

So now that you have some basic information about these types of dwellings, here is the burning question……

Can you actually live in one?

I must admit. If you had of ask me a year ago if I would be willing to live in a tiny home, my answer would have been a quick and loud, “no!” But I have recently been looking for a home and was searching for the virtual floor plan online, and I came across a video that I found quite interesting.

(Posted on YouTube by Kristina Smallhorn)

Did you know that you could purchase a home from Amazon? I had no clue. Mind you, some of these homes were not functional…..but if you search on the internet you will find so many that are. Factor in, if you are handy with some tools and have a good location, for less than $50,000 most Americans can have fully functional home albeit a small one!

If you are asking me if I would live in a tiny home, the answer is yes, although it would be one that was on the high end. But I think the biggest obstacle would be getting rid of all my stuff and I think that is the reason most people would not move into one.

But what do I know? I’m just a bootleg sociologist who nobody will listen to so I started a blog……….

So would you buy and live in a “tiny” home?

What are your thoughts? Follow this blog:

@whenthiswomanspeaks.com

Facebook@ whenthiswomanspeaks

Instagram @ whenthiswomanspeaks

Twitter@ woman_speaking

Tumblr@whenthiswomanspeaks.com

Pinterest@whenthiswomanspeaks

References:

House fails to extend eviction moratorium ahead of 6-week recess (msn.com)

Navigating the Cost Burdens of Low-Income Homeowners – DSNews