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A visit to the new Elmwood development made me rethink starter homes
I drove through the new Elmwood subdivision in Springfield last weekend, just out of curiosity. Every single house I saw under construction looked huge, easily over 2,500 square feet. The real estate sign out front listed starting prices at $550,000. It got me thinking about where smaller, more affordable homes for people like us have gone. I remember my parents' first house was a simple 1,200 square foot ranch. Are builders just not making those anymore, or are they all in different areas now? For those who have been looking, are you seeing any new builds under 1,800 square feet in your town?
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wells.evan23d ago
My buddy Jake was looking last year in the Brookfield area. He found one new build community offering 1,400 square foot models, but they were all on tiny lots the size of a postage stamp, like 4,000 square feet total. The price was still over $400k, and the HOA fees were crazy high for basically a patch of grass. He said it felt like they were building townhouses without the shared walls. He ended up buying a 30 year old house instead because the math just didn't work.
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jamiesullivan23d ago
New builds have modern layouts and no surprise repairs.
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caseya7423d ago
Yeah, I used to be all about new builds, thought that was the smart move. But hearing stories like Jake's totally flipped my view. They're squeezing so many houses in now, you're paying a premium just to stare into your neighbor's kitchen window. That math really doesn't add up, you get more house and land going with something older.
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