Tiny houses for sale are growing in popularity as financial and environmental issues become more intense. So much so, that tiny houses have now become a "movement". Tiny houses are generally defined as small structures, which are built efficiently but comfortably to live in measuring less than 600 square feet.
What Is The Tiny House Movement?
The tiny house is the popular movement that advocates living simply in small homes. The advantages are:
• Saves energy
• Helps the environment
• Simplifies life
Tiny houses are cheaper to build and cheaper to run. Most people do not even require a mortgage to get going. Also if you have much less room to store stuff, you tend to buy much less.
Ever notice that the clutter tends to build up no matter how big your house is?
Using less energy, means leaving less carbon footprint. Many people who live in tiny homes choose to live completely off the grid as well to make less impact on the land.
Disadvantages Of A Tiny Home
The biggest problem that people face is finding a legal place to put their tiny house.
County regulations vary across the country but you cannot just place your tiny home anywhere.
Many counties consider a tiny home to be an RV.
They may tell you that you cannot live in a vehicle on the property for more than 30 consecutive days (because they consider the tiny house an RV). If it is considered a permanent residence, it will fall below minimum square footage
Check with your particular county as this tiny home movement is gaining popularity and square footage requirements are changing in many states. When you buy land in Eureka county Nevada for example, there are no zoning requirements,. You can build your tiny home here with no problem. ( or RV or camp with no time limits).
Or make it your mission to find a place where RVs are allowed to be inhabited for an unrestricted time
Any Issues With Finance Or Insurance For Tiny Homes?
Financing and insurance can be a challenge for tiny homes for sale or tiny homes you build yourself. Financing and insurance companies rely on having accurate values for the items they finance and insure, and with tiny houses they do not know how to value them, so they simply do not insure them.
As mentioned above, you may not need financing anyway as building or buying a tiny home is so much cheaper than building or buying a conventional home. Most people can save up over a few years and buy one outright. Although if you are going upmarket with your tiny home, you may need a little buffer from a loan company. Some loans do exist for RV’s which you may be able to get. But keep in mind to read the fine print. Many of these loans will not allow you to permanently live in the tiny house while you are paying off the loan.
And what about insurance?
Insurance is typically difficult to get right now for tiny home. However it might not be the end of the world if you cant get insured right away. If you do have valuables to protect, consider keeping a safety deposit box at a bank.
Shop around however, as more and more tiny homes come on the market, there will be insurers developing a model to support this.
Tiny Houses For Sale Creates Incredible Innovation
Tiny houses can have everything you need. And can be quite glamorous if that is what you desire.
Some people assume they would be like a basic log cabin, or a cheap caravan. But nothing could be further from the truth. Obviously you can go as expensive or cheap as your budget allows but the trend is towards well fitted out homes with state of the art architecturally designed space saving features and clever high tech energy systems
Check out this one here:
Very appealing, right?
How Much Are Tiny Houses For Sale?
Obviously, a tiny house will set you back a substantial amount less than a standard home. In fact, if you are willing to build it yourself, you can build a tiny home for less than $10,000. However you can also spend upwards of $80,000
This project only cost $4,000 and took six short weeks to construct, though this was possible only because the builder was a skilled craftsman.
Here are some rough estimates of costs you may not have thought of:
- Doors and tempered glass windows rated for four season weather: $1,000 to $3,000
- Metal roofing: $500 to $1,000
- Insulation: $500 to $2000
- Exterior siding: $1,500 to $3,000
- Electrical wiring performed by a licensed electrician: $1,500 to $3,000
- Water heater: $500 to $1000
- Propane or electric heater: $200 to $800
- Tile shower: $300 to $1,000
- Composting toilet: $800 to $1500
- Additional bathroom fixtures and plumbing: $600 to $2,000
- Kitchen: $8K-$10K
- Flooring: $300 to $2000
- Furniture: $500 to $2000
Securing Your Tiny House
Could someone simply drive off with your home?
Well sure. Its possible. You need to protect your property from thieves and vandals like any car, RV or your house.
Make sure you have removed your tires from the tiny house when it is in place. Hide them and lock them up somewhere off site.
You can buy wheel locks that stop someone towing it away.
Obviously get good window and door locks.
Be sensible and don't flash any expensive gadgets around that might tempt onlookers.
Tiny Houses For Sale Summary
Tiny houses for sale are worth checking out as an alternative to building a home from scratch. Especially if you are downsizing, you are concerned for the environment, you don't need much space, or it is a holiday or weekend space, that you only use sporadically.
Depending on your skills, money or time available, it may be a project you wish to undertake yourself, or if you wish to buy a tiny house for sale, they really are super affordable.
If you need some land for your tiny house, check out our current listings here. Seller financing available in most cases so you can make your money stretch for longer. Win-win!