Fellow househunters! We need your collected wisdom.

[mac56]

Two adults + two cute little chihuahuas. What's the minimum square footage a small family can live in comfortably? More is often better, yes, but some attractive smaller places are available with bigger yards and much smaller mortgages. Any thoughts?

[haele]

1. Go for the big yard and the small mortgage.

The most important issue after "can we live in this house without killing each other trying to move around in it" is the small mortgage. The size you need for your home depends on how much space each of you needs. Can you fit all your stuff in it, do you need "office" or "work" space, and is there someplace you as individuals can go to spend quality solitary time? There's no real rule of thumb; in one house, two adults may be live in 700 sq. ft one bedroom cottage comfortably, or each person might need their "own room" and the pair decide on a 1100 ft. three bedroom for the "guest" and work area.
A house can always be upgraded if your family increases, and with a large yard, you can build a storage shed, add a work space between the garage and the house, spread your kitchen/dining into the patio with creative use of grills, screens, and decking, etc, etc, etc.

Think of it this way; the land is what actually keeps it's worth after all is said and done. The house is only transitory and can be changed at any time - the land is always there.

Good luck, and make sure your down-payment is enough to keep your mortgage low enough that if you go on unemployment for any length of time, you can still keep your house payments up. Thats what seems to trip up most of the people I know that end up loosing their homes. What you can afford now may not be what you can afford five or ten years from now.

Haele

[Nite Owl]

2. It really depends

on how much company you guys have, how much 'stuff' etc. There are three of us and two dogs (small and medium) and we are comfortable in about 2500sq ft. Lots of the 'stuff' though and the kids are in and out with friends. Maybe 1500?

[GOPisEvil]

3. My family of 3 (while growing up) lived in a 1400 sq ft. house.

We got along just dandy. Small with a big yard is the way to go. :thumbsup:

[Melsky]

4. Yeah, keep the mortgage down and big yard

I was able to make a good amount of money selling my old house, mostly because it had a huge lot in an up and coming area.

You can always add onto the house, or build a shed. Some people get an RV and use that as a spare room too.

Good luck on your house hunt!

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. 2 Adults & 1 Great Pyrenees in 1350 sq ft is good

for us.

I would think that it would be fine for you. We have 3 bedrooms and a decent sized yard, but bought in a suburb in Tx so we paid an obscenely low price for ours. I love my house.

[felonious thunk]

6. stay under 1200 if you can

You'll spend less and the key thing is you'll have less to clean. Mrs. Thunk and I went from under 1000 to almost 2000, and on those 5 hour Saturday morning cleaning sprees, I'd give anything to have half the space again.

[radwriter0555]

7. Small is NICE. You won't shop as much, spend as much money on

furnishings. You won't clutter it up with crap, and it's a HELLA lot easier and faster to keep clean.

Me and the kid live in a 1100 sf cottage type house with a HUGE yard (and a guest house I rent out). I have an office, we have a formal DR, small LR and small Bds, but I designed the yard so it's really an outdoor living space, since we're in Sunny So Cal.

I will never ever live in a huge mansion, even after I win the lottery. I like nice, tidy, intimate spaces that comfort me...

the smaller mortgage is NICE, since with that extra money, you can travel and see the world instead of shackling yourself in poverty to a piece of real estate you will resent.

[geniph]

8. I know a number of couples

who live in 30' sailboats with a couple of pets. It's just a matter of how much stuff you think you need to have, and how much time you're willing to spend working to pay for space for all that stuff. Which makes you happier - more stuff or more spare time?

[kevinam]

9. 3 beds, 2 baths, and 2 car garage.

You should try to stick with that as a minimum. There is always going to be a decent market for that type of house. You are most likely going to have to sell at some point. That should be a big enough sized house, for your family, yet shouldn't be too large to heat/cool. That way, assuming a couple, you have a master bedroom, an office, and a guest room...Kevin.

[sbj405]

10. 2 adults, 2 50lb dogs, 900 sq ft

I'm just counting living area. We have a basement, that isn't used for much other than laundry. It can be a bit tight at times. We only have one bathroom, which is a pain. I'd recommend at least 1.5 for two people. I think it's more about how the space is laid out than that actual sq ft. I do have a nice large yard though. Of course remember, big yards can be big pains when it comes to things like raking leaves, mowing lawns, etc. Those are the times that condo life appeals to me.

[Melsky]

11. larger vs smaller

I went from a large house to a smaller one 1850 SF to 1250. We've been happier in the smaller house. The big house was beautiful, but had a lousy floor plan. Good floor plan makes all the diference!

[1a2b3c]

12. less than 1000 square feet of home

With a yard as large as you can afford.