Tiny Houses, the Next Big Thing?

Too Close for Comfort? Not so, say many a fan of Tiny House dwellings. Why pay taxes on a home when you can simply fork over a fee for a license plate? Schaefer's homes on wheels are great for those on the go, or those whose homes are gone...ie Hurricane Katrina victims.

Artist and architect Jay Shaefer lives in his own custom-designed, 70-square-foot home near San Francisco. Schaefer is the owner of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, and he sells plans for, and builds these little babies. The finished homes range from 50 square feet to 500 square feet, and they can be set on a trailer base on wheels.

The Bid Idea here is to share "common spaces" with other folks who all have access to "separate, common structures"...tiny home communities may be on the rise at a tiny development near you. Schaefer also heads up the Small House Society.

Schaefer's tiny home inspired a Gulf Coast victim, Julie Martin, to work out a licensing agreement with him to sell 3 more variations of his mini home on wheels under her new company called "Martin House-to-Go".

So before you go broke financing and furnishing that MacMansion, dig in your heels and roll into your new digs...mortgage free!! Looks like a great way to stay debt-free and remain free-wheeling as long as you like, (or as long as you don't have a family)...