> you can either buy a larger house and portion off an in-law unit Wouldn't that make it even more expensive to buy the larger house? You have to get the larg

> you can either buy a larger house and portion off an in-law unit Wouldn't that make it even more expensive to buy the larger house? You have to get the larger mortgage and pay to remodel the home on top of that. Plus I'm pretty sure there can be zoning restrictions on turning single family homes into multifamily buildings. > You could buy a smaller house. If what you claimed is correct [1], then that implies that smaller houses are relatively scarcer than they were in 1978, and thus harder to find. Just "buy a smaller house" isn't actionable advice if the houses available to buy are larger. [1] The price per square foot has stayed constant adjusted for inflation, and the price increases are due to houses "getting bigger."