Housing Slump Forces Developers To Un-Supersize McMansions

"With the nation's housing market in a slump and the mortgage market in disarray, many home builders are putting up fewer supersize homes and offering smaller floor plans. That seems to be what buyers suddenly want in an era of high prices and tougher financing."

"Home sales have plunged over the past year, leaving builders saddled with excess inventory, especially of larger, more expensive homes. In July, new-home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 870,000 units, down sharply from 1.3 million in 2005."

"All this is causing builders to redraw their blueprints. After reducing prices on their current inventories of unsold homes, the next step is to 'start building to a new market. That new market is a lower price point at a smaller size. To the extent they can do it, they will,' said Kermit Baker, chief economist at the American Institute of Architects."