I too had to buy a comparatively giant house to get a parcel of land the size I was looking for within sane commuting-time of my job. We were living in a house

I too had to buy a comparatively giant house to get a parcel of land the size I was looking for within sane commuting-time of my job. We were living in a house almost half the size, but have figured out ways to take advantage of the extra space, but clearly could live without it. I think a big driver of this phenomenon is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest_and_best_use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highest_and_best_use