Buying a bigger house is always better — or is it? Visions of ample space for your active family, including multiple generations to work and play, sound like a dream. However, there are many factors to consider before packing up the moving van and living large. Real estate agent Madalyn Suits, who has sold homes quicker than 63% of agents in Atlanta, Georgia, along with our extensive research, explores the pros and cons of upsizing.
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends, 17% of buyers purchased a multi-generational home. The most common reasons include: When buyers were considering a move, Suits often encouraged them to calculate the space they needed, along with all the additional costs when buying a larger home. “What we really like to do is break it down to people and say, hey, what is important to your family? Is it really space or is it how you use the space?” Suits would often help the buyer consider if they actually needed more square footage or if a different configuration was a better solution without dramatically increasing the costs. “With the square footage of it, it might just be that you need to lay out the space differently or that you don’t have what we call wasted space.” According to Suits, each buyer has different needs for their space and may just want additional bedrooms, for example, but not more square footage. She also said some houses may include the basement in the square footage calculation, depending on where the house is located and whether the basement is finished. In other words, thinking about square footage alone isn’t enough; you should think about what needs and functions your home will have to fulfill.Reasons you may need more space
How to determine the “functional” square footage
