Amid the Covid housing pandemic boom, demand for small spaces is also increasing

The pandemic has caused many Americans to dream of more space and rush to find it. Sales of large houses are booming. Lowercase too.

These homes are often no more than 350 square feet, or barely larger than a standard hotel room. They are mostly built in suburban backyards or converted garages on the West Coast, where new laws designed to alleviate the housing shortage in the area have encouraged their construction.

But they’re also for sale or rent in rural Maine and Vermont. They have appeared in Wyoming, Alaska, Georgia, and Texas. Florida city officials have proposed zoning changes to allow them.

While it’s hard to keep up with all of these mini-homes across the United States, listings that include tiny homes or other types of guest apartments have grown 8.6% per year on average over the course of of the past decade, according to a July study by Freddie Mac. There are now over 1.4 million homes that share a lot with one of these units.

The high cost of housing is a factor. The median price paid for a home by a first-time buyer is around $ 266,500, according to the National Association of Realtors, which is out of reach for many young homeowners. Small houses can be rented for about the price of a traditional apartment of the same size. For small owners, the units generate income or serve as guesthouses. Owners often rent them out to students or give them away to elderly family members, so they can stay nearby.