5 Major Things to Consider Before Buying a Tiny House
Are you considering purchasing a tiny home? Congratulations! Tiny home living has offered countless homeowners financial freedom, a decluttered lifestyle, lessening their environmental impact, and much more. There are many options to consider when living small, and we have found life in a tiny home is better than a mobile home.
This blog post provides you with five major things to consider before purchasing your first tiny home.
Building Permits are Tricky, but Expanding is Easy
It isn’t easy to find the proper permits when building a tiny home. Since they are still considered new to the market, local governments have not fully mastered universal regulations and licenses for these houses. While it can be difficult to initially build the home, expanding or renovating your tiny home is very easy. Ironically, since tiny houses are so unregulated, government jurisdiction does not have much impact on the expansions and renovations aspects of tiny homes. Therefore, once your home is built and you want to add on to it, you have a lot of creative liberties that traditional houses do not offer.
Tiny Homes are Affordable, but Harder to Finance
A traditional house in the United States runs for about $300,000. On the other hand, Tiny homes can range anywhere between $10,000 and $100,000 depending on what the owner is looking for. Therefore, it is much more attainable for the average person to pay for a tiny home with cash or pay it off in as little as two to three years. Plus, due to their size and off-grid capabilities, tiny homes will cost you significantly less in utilities than full-size homes.
However, it can be difficult to find a bank that will finance a tiny home if you need to take out a loan due to being newer to the market. This is simply because banks are still getting used to tiny houses being a serious housing market option. But, not to worry – the demand for tiny homes is steadily increasing every year.
Tiny Homes Can Move or Live Off-Grid
One of the most attractive elements of tiny home living is their off-grid capabilities and the ease of moving them. Today, most tiny homes are THOWS (Tiny House on Wheels) which means all you have to do is hook them up to a trailer. Even if the home does not come with wheels, they are generally light enough that it is relatively simple to carry them. Secondly, many of these homes come with or are able to add off-grid capabilities. Off-grid capabilities will naturally lower your utility costs and are better for the environment. Tiny homes can include solar panels, rain barrels, composting toilets, and more. Utilizing the off-grid capabilities of a tiny home can lower your energy consumption by as much as 45% and dramatically lessen your eco-footprint.
Tiny Homes Require Downsizing
A major perk of living in a tiny home is that there is a lot less space to keep clean. However, this means that there is little room for clutter or getting behind on chores. When moving into a tiny home, you will need to seriously ask yourself, “what do I actually need in my home?”. It is an excellent lesson in minimalism but can be a difficult adjustment for many people. However, once you have gotten used to the minimalist lifestyle, the ease of an uncluttered space has proven very beneficial to almost all tiny homeowners.
Tiny Homes Can Be Built Quickly
How fast do you need your home? A professional builder can finish the average tiny home in as little as a month. However, if you want the whole experience of constructing your own home, a relative beginner can finish it in as little as four months. Depending on the design, some houses can be finished in one week, similar to mobile homes.
Living in a tiny home has the potential to be a highly satisfying way of life for homeowners. Additionally, it is much better for the planet’s health than a traditionally sized home. A tiny home will offer financial freedom that full houses just can not provide the average person as a homeowner. Additionally, while getting the proper building permits for a tiny home can be a challenge, renovating and expanding your tiny home will be exceptionally easy, and allow for lots of creative liberty in the design. Lastly, you will use much less energy as a tiny homeowner and be responsible for a far smaller eco-footprint than owners of McMansions. In the end, there are major things to consider when buying a tiny home, but you will likely find tiny house life to be exceptionally fulfilling.
