Why Going Small Is the Smartest Play in Real Estate Right Now

Why Going Small Is the Smartest Play in Real Estate Right Now

To go big in real estate, you have to go small.

Everyone’s obsessed with building bigger.

Bigger homes. (Average: 2,480 sq ft)
Bigger apartments. (Median: 1,200 sq ft)
Bigger square footage. (Up 47% since 1990)

Meanwhile, construction costs hit $186/sq ft. Interest rates are 7.2%. The average person making $67K can’t afford what we’re building.

So what’s the $2.1 billion solution? Build what people can actually afford.

Micro-units. Tiny homes. ADUs. The stuff that makes traditional developers roll their eyes.

“Who wants to live in 300 square feet?”

Apparently, 2.3 million people when the alternative is spending 54% of their $4,200 income on rent.

Here’s what I realized: Americans are slowly accepting what Europeans and Asians figured out decades ago. You don’t need 1,500 square feet to live well.

You need smart design. Efficient layouts. Shared amenities.

A 250 sq ft micro-unit at $1,200/month (rent-to-income: 28%) is infinitely better than a 900 sq ft apartment at $2,400/month (rent-to-income: 57%) that you can’t afford.

This isn’t about developers being cheap. It’s about being realistic with $847B in unmet housing demand.

The market is telling us exactly what it needs. We just have to listen to 73% of renters who are cost-burdened.

While everyone else is trying to build the next $450/sq ft luxury high-rise, I’m betting everything on $180/sq ft small.

Not because I love tiny spaces. Because I love 23% profit margins that actually work.

And right now, in 89% of major metros, the only thing that pencils is small.

Scroll to Top