Our team at Bright Law, PLLC wants to help all of our clients get the best homes for their needs. While homes have trended steadily upwards in terms of square footage over the years, more recently a counter-trend has emerged in the form of tiny houses. Just as the name states, these homes have just a fraction of the square footage of a standard home, with their owners choosing to forgo the extra room in exchange for reduced initial and maintenance costs, as well as other benefits. As you can imagine, these homes are not right for everyone, so in this article, we’ll go over a few things to consider in order to determine whether a tiny home is right for you.
- Flexibility vs. Stability- When deciding if tiny houses are a good choice for your needs, one thing to consider is how much you value flexibility and novelty vs. stability and routine. Tiny homes appeal to many people because they don’t tie you to one location–if you need a change of scenery, you can simply tow your home to a new location. However, if you don’t have that same wanderlust, the other tradeoffs of tiny home life may not be worth it to you.
- Simplicity vs. Convenience- Another thing to consider in order to tell whether tiny houses are a good fit for you is your desire for simplicity vs. your desire for convenience. Many people find tiny homes appealing because they logistically don’t allow you to accumulate a lot of unnecessary belongings, which can be a great relief for those who get stressed out by a lot of clutter. On the other hand, living in such tight quarters means that you will have to give up many of the gadgets that, while not strictly necessary, do provide a lot of convenience. You may adopt this simpler lifestyle and love it, but you may find yourself missing things from your former home.
- Financing- Lastly, tiny houses can be tricky to finance. Although they are cheaper to maintain than traditional homes, they also have up-front costs that can prove challenging. Because tiny homes are such a new concept, not many lenders offer loans to finance them yet, which can make buying or building a tiny house harder than getting a mortgage for a traditional residence.