Democracy Dies in Darkness

Smaller houses are on the rise. Are the days of McMansions over?

Affordability issues lead buyers to maximize space, forgo formal dining rooms and walk-in pantries

6 min
New homes are getting smaller. Some buyers want less maintenance and have less stuff. Also, who needs a hallway, anyway? (Clover Li/The Washington Post)
By

For decades, building new meant building bigger. Down came the bungalows and ranch homes and up went the sprawling McMansions.

But for the better part of the last decade or more, the median home size has been shrinking, hitting a low of 2,210 square feet, down from 2,500 square feet in 2015, according to data compiled by the National Association of Realtors.

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