Kelsey Neubauer

Some people splash out for custom domiciles on wheels or transform school buses into their dream homes. Others buy homes on Amazon.You can have tiny and prefab houses shipped unassembled to your front porch in a couple of days after placing an order on the online marketplace.Amazon’s range of prefabricated and tiny homes cost between $1,000 and $100,000 — and while some are no larger than a backyard shed, others are expansive two-bedroom units spanning 1,400 square feet.To be sure, assembling a…

Sometimes, big problems have tiny solutions.That was the case for Ida, a Navy veteran with PTSD, who works in medicine and who was among the 33,100 veterans who’ve struggled to find a safe, affordable home. But after receiving a grant from Operation Tiny Home — a non-profit dedicated to housing for “at risk” people — she was able to finance the construction of a house for her and her two dogs, according to the organization.For Ida, it was a “dream come true,” according to Operation Tiny Home, on…

Young people are falling in love with Tampa, Florida, and it’s becoming a place many want to live — even more than Miami.While some are gushing over the city on TikTok, many are moving there to join the city’s growing entrepreneurial ecosphere, according to two young people who moved there, as well as for work, warm weather, affordable housing.In fact, the city of 398,000 was among the top destinations for movers between the ages of 18 and 24 in 2022, according to an analysis of census data by T…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lauren Savoie, 34, an editor at Insider, who moved from Boston to Manhattan, Kansas. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.I’ve been a city kid most of my life. With the exception of college, I’ve always lived within 20 minutes of the city. For the past decade I lived in Boston, where I met my husband.A couple of years ago, my husband expressed interest in getting his masters in English. It was really important to him that he cho…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Mikaella Taylor, 25, a small-business owner, who moved onto a 30-foot sailboat with her fiancé a year ago. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.My fiancé, Brandt, bought our 30-foot sailboat six years ago with the goal of living on it. That was before I met him. He paid $9,000 for the boat.Brandt studied songwriting in college, and didn’t know much about boating. But on a whim, he went on a sailing trip in the Grenadine islands.…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Amanda Rollins, an American from Massachuetts who moved to Paris six years ago. The conversation was edited for length and clarity. I started learning French in sixth grade when I was 12, and I loved it. I I kept studying French all through school: I was in AP French in high school, and president of the French club. And then when I went to college, I minored in French. I just always wanted to visit Paris, but I grew up really low income and t…

Many Americans who want to buy a home can’t afford a typical down payment of 20%.The median prospective homebuyer has a total of $29,000 in their savings, checking, investments and retirement accounts, according to Zillow’s 2023 Consumer Housing Trends Report. This amounts to 8% of the typical cost of a home, which Zillow estimated cost nearly $350,000 as of July 31.About a third of people who took out a mortgage in 2023 drew from their retirement funds, Manny Garcia, Zillow’s senior population…

Backyard tiny homes, called accessory dwelling units or ADUs, are becoming more popular as some state and local governments roll back zoning restrictions.But financing ADUs is still a struggle as mortgage guidelines have not caught up.That’s because government-backed mortgage providers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac set the strict standard for all other mortgage lenders.“Until Fannie and Freddie says ‘We can take a property with an ADU on it,’ then a lot of lenders are going to be scared of doing th…

Single and ready to mingle — or be a homebuyer?Despite delaying marriage for longer than past generations, young people aren’t waiting for the perfect partner to buy a house — if they can afford one.Over 35 million single people in the US owned a home last year, according to the Pew Research Center. These single homeowners are likely to live in the Deep South, according to new analysis of 2021 census data by home construction company All Star Homes.“I think what is really interesting about this…

It’s hot all year in Lakeland, Florida, but the housing market there is actually cooling down right now.After years of demand drove home prices up in the Lakeland metro area, they are finally coming down to earth as mortgage rates continue to soar.In August, the median home price in the area was nearly 1% less than a year prior, Insider previously reported.So, if you’ve been eyeing homes in this city now may be your chance to jump in. The typical listing price in Lakeland was just about $360,000…

More smaller homes are on the market in the South than pre-pandemic, Danielle Hale, Realtor.com’s chief economist, told Insider.Realtor.com’s September monthly housing market trends report showed the average price per square foot rose by 52% in the South this year when compared to the same statistic from 2017 to 2019. It’s driven the median listing price of homes up 35.7%. The difference between the rise in price per square foot and the rise in median listing price suggests, Hale said, that as l…

As people across the US relocate to Florida and Texas, locals are feeling squeezed — and searching elsewhere for affordable homes.The typical cost of a home in Texas has spiked 30% since 2019, according to Realtor.com, and 42% in Florida during the same time period.These residents are increasingly searching on Realtor.com for homes outside of their state, suggesting they’re willing to chase affordability across the country.For Texans, “the Midwest has emerged as popular recently because it is ju…

Wealthy out-of-staters have been flocking to Florida for five years, driving up real-estate prices and reshaping the housing market.While many Florida homeowners have been cashing in on the rise in home values, an unintended consequence is that locals feel that the state is becoming unaffordable.Many are eyeing a move to nearby states — where the cost of life is cheaper, the pace of life is slower, and they’re still only a weekend drive away from family in Florida, Holly Meyer Lucas, a Palm Beac…

It just got easier for many homeowners to build a tiny home on their property. That’s thanks to a major change in federal housing finance policy. Backyard and garage tiny homes, called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, have been popping up around the country over the past five years. Cities and states eager to increase housing supply have rolled back zoning policies that made it harder to build the residential units. But financing a build — which costs anywhere from around $100,000 to $400,000…

It’s a well-known fact that Americans are moving to the Sunshine State.Florida’s population has been steadily increasing for decades, and it was the fastest-growing state in 2022, per the US Census Bureau. The pandemic ushered in remote work, allowing Americans to live wherever they want, making Florida a magnet for the wealthy looking to take advantage of the low-tax environment.But with the influx of people — including wealthy northerners and financiers — came more expensive housing and a high…

Florida’s real-estate market is changing.Wealthy out-of-staters have bought homes at extraordinary prices in Florida, reshaping the market. Insider previously reported that this has led to others feeling priced out and considering moves.Newly released census data showed relocation patterns tied to the Sunshine State.Between 2021 and 2022, nearly 739,000 people moved to Florida. Meanwhile, according to the data, almost 490,000 people also left the state during that period.“I think this is the big…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with David, 58, who is moving to Savannah, Georgia, next year after almost 40 years living in West Palm Beach, Florida. He asked to be identified by his first name for privacy reasons, but Insider has verified his identity. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.I am from a small Midwestern town outside of Chicago, and as a child, I dreamed of moving to Florida. My grandparents were snowbirds. We would drive down to see them, and West…

Lindsey Moore, a mom of three and a dental technician who posts about her life on TikTok @lindseyswagmom, recently extolled the virtues of her new home state: Tennessee.Moore, who said on the platform that she had moved from Florida, listed “neighborhood block parties,” “good soil and gardens,” “seasons,” “community,” “snow,” “waterfalls,” and “mountains” as some of the reasons she and her family love the Volunteer State, according to an April 10 video.Moore, who didn’t immediately respond to a…

Some people love Florida, but some hate it: the Sunshine State is undeniably divisive.About 730,000 newcomers moved into Florida between July 2021 and July 2022, while 500,000 residents moved out of state, according to recently released census data.It’s part of “the biggest migration” in a generation, said Holly Meyer Lucas, a real-estate agent in South Florida. People are tending to move in droves to lower-tax states, including Florida but also Texas and Arizona, she added. She also said that s…

Brian Chesky famously founded Airbnb in 2007 after he and his friends rented out a mattress in their San Francisco loft “to make a few bucks.” It was during a popular conference that had left all the hotels jam-packed.In the 16 years since, individuals have gone from putting travelers in spartan guest rooms to purchasing whole, lavishly decorated homes for the sole purpose of renting them out on Airbnb. Then came professional hosts — or megahosts — who own or manage hundreds of listings.Wall Str…