From Becker:

People buy larger homes for a number of reasons:

They “outgrow” their smaller one.

Very good reason to do so.

They receive a promotion and raise at work.

How does Becker know this? He is ascribing without evidence. He is also using this as a shaming technique so he can feel superior.

They are convinced by a realtor that they can afford it.

Only weak people submit to this. Our agent didn’t do this.

They hope to impress others.

Ugh! Same as the promotion reason.

They think a large home is the home of their dreams.

If it fits, this is a good reason.

Another reason people keep buying bigger and bigger homes is because no one tells them not to.

What? How does he know? Really, NO ONE?

12 Responses to Becker that he didn’t think of:

1. Easier to maintain. Anyone who has owned a house knows the amount of time, energy, and effort to maintain it. All things being equal, a smaller home requires less of your time, energy, and effort to accomplish that task.

A small house with few amenities means you have to leave the home to enjoy them. Drive to swimming, or to the park to play, nothing is close, so you waste time getting to where you want to be, and spend money on gas and wear on your car. Time is money buddy! You are trading away time, which is finite and which you never get back.

2. Less time spent cleaning. And that should be reason enough…

Ever heard of this? “There’s a place for everything, and everything in its place” A small home is cluttered. There isn’t a place for anything unless you move it around. People who visit feel uncomfortable. Open space is easier to clean than cluttered space.

3. Less expensive. Smaller homes are less expensive to purchase and less expensive to keep (insurance, taxes, heating, cooling, electricity, etc.).

Ok, but if you have a large family you have all the drawbacks listed above.

4. Less debt and less risk. Dozens of on-line calculators will help you determine “how much house you can afford.” These formulas are based on net income, savings, current debt, and monthly mortgage payments. They are also based on the premise that we should spend “28% of our net income on our monthly mortgage payments.” But if we can be more financially stable and happier by only spending 15%… then why would we ever choose to spend 28?

Homes are tax havens! You leave money in a bank and you pay taxes on it. No security there either as bank accounts are easily seized, property has a lot of built in protections. Also, as an asset, homes hold their value when purchased at the real market price.

5. Mentally Freeing. As is the case with all of our possessions, the more we own, the more they own us. And the more stuff we own, the more mental energy is held hostage by them. The same is absolutely true with our largest, most valuable asset. Buy small and free your mind.

What? Who says, and why? This is an aphorism, or at best mere opinion, and one I completely disagree with.

6. Less environmental impact. A smaller home requires less resources to build and less resources to maintain. And that benefits all of us.

God made the earth for man, not man for the earth.

7. More time. Many of the benefits above (less cleaning, less maintaining, mental freedom) result in the freeing up of our schedule to pursue the things in life that really matter – whatever you want that to be.

This is pretty much a repeat of 2 and 5. I totally disagree with it for the same reasons. You have to LEAVE your house to do almost everything.

8. Encourages family bonding. A smaller home results in more social interaction among the members of the family. And while this may be the reason that some people purchase bigger homes, I think just the opposite should be true.

Who is he kidding! A large home allows for COMFORTABLE family gatherings. It also allows for moments of silence, reflection and solitude. Something psychologists are finding is crucial for teens.

9. Forces you to remove baggage. Moving into a smaller home forces you to intentionally pare down your belongings.

Any time you feel FORCED to do something, there better be a good reward for it. Again, if you have a place for everything, that baggage could become useful. I can’t count the number of times I have had to buy tools, or other product because I gave or threw something away due to the absence of space. This is a crutch for poor decision making.

10. Less temptation to accumulate. If you don’t have any room in your house for that new treadmill, you’ll be less tempted to buy it in the first place (no offense to those of you who own a treadmill… and actually use it).

Yeah this is good, don’t even think about exercising. This reason is a cover for poor decision making, and another way of stating No. 10. Why not work on making better decisions? Becker is having a tough time getting to 12.

11. Less decorating. While some people love the idea of choosing wall color, carpet color, furniture, window treatments, decorations, and light fixtures for dozens of rooms, I don’t.

Good for you. Not everyone has to live like you. This article was supposed to explain why WE shouldn’t buy a bigger home, but it is turning into why Becker shouldn’t buy a bigger home.

12. Wider market to sell. By its very definition, a smaller, more affordable house is affordable to a larger percentage of the population than a more expensive, less affordable one.

So what? It also means a less appreciable asset. Those retirement dollars will not be forthcoming out of the smaller house.

Unfortunately, Becker doesn’t define smaller or bigger. Is he saying a 3300 sq. ft. house is large or does he mean 7300 sq. ft.? The same goes for small. It also should be noted that Becker could hardly be objective (as it has been shown he isn’t) since his entire focus is on a minimalistic existence.