Not so much.
"We also saw a decline in the size of new homes when the economy lapsed into recession in the early 1980s," said David Crowe, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders.
Philadelphia economist Kevin Gillen, vice president of Econsult Corp., said that buyers were having fewer children, so they needed less space. They are also looking for more centrally located and eco-conscious properties.
"So the data do not indicate that buyers are looking for smaller homes because they think small is beautiful," Gillen said. "Rather, they want homes that are more energy-efficient, with a more urban location, and with fewer bedrooms, and that all naturally translates into a smaller home."
With some small year-to-year variations, houses have grown almost unceasingly since 1978, census data show.
In the early 1980s, the decline in new-home size was temporary - 30 years ago, the average size was 1,700 square feet.
This time, the shrinking new house appears to be related to several, perhaps longer-term causes - conditions that Crowe said were likely to be around for a while:
A greater percentage of all homes are being purchased by first-time buyers, who don't have to worry about selling old homes in a tough market. Nor do they tend to have a lot of money to buy houses.
Consumers have a growing desire to cut energy costs.
Buyers have smaller amounts of equity in their current homes to roll into their new ones.
Credit standards are tighter, and there is less focus on home buying as an investment.
The largest share of buyers taking advantage of the recently expired tax credits were first-timers, figures from the National Association of Realtors show.
