Housing Location vs Size

The cluster centers on debates about why people prefer smaller, more expensive houses in desirable neighborhoods over larger, cheaper ones elsewhere, highlighting issues of affordability, subsidies, neighborhood prestige, and diminishing returns on house size.

📉 Falling 0.3x Politics & Society
3,574
Comments
19
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#1282
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2008
17
2009
21
2010
37
2011
30
2012
40
2013
72
2014
56
2015
103
2016
233
2017
191
2018
248
2019
283
2020
239
2021
450
2022
527
2023
450
2024
296
2025
256
2026
25

Keywords

e.g US HN UK SF OBSESSED U.S house houses housing homes expensive buying live buy preferences afford

Sample Comments

imtringued Sep 3, 2016 View on HN

Building more houses is great. Buying the same houses for increasingly higher prices is not that great.

adam_arthur Mar 3, 2022 View on HN

Maybe they want to own a house that's not $3m dollars

tock Nov 3, 2025 View on HN

Previously people could also afford housing :D

r00fus Aug 15, 2016 View on HN

Could be affordability, as single-family homes become unaffordable in many markets.

someluccc Jun 15, 2024 View on HN

If only housing could be more expensive

helen___keller Aug 27, 2019 View on HN

Ironically many people already want this (as reflected by housing prices), but can't afford to do so

tonyedgecombe Apr 7, 2019 View on HN

Estate agents in the UK will tell you the best value is to buy a cheap house in the best neighborhood. That may make financial sense in that you can gain some economic benefit by bringing the standard of your house up. The downside is every day you will feel like the poorest person in the area. Doing the opposite might give you a better sense of well-being.

sanderjd Jun 28, 2023 View on HN

Because not everyone wants a big home or to live in the places where big homes are inexpensive.

iforgot22 Jan 14, 2025 View on HN

Idk if the article says this (paywall), but: Home ownership is basically subsidized in the US. So to take full advantage of that, someone may want to buy the most expensive house they can afford in the place they want to live. If it has extra bedrooms, so be it.

refurb Aug 17, 2022 View on HN

As the saying goes "houses are expensive not because of the house, but because of the neighbors".