The glory days of the overly large, mass-produced, inefficient and quite frankly indistinguishable looking homes that many have dubbed McMansions appears to be coming to an end.

Online real estate search website, Trulia.com, released the results from its latest “American Dream” survey and it reveals that U.S. residents still yearn to own a home (72%) but the size of the dwelling they wish to purchase is on the decline.

Only 9% of respondents say their ideal home size would be 3200 square feet or larger. While a combined 55% would be in the market for homes between 1400 and 2600 square feet. Considering the average home in 1950 was 983 square feet, these are still decent sized abodes.

Additionally, nine out of ten builders surveyed by the National Association of Home Builders say “they are building or planning smaller, lower-priced homes than in the past.” Not really an astonishing statistic when you factor in the state of the economy over the past couple of years. Regardless of the reason though, one thing is certain, smaller homes are better for the environment.

But the question is, will the trend continue toward smaller, more energy efficient, eco-friendly homes for the decades to come? Or will an economic rebound cause a reversal of course and possibly the rebirth of the McMansion. Let’s hope common sense prevails.



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