Posted on 08/21/2004 12:27:52 PM PDT by lowbridge
For many Americans, bigger is better when it comes to their homes. The facts speak for themselves: According to the Census Bureau, the average home size has swelled 40 percent since the early 70's.
According to National Association of Homebuilders, 19 percent of homes built in 2003 were 3,000 square feet or more. But the appetite for larger and larger homes has run afoul of some. Namely those who've watched super-sized structures crop up next door.
How can you fight "McMansion" expansion where you live? Here are today's 5 Tips.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
I figure when we do this addition, several families on the street who had been thinking of moving to a larger house, but didn't really want to leave the neighborhood, might consider remodeling theirs since we'd be giving them cover and theirs wouldn't be overpriced for the neighborhood. We're willing to take that chance, but we live on a lovely cul de sac, so I don't think we'll do too badly since we likely won't be in the market to sell for another 10 years!
It's something like that here --- they're building 3000-4000 sq ft homes on postage stamp yards so the neighborhood is working on zoning rules that land can't be sold in less than 2 acres which should help the problem.
Same here ---- what happens is the city types move out to the country and put their houses 2 feet apart and since they don't enjoy anything about the country, they fill an entire lot with a huge house. Next thing they're complaining about horses, geese or anything that resembles the rural life.
It's not so much zoning being right or wrong -- it's self defense -- either one type wins and anything resembling the country has to go -- or the country type wins.
It's okay to have a mansion on a large piece of land and you see that type fitting in better with others on a large piece of land who have a mobile home or average size home --- it's the gated community types we can do without.
Sorry, but you're playing semantics and you're wrong. Do zoning laws open your house to the public? Are you required to allow strangers to come in and sleep or use the bathroom? No.
Sophistry is not a convincing argument.
I guess you don't live in a major metropolitan area. You do sound extremely jealous.
I hate the city, and this town is becoming more and more like LA.... one good thing about CA- we are the prime targets of Russia and China's ICBMs... we can begin again!!!
We have a number of 20,000 sq ft houses in Houston. When I see one of these monsters all I can think of is their air conditioning bill.
Worth is determined by what a willing buyer will pay a willing seller, so I would suggest you're incorrect. It is worth it, just not worth it to you.
I hope they can get by without water... of course I guess that doesn't factor into what you clearly have no idea what you are speaking... worth is real value... like internet stocks... I suspect you've had your share- were they "worth" what you paid?
Freedom really annoys you, doesn't it?
No, hucksters really annoy me... You like crooks? Have you every bought a house?... Ever deal with a broker? Ever see how games are played within markets in order to bleed the most out of people?
You must be a democrap, you sure whine like one.
You've never bought a house... you sure dodge questions. Have you ever signed a motgage paper?
Yep, 3 of them. No problems. Maybe you should get a better job.
What is this place, a retired missle silo?
But we would never buy a new house. Many builders of McMansions in the northeast (e.g. Toll Brothers, Hovnanian) are notorious for taking sneaky short cuts, using cheapy materials and shoddy work. The defects show up months after the unsuspecting buyers plunked down the big bucks. Old houses are far more solidly built.
And then, for some of us, McMansions are an esthetic problem. Vinyl siding is cheapy and hideous. McMansions on lots that are too small for the scale of the house look pretentious.
And have you ever gone inside one of these vast structures? They are so big, many families can't afford to furnish them AND the mortgage too. Hence the interiors look cold, bleak, and sparsely furnished.
So as far as I'm concerned, McMansions are a blight. I'm not disputing anybody's "right" to build one if zoning laws are obeyed. But I am saying: They're ugly.
But, of course if you had a clue, you would know what I am speaking about in CA; everyone, even with the best of investments, knows that there is something not in balance with the real estate out here.
That said, do you believe that dishonest manipulators of market prices should be allowed the freedom to push higher prices?
There are only two legitimate approaches to prevent an adjacent property owner from building whatever he/she wants (assuming it's not a real safety hazard or something).
1.) Politely attempt to persuade the owner to do something else.
2.) Persuade the owner to sell you the property.
Anything else is totalitarianism. If these don't work,
3.) Shut up and MYOB, or
4.) Move somewhere else.
And just who are these "dishonest manipulators" that you speak of? Freedom to buy and sell is an American right. If there are no buyers at those prices, the prices will fall. Maybe the concept of supply and demand is foreign to you.
Where is the water?
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