Property Property Insider
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Home size trends Late last year CommSec released its Home Size Trends Report. The average floor size of an Australian home (houses and apartments) has fallen to a 20-year low. Data commissioned by CommSec from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the average new home is 189.8 square metres, down 2.7 per cent over the past year and the smallest since 1997; however, that reflects the increased building of apartments. But Australians are also still building big freestanding houses. The average new house built in 2016/17 was 233.3 square metres, the biggest in four years and more than 11 per cent bigger than 20 years ago. In fact the average house built today is over 30 per cent bigger than 30 years ago (the 1986/87 financial year). Australia is still building some of the biggest houses in the world, but, on average, US houses are
coverings and inclusions like air-conditioners. still bigger by around five per cent. And US homes (houses and apartments) are eight per cent bigger. Victorians are Thankfully for the planet there are some who subscribe to building the biggest houses in Australia, ahead of Western the ‘bigger isn’t necessarily better’ theory. The micro-home Australia and NSW. But notably the average size of houses fascination is building in Australia as those driven out of the built in South Australia in 2016/17 traditional housing market turn to was the biggest in the state’s history. alternative designs. The estimates of home size have A recent study by Griffith University implications for home builders, research fellow Heather Shearer said building material producers the main drivers behind the increased and home appliance retailers as popularity of tiny/micro housing were well as developers, government properties being too expensive, debt departments and local councils. What does it all mean? Aussies are reduction and wanting to downsize. still building some of the biggest People are looking for flexibility as well detached (free-standing) houses as affordability says Catherine Foster Houses built over the past year in the world. In fact the size of author of Small House Living Australia the average new house has grown are still far bigger than those in an article on the ABC news website slightly over the past two years. But built in the 1980s and 1990s. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10the average house size isn’t reaching 31/the-tiny-home-revolution-told-inIn fact houses are around new highs, having peaked around pictures-and-floorplans/9099058. 11 per cent bigger than 20 years six years ago. ‘Young people are [saying] “get me a ago and over 30 per cent When sharing this statistic with one home” and “we would rather it not be of the Echo drudges they quipped, bigger than 30 years ago. out in the suburbs an hour along the ‘Well we need somewhere to keep all motorway; we would rather be close to our stuff’. our community’,’’ she said. All jokes aside it is important when doing comparisons of ‘Older people, perhaps downsizing, and Baby Boomers house prices over time to keep the increase in size of the are saying, “We want to free up ourselves. We want to go average home in mind. Not only are houses far bigger than those built in the 1980s and before, but the standard of fit-out travelling. We want to have a small place where we can go for coffee at the end of the street”.’ today is far superior with quality kitchens, bathrooms, floor
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MULLUMBIMBY
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ALSTONVALE
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The Byron Shire Echo August 8, 2018 23