First of all what is a McMansion? Personally I think of it as a house that is built in an older established neighborhood of smaller "traditional" homes. In many cases the home is not built to any particular style with cheaper building materials than were used on the original homes. They are built only with the concept of build something bigger and not necessarily better.
In a 2004 nationwide survey, the National Association of Homebuilders asked homeowners: "For the same amount of money, which of the following would you choose: a bigger house with fewer amenities, or a smaller house with high quality products and amenities?" Only 37 percent of the 2,900 randomly selected respondents wanted the bigger house. Sixty-three percent said they would prefer the smaller house with more amenities.
With the recent press and angry community meetings regarding how many residents there may be living in some of these houses I decided to take a drive back through a neighborhood where I have sold a number of homes in the past and see what had happened. This particular neighborhood had a recent community meeting where over 200 homeowners confronted the local authorities about rooming house conditions. The number of homes under construction has slowed from earlier in the year and it was also obvious that there were a number of McMansion projects that had stalled leaving boarded up houses and overgrown yards.
I'm not sure that the recent passage of the new Fairfax County zoning laws will help the situation. However the slower real estate market may mean that the neighbors who had hoped for a stop to the overbuilding will get their wish. At least for a little while.
Buyers who want to live in classic neighborhoods without the threat of the future potential of a McMansion next door should check out Hollin Hills which is going the extra step of applying to the National Register of Historic Places to ensure the neighborhood does not fall victim to the McMansion trend.
Time will tell whether the bigger is better trend is really over.
No Hassle-No Pressure-Just Straight Talk About The Northern Virginia Real Estate Market
If you are interested in learning more about the Northern Virginia Real Estate market including Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William Counties give Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group, Inc a call at 703-346-2213.
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Logically I would have to agree that the big home shouldn't be as popular any more. But when I take buyers out, they sure take notice of room sizes and total square feet. Very few actually downsize much. They all want bigger masters and a ton of closet space and room for a pool table and an office and a guest room and it's always nice to have that third bathroom.