Fantastic show - hope it comes back in the fall.

I agree Lucy. The viewing public needs much more affirmation that "the american dream" can come in a smaller package. I get so tired of seeing excessively large, rambling homes filled with single purpose rooms that rarely get used being presented as the only definition of a "dream home".

I'm in the mortgage business and it would amaze you how many "educated" adults out there are taking out multi-hundred thousand dollar mortgages in their 40's in order to upgrade to "the next level" while their 401(k)'s are nearly empty. HELLO! Retirement? Peace of mind? What happens when you wake up one morning and realize you don't really want to go into "corporate world" anymore but can't afford to get out?

I think television "programing" promgramed America to run headlong down the housing bubble path. Flip That House, Property Buzz, etc. all fueled the run up in prices. Where are the shows that celebrate simple, sustainable living? Remember "The Brady Bunch"? Six kids and two adults in a three bedroom house plus maid's quarters. If they brought that show back today, they would have about 7,000sf in the main house plus a guest cottage and a second home somewhere.

Ooops, I rant.

~ Scott ~

It appears to be scheduled on Sat. mornings at 9am. Not sure of the time location. I'd like any station to start doing more shows on small.

And, Scott....good to hear anything about smaller homes. Even a rant, which I didn't read as such.

Rant away, Scott!

In my town (as in so many towns) there are huge neighborhoods of huge houses set on pristine, landscaped lots. No one has a garden (just landscaping), a bird feeder, a wind chime...it's almost like a Twilight Zone episode! Of course, my sons have lots of friends and all of those friends (with the excepton of one) live in these houses, while we live in a little Cape with a big vegetable/herb/flower garden, numerous feeders, etc.

My boys love this house--I'll be interested to see if that changes as they grow a little older and become more status conscious.

As for that show--I really enjoyed it and would love to see its return.

Thanks Em and Crystal. Sometimes I feel like I am on a soapbox. I'll watch Saturday morning and see if it's back on the air. I really love that show.

I am divorced and have two sons, 10 and 13. I live in the smaller home. "She" has the larger one. At this point, the boys don't seem to either notice or care. The only issue I have integrating them into my space is that they both insist on laying down or at least lounging with legs extended when they watch TV or play their video games. I have one couch and one club chair which works perfectly in this space. That means only one of them can "recline" and engage the "magic picture box". If I add more furniture, it will look cramped and out of place. I refuse to let them have a TV in their rooms. So, we are still working through this inconvenience. Other than that, they are perfectly comfortable with my small space. And yes, in my small space, which I fondly refer to as my "divorce shack", we have the hummingbird feeders, entry garden, vegatable garden, etc.

Through her side of the family, they are exposed to much larger homes so they are seeing both sides.

My goal is to foster a love of small, affordable, sustainable spaces in them and encourage them to walk that path. If they will listen to me and follow my example, albeit 18 years later than it should have been, they will be able to semi-retire by age 40. Wouldn't that be grand? Imagine being 40 something with teenage children and able to take the entire summer off and wander around this great country. To me, that's status, that's success, that's luxury. And it all starts at home!

That's the "dream home" we need to see featured on TV, in magazines and movies. Not the dream that has led us to the lowest personal savings rate in the history of our country, credit card balances at an all time high and record setting foreclosure rates. That dream sounds more like a nightmare to me.

I knew this was the correct path 18 years ago, but I allowed myself to get pulled off that path in an effort to "go along and get along" in a marriage. Through my little rants I am hoping I can help other people make better choices and be farther ahead than me when they are at my stage in life. Don't get me wrong, it's not too late for me, I just have to run a little harder to make up lost time.

Thank you all for responding and listening. I love the commonality and commraderie I find here.

~ Scott ~

Scott, you're probably preaching to the choir on this forum, but I do agree that Americans in general have fallen into the "bigger is better" trap. My DH and I live in a very modest 1450 SF (now, after capturing all available under-roof space for living area) home in a nice middle class neighborhood, not a development with HOA fees and rules. Our kids each have their own room, we have a combined living/dining/kitchen and a very spacious backyard that is usable about 9 months of the year. People love it, and area surprised at how open and airy and comfortable it is, that's a comment we get all the time. Even the pizza guy said that the other day! It's all we need, and we've made it all we want.

While other homes around us are being foreclosed, we have a very affordable mortgage that is well below the value of our house, even in the current soft market. Our kids have the security of knowing that our chances of losing our home are very low while their friends live in daily worry. We have planned financially for it to be paid off when we reach age 65 if not before. We earn much more than most of the people around here, and yet we spend much less on housing. No, we don't have the media room, mudroom, 250 SF bedrooms or every new kitchen appliance, but we have something worth much more to us...peace of mind. Anyone who wants to look down at our modest, inexpensively but tastefully furnished home has to look past their own rising debt and looming foreclosure to do so.

Oh, and as for your teen boys' lounging habit...there are sofas that come with built in recliners on either end, that might be a good solution for you.

I suppose you've all heard about the 'Extreme Makeover' house that's going into foreclosure in GA. They borrowed $450K against it. I've always wondered about the practicality of gifting people of modest means with an outrageously large/expensive house.

I find that last note to be rather offensive - anyone else agree?

I don't think that flgargoyle was trying to be offensive with that comment. I think that he/she was just thinking out loud about the huge mindset change that has to occur depending upon the individual situation.

My personal take on the show is that I would like to see more people/families given a helping hand to change the circumstances so that they can be in control. I have often wondered about the overbuilding that goes on in a particular area. It might be hard to resell the home (if and when it is ever outgrown) if it doesn't fit in with the subdivision or other homes in that same area.

I am sure that the station is worried about a conflict of interest if they have a clause that there has to be a money management course that is part of the gift. I think that makes good sense for the simple fact that they would learn more about how to handle money and plan for the future.

It is very sad that the family that received the large home in Georgia took a gamble by getting a second mortgage (it was that, wasn't it?) and losing the money by the construction business never getting off the ground.

My understanding is that this same family was given $100,000 to help with taxes and upkeep and that is all gone as well. It seems that this money should have been placed in a special account that couldn't be used for anything else. What about the college scholarships that were given to the children? What has happened to that money?

To end my thoughts, I think that the poster was wondering about the financial soundness of handing over big money and a mortgage-free home to people that haven't shown a basic understanding of how to handle money. This isn't a criticism of them as people but most do not know how to handle financial windfalls. I would think that those that have been raised in an upper income bracket may handle it better just because they are used to dealing with more money.

It all depends if they were taught by their parents about handling money or if they received instruction to learn. I would like to think that my hubby and I would handle a large amount of money in a responsible way but that will be a pie in the sky dream.

It isn't the fault of the TV station this sad state of affairs has occured. In a way it was bound to happen because we have freedom in this nation to make stupid mistakes if we want to. I guess you could say that it should be mandatory that the families can't take out mortgages but then that would be restricting freedom. I wonder if there is a good option. What do you think?

Robyn

I think that having heard nothing negative about any of the other E.M. houses prior to this one, and considering the general tone of the financial situation (especially RE) out there now, if one family went off the rails through either ignorance or greed, things are actually pretty good! I didn't like the implication that a whole class of people were too dumb or ignorant to be left to manage the money on their own, just by virtue of not being well off to begin with. And considering some of the horror stories you hear about people with lots of money and plenty of experience handling it, one shouldn't generalize about who should be given 'what'. Of course, anyone can be tempted by an unexpected windfall to do the wrong thing with it, but I just don't like lumping all people together based on one aspect of their lives.

Lucy ~

Since this sad state of affairs seems to be an anomaly I agree that things are pretty good for EM on average.

Since about 70%+ of people don't even have a basic will or adequate retirement income it does seem that most people would benefit by having a financial course.

You are right that anyone could be tempted to go off the deep end with windfall inheritance, winnings or gifts. It is really common to hear of folks that won big in a lottery and only a few years later they are completely broke when, with smart planning, they could have been comfortable for the rest of their lives.

Robyn

Actually, I wasn't thinking that at all. I was thinking more in terms of the upkeep on a large home- taxes, utilities, repairs, cleaning, etc. I would find a house that big to be a burden, in more ways then one. I'd rather they helped out several families with more reasonable homes, than one big showpiece. But then, that wouldn't be Hollywood. And in this day and age, is it really responsible to hold a house like that out as the 'American Dream'? Sorry I was misunderstood (and now that I re-read my first post, that does sound like what I meant by it).

You are SO right that more people could/should be helped than just one family - it's ridiculous.

Most of these shows have become marketing tools by large companies supplying the products. As for the house being foreclosed, I think it is sad for all the neighbors and friends who donated their time to help build. And there are four up for sale according to the link below. If you go to the link, be ready for some strong opinions regarding EM practices. I'm not totally in agreement, just posting the sales info.

Here is a link that might be useful: EM homes for sale

** peace of mind ** is priceless.

FlowerLady

I enjoy watching the make over shows. I also have thought about the increased costs of upkeep.Bad news for the people they were trying to help. When we were looking for this house or land or whatever we could find we saw a couple of places we both liked but the yearly taxes and city services would have been a big drain on our finances.

I do like the Small Space big style show and am glad it is coming back. As soon as I get things put away here I am looking forward to doing some decorating.And being creative in using our smaller space.

Chris

Hi Everyone,

I just discovered your conversation about living smaller. I love it!

Thanks for your insights!

Jewel Box Lady