The construction of larger sized houses is once again on the rise.  The average size of a newly constructed single-family home was just over 2,500 square feet in 2012. This can indicate that the housing market is showing strong signs of recovery.

The Census Bureau has been collecting information about new home builds since 1973. Since that time, the average size of a new home has steadily increased despite the fact that American families have actually gotten smaller. The exception was from 2007 to 2010, when economic concerns made buyers reconsider whether building a larger home was truly necessary.

After the housing market crash, the size of newly constructed homes dropped somewhat.  In 2007, the average home was 2,521 square feet, but it was 2,392 square feet in 2010. That’s because many people were leery of losing their homes to foreclosure if they purchased a larger property than their budget would allow. It seems this concern has subsided somewhat, and consumers are once again willing to consider purchasing a sizeable home.

 Last year's data showed not only an increase in square footage, but in other features as well - approximately 41 percent of new homes contained four bedrooms, 19 percent featured three-car garages, and 43 percent contained fireplaces. In fact, the construction of four bedroom homes was at all all-time high during 2012.

The fact that larger homes are being built once again may eventually cause a surge in mid-sized and starter homes as well, and new home construction is one of the biggest indicators of a recovering economy.