Making the move from a townhouse or condo into a single-family home is a dream shared by families across the country. Some families, however, are finding that the move isn’t quite what they had expected. A recent article from the Chicago Tribune told the stories of several young families considering making the switch.

In some cases, families realized that they weren’t happy with the costs or responsibilities of owning their own home single-family home. Yet still more surprising were the families who found that, despite their initial misgivings, they were able to afford homes which they had thought were beyond their reach.

It turns out that in some markets, purchasing a newly built home can have hidden benefits. Due to the real estate slowdown affecting so many areas, there have been substantial cutbacks in building projects, but builders are still stuck with their excess inventory. With this glut in the market, some builders are now willing to offer major incentives to potential buyers in order to rid themselves of their costly existing houses. Other firms, such as Internest, offer buyers a rebate on new building projects. That means that families who want to move into single-family homes, but thought they could never afford the switch may now be able to make their dreams a reality.

- Tony Floriani