I am trying to understand why so many people think bigger is better. As a residential architect, these are not the people I design for, but they are the majority of the home buyers out there. ( )

Written before the recent collapse in housing prices -- he does address the beginning of the slide -- this book examines in detail the mad lust for housing makeovers and insatiable desire for people to build better and more upscale with concomitant problems. Fueled by TV shows and channels devoted to peering inside the neighbor's house, it's all about size, number of bathrooms, having something visible that is better than the neighbors. Larger homes mean more space to fill up with stuff and rising equity meant more money to buy stuff -- as long as the value of the house climbs. When it falls....

Used homes became less and less desirable. People started building and then the fun really began (although Tracy Kidder in [b:House|86697|House|Tracy Kidder|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171077379s/86697.jpg|882195] describes in greater detail the travails and conflict involved in actually constructing a house.)

McGinn, himself was not immune to the fever and invested in a rental property through agents that turned out to be less fun and remunerative than he expected. He applied and got a real estate license, so we're treated to an inside view of the profession. The only ones who really enriched themselves were the banks with their fees and the agents who gained more and more commissions as homeowners increasingly saw their homes as investments rather than domiciles.

Therein lies the core of the problem from my perspective. It used to be that Americans bought and built homes to live in; now they buy them as an investment. That inevitably drives the prices up as people move up. It's the classic bubble. Whether this trend will have been brought to a screeching halt by the recent structural failure of the market remains to be seen. I read an article recently that proposed most people should rent rather than buy anyway. A house requires too much maintenance and other expenses to make it worthwhile, reducing flexibility as well.

Lots of fun to read (or listen to - good audiobook.)
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An entertaining mix of business and sociology, this book investigates several aspects of Americans' obsession with residential real estate, from renovation to the compulsion to buy a new home, vacation home or time-share. McGinn went so far as to study for and obtain a real estate license and buy a duplex in Pocatello, Idaho (he lives in Massachusetts)in the course of writing the book. ( )

Entertaining time-newsweek style quick read about American house lust and the media that feed it. File under 21st century material culture and Titanic, plans of--if you read this after 2008. ( )

House Lust provides a casual tour through the different aspects of the American obsession with real estate: McMansions; new house fever and its polar opposite, the penchant for fixer-upers; HGTV and other glimpses of house styles of the rich, the famous, and people like you and me; and the appeal of rental properties and second (and sometimes, third and fourth) homes. This is not a rigorous study but instead an entertaining survey of what McGinn eventually concludes is an emotionally driven subject. There are no amazing revelations here, but if you're interested in houses and real estate - even a little - McGinn provides the opportunity to "peak in the window" of areas you might not otherwise have a chance to see. The book is an easy read and the chapters flow nicely; and it's a lot better than reruns of Flip This House! ( )