And in MY town, they are still building 7-bedroom homes..

[SoCalDem]

3850-4790 sq. ft :wtf:

I checked out our new target and drove out to an area I have not been to in YEARS.. It used to be all scrub land and a beautiful horse farm.. and now it's just sprouting mc mansions..all piled up on top of each other...

[Zywiec]

1. Sounds like the economy is doing well where you are... n/t

[Trillo]

2. That's a small apartment complex.

Let me guess: Single family zoning, Homeowners association.

[american_typeculture]

3. Those things will be falling apart in 15 years.

Cheap ass construction and materials. Can't wait til those people who bought a McMansion need a new roof. Fuck them, they are takers.

[SoCalDem]

4. city link.. find your city

http://www.city-data.com/zips/92557.html

[Sequoia]

5. Where? I used to live in good ole Southern Cal.

[SoCalDem]

9. Moreno Valley ..(formerly Sunnymead) n.t

[Sequoia]

24. Sort of "Paved a free paradise and put in a parking lot" kinda thing.

[SoCalDem]

28. There's a rumor that March ARB will get re-activated in '08

so I think the housing "recession" might just be lessened for us.. I hope so :)

[Mythsaje]

6. Anyone who'd spend upwards of half a million dollars or more

to live 10 feet from their neighbor is a clueless moron.

I'd rather live in my run-down 90 y.o. house in constant need of repairs and an upcoming renovation that go anywhere near those new-fangled mcmansions.

[SoCalDem]

8. the 7- bedroomers start at $659K..

:scared:. They are actually nice looking though :)

[Beaverhausen]

18. You can hardly find a tiny one bedroom for that much here in Los Angeles

They are around, but are few and far between.

[pnwmom]

21. My daughter and her husband rent a 700 sq. foot house

in N. California that is worth more than $800,000.

[pnwmom]

12. Or perhaps they just happen to work in a city with expensive housing.

The median price in the Seattle area is over the half million mark for very ordinary (not new) housing.

[Mythsaje]

14. I know it...

Which is why I live and work in Tacoma.

[pnwmom]

19. So you think everyone who works in Seattle is a moron?

:shrug:

[Mythsaje]

22. More like

I think they're more willing to put up with that aggravating city than I am.

I can barely stand to go there for recreation. I couldn't imagine LIVING there.

But that's not the original point here. I don't understand why anyone would spend that kind of money to live 10 feet from their neighbors. I just don't get it. I'm spending a fifth as much and, yeah, I've got a lot more work to do around the house, but I've sure as hell got more privacy.

[pnwmom]

23. I like the privacy of a large lot, too. However,

townhouses and apartments -- with dedicated green space -- can be a much more environmentally friendly way to build housing.

[Warpy]

7. At least they have numerous bedrooms

The ones around here have only 2 or 3 bedrooms but sport multiple living areas, media rooms, offices, game rooms, bars, etc.

The 7 bedroom monstrosities can be used to house boarders. The 3 bedroom monstrosities will either need a lot of conversion or will end up being torn down.

[pnwmom]

10. Boarders and extended family members. They also use houses like that

for adult-care homes.

Large homes aren't necessarily a problem; it all depends on how the space is used. Some ethnic groups use large homes to house more than one nuclear family, plus grandparents.

[On the Road]

16. I Was Thinking the Same Thing

taking in boarders makes it easier to pay the mortage when you're hit with an ARM adjustment or get laid off. Lots of large houses in the 20's got subdivided during the depression. In some cases, they're being put back together now.

[bobbolink]

25. Which would be against the zoning in most areas.

[SoCalDem]

27. I have a friend with a big house.. & they NEED it too..

It's her and her husband...

her 25 yr old son & his wife & their 3 little kids..

her 22 yr old daughter & her husband and their one baby,

and her 19 yr old son and his pregnant girlfriend

a few years back, they planned to sell it and "downsize", but the grandkids arrived, and their kids could not find places they could afford, so everybody just stayed..

around here a smallish house will run you about $1700 a month, and young kids just starting out cannot afford the rent.. apartments are ok for childless ones, but the nice ones start at about $1k for a 2 bedroom..

[scorpiogirl]

11. I live in the East Bay area.

In my town, they are fighting to build 12,000+ s.f. homes on a beautiful space of open hills. I live in a wealthy town that already has a ton of McMansions. Crazy!

[Paulie]

13. These are probably a year or two in the making

Zoning, permits, design, material ordered in advance for future delivery like concrete, steel, pipes... etc.

Sunk too much money in not to just go ahead a build.

[kestrel91316]

15. 7 BR homes.......those are for the Quiverfull contingent, I assume?

http://www.quiverfull.com/

[pnwmom]

20. Also for extended families, etc.

[Ilsa]

17. I think the wealthy americans won't be touched by economic woes.

Seriously, I bet the larger homes keep getting built.

[bobbolink]

26. I think you're exactly right. At least, not for a very, very long time.

Maybe once the muddleclass finally falls, the attitudes will change....

:shrug: