Marketing Small Homes

How about this real estate strategy: tell people that what you're selling is really, really small! We think it's brilliant and refreshing. Everyone knows what "cozy" means in a real estate listing, anyway...

The pitch continues, "living small is not just good for the environment, it's good for you." We were glad to see that it's not just a pitch: these small units are also very well-designed, with storage where it counts, kitchens that can actually be cooked in, and plenty of windows: they'll feel expansive. What small means, of course, is location-dependent: these units are being built in Portland, Oregon, where a larger house is an affordable choice for many, and recently built condos tend to have a lot of space. At less than 600 square feet, these are definitely on the smaller side.

We particularly like the office nook near the kitchen area of this floor plan. If you're using the computer at the dining table, it's nice to have the rest of the stuff you need nearby.

We also like that a few square feet have been given up for an in-unit washer and dryer: nothing makes your home feel more inadequate than hours spent in a laundromat.

CYAN/PDX has a nifty website -- look around for more floor plans and images. The building is designed to be LEED Gold certified. With starting prices around $200,000, by most standards, they're inexpensive, too.

Comments (5)

Are these finished and ready for occupancy?

This is actually really great and gets people to use every square foot that they are paying for. We love working with clients who have small spaces because it forces us to think outside of the box and we end up creating great design with high impact!www.asdinteriors.com

Curious: is there an environmental cost/benefit analysis to buying your own washing machine and dryers vs. going to a laundromat?

Pros: Less machines necessary; larger loads
Cons: Drive more

They are not finished. Broke ground recently. The showroom is finished and next to building siteâ€”which is very close to Portland State and inches from the heart of downtown. The name has recently created articles in local papers as cyan is really a blue color and they ( the builders ) feel that the sustainable movement should be referred to as being blue not green. Blue because of the sky and air quality. not sure about all of that but I like the idea of a small footprint.

I'd like to see people going from the idea of McMansions with huge amounts of wasted space, to smaller homes (1000 sf and under) where all the space is used.

The other day I was watching an HGTV show in which the owners, who had (I think) two kids, were selling their home to move into a larger one because there was another kid on the way and they were "outgrowing the house." This house was, by the way, where the husband's parents had raised five kids. It sure didn't look cramped to me. I was all, "What, each kid needs 500 square feet or more?"