Living Smaller

Freeing yourself from a larger home gives homeowners more time, energy, and money to spend doing the things they enjoy. As Oprah says, "one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time - taking time to be more fully present".

With less responsibility to heat, cool, clean, and maintain you can say hello to more time outdoors with family, yoga, meditation, and movie nights. Living smaller has many benefits for home dwellers, and for the planet. We named just a few below.

1. Smaller homes are less expensive: It's true, fewer materials and less construction time mean a lower price point to build. They are also less expensive to maintain and operate over time.

2. Unlock your time! With less time to clean, maintain and organize, you will find you have more time to spend on the people and activities that mean the most to you.

3. Have more fun with architecture: Small doesn't mean boring. Designing a smaller space is a time to push the limits of architectural creativity. Homeowners should enjoy and love the spaces of their homes.

4. Less likely to accumulate unneeded things: It's so true, when people have extra space they tend to fill it. But, if we had to, we are all capable of deciding what is critical and what is nice to have. Choosing to live smaller is something we may have to work to adapt to but it's something we are all capable of doing. Keeping what you own simple is humbling and can help treat anxiety.

5. Smaller homes are ethical: Living smaller equates to a smaller environmental footprint of the home - making living smaller an ethical decision. The materials it takes to build a smaller home are less than a larger-sized home plus the operational cost is much reduced during the lifespan of the home.

6. Encourages family bonding: In smaller spaces families tend to spend more time together. Likely because these families have fewer hiding spots to run to, but hey! there is nothing like learning to jive together to help build lifelong and healthy relationships! It is important to ensure family members still have their own space to go to and strategically utilize outdoor spaces.

7. Living in a smaller home gets people outside: Getting outside is good for mental and physical well-being. So technically, living in a smaller home is good for your health.

8. Lower financial risk and a larger purchasing market: A smaller home takes fewer resources to build and operate, resulting in a lower financial risk. Overall a smaller house is more affordable, and a more affordable house is more financially appealing to more people.