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Content Creators Document What Moving Into A $30k House Bought On Amazon Looks Like
Content Creators Document What Moving Into A $30k House Bought On Amazon Looks Like
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Content Creators Document What Moving Into A $30k House Bought On Amazon Looks Like

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A new peculiar trend is seeing people buying tiny, expandable prefabricated houses on websites like Amazon, arguably solving some of the biggest housing crisis problems in the USA. “I definitely just bought a tiny home off Amazon,” TikToker “Gilgra2024” exclaimed as he showcased his $30,000 home in a viral video that has amassed nearly two million views.

Highlights
  • A new trend is seeing people buy tiny, expandable fabricated houses on websites like Amazon, arguably solving some of the biggest housing crisis problems in the USA
  • Some of Amazon’s tiny homes offer a generous storage capacity and cost around $30,000
  • The tiny homes sold on Amazon are often prefabricated and expandable
  • America is short around 3.2 million homes, a big reason why prices are still high, new reports suggest

The TikToker subsequently became the owner of a “DOINUO Mobile Expandable Prefab House,” which, according to its Amazon listing, comes with a restroom and an outdoor storage shed.

Amazon’s tiny home in question measures a standard outside size of L19 x W20 x H8 ft and “offers a generous storage capacity,” according to the e-commerce giant.

BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting

    A new trend is seeing people buy tiny, expandable fabricated houses on websites like Amazon, arguably solving some of the biggest housing crisis problems in the USA

    Image credits: amazon

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    Image credits: amazon

    The website further describes its product as being: “Designed with convenience in mind.” It further states: “Our Modern Sturdy Steel Storage Container House Building is foldable, allowing it to occupy a small area when not in use. 

    “This feature makes it perfect for those who value space optimization. Additionally, its sleek and attractive appearance adds a touch of elegance to any setting.”

    Gilgra2024 isn’t alone in becoming a proud tiny home owner. In fact, this type of purchase has become somewhat of a new phenomenon with young adults amidst the housing crisis.

    Some of Amazon’s tiny homes offer a generous storage capacity and cost around $30,000

    Image credits: amazon

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    According to Axios, there was a surplus of housing supply in the 2000s that was followed by a growing deficit in the 2010s. As of 2022, there were -3.2 million units. America is short around 3.2 million homes, which is a big reason why prices are still high.

    Amazon features various “portable prefabricated tiny homes” with similar prices. One of these tiny homes, with the brand name Zolyndo, comes in three options.

    A 13-by-20-foot structure with a bathroom costs $19,999, while a 15-by-20-foot one sets you back $22,999. The $34,999 build is bigger and comes with a restroom. This being Amazon, it’s available to ship within four to five days.

    Image credits: unspeakk

    According to its product page, the unique 380-square-foot structure boasts an “expandable” steel frame, thermal insulation, and sufficient space to be divided into two bedrooms, one living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen.

    A group of social media creators recently tested the functionality of the concept by purchasing one such foldable abode from Amazon and uploading their review to their TikTok, Survive and Thrive Co., The New York Post reported.

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    “I bought a house on Amazon,” reads the text over a clip of men cutting open an enormous Amazon box and then exploring the shipping container-like residence it contains.

    The tiny homes sold on Amazon are often prefabricated and expandable

    Image credits: unspeakk

    “There’s a whole bathroom,” comments one user, exploring the compact bathroom, which appears to have arrived with water hooked up. 

    Buying tiny homes is a trend that has its roots in the early 2000s when many millennials rebelled against the McMansion-leaning norms of late 20th-century culture, Yahoo! Finance reported.

    Nevertheless, over the last few years, tiny homes have morphed from a millennial lifestyle trend or life hack into a potential solution to the housing crisis, as per Yahoo.

    Image credits: unspeakk

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    Tiny homes also play into American homeownership aspirations, including a desire for privacy, said Brian Miller, a professor of sociology at Wheaton College. 

    Brian explained: “On the other hand, it’s very different from the typical progression over the last few decades where American homes just keep getting bigger and bigger. Tiny houses are sometimes an explicit rejection of that.”

    “I believe there’s a lot of misleading marketing when it comes to tiny homes, and unfortunately, consumers are often not aware of that,” 37-year-old Elizabeth Illing wrote for Business Insider.

    “This feature makes it perfect for those who value space optimization,” a tiny home description on Amazon reads

    Image credits: unspeakk

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    A group of social media creators recently tested the functionality of the concept

    @unspeakk Part 1 I Bought a House on Amazon #unspeakable#vlog#fyp♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

    Elizabeth, who works as a general manager for a catering company in Austin, Texas, USA, moved into a tiny home with her daughter in 2022 but is planning to move out in spring this year because her rent increased after the first year.

    The mom-of-one lives in a 600-square-foot one-bedroom tiny home, and her current 15-month lease is up in April.

    Elizabeth, who didn’t purchase a tiny home like the aforementioned TikTokers but instead rented one, recalled: “I thought moving into the Casata tiny-home community was a good idea for my family due to the affordability. “

    America is short around 3.2 million homes, a big reason why prices are still high, new reports suggest

    @hittaa_jeff 5 guys and 27 mins later 😫 ITS HERE😫😍 #FYP#foryou#amazon#house#unfoldhouse#foryoupage#newhouse#update#explorepage#pt2♬ original sound – HughHefnerSon

    @gilgra2023#greenscreenvideo♬ original sound – ggraim1

    “I also liked the idea of community and thought it would be a great way for me to socialize and for my daughter to know her neighbors.”

    The catering worker revealed that as soon as it was time to renew her lease, the landlords jacked her rent up, increasing it by $350 a month in the first year, from $1,340 to $1,690.

    “It doesn’t take much for someone to no longer be able to afford their home,” Elizabeth admitted.

    Elizabeth further advised: “For others considering moving into a tiny home, I would advise paying attention to your lease and definitely knocking on doors to talk to current residents.”

    The tiny home purchases shown on TikTok sparked divided reactions

     

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    Andréa Oldereide

    Andréa Oldereide

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

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    Andréa Oldereide

    Andréa Oldereide

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Author, Community member

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    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    Read less »

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Donata Leskauskaitė

    Author, Community member

    Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

    What do you think ?
    Sugar Shack
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    1. You need land 2. It needs to be allowed with zoning 3. Since it doesn't have wheels it needs to meet building codes. 4. It needs a foundation or footings 5. How will this do in adverse weather conditions? 6. HVAC, plumbing, electric, wastewater? 7. This is utter nonsense.

    howdylee
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thank you! A sound, logical argument pointing out the realities! And you used the proper term "footings", my structural mentor would like to give you a hug! :)

    Load More Replies...
    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazon is the last place I'd go to buy anything and Tiktok the last place I'd go for advice.

    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I look on Amazon for stuff then hunt down the thing I actually want elsewhere. Sometimes Amazon is more convenient and cheaper and you can specify delivery time if you want... TikTok on the other hand can fuq right off, and when it gets there, it can fuq off a lot futher.

    Load More Replies...
    Roan The Demon Kitty
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that isn't a house. It's a glorified shed. I mean, if it was affordable for the homeless, (which its not) it's obviously better than being on the street. But to me, it doesn't seem viable for the long term. It doesn't look like it'd hold up against any severe weather conditions, either.

    Lara Verne
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sorry not sorry, but this house doesn't look very durable. It looks like it would fall apart after one winter. Also, as some pandas already pointed out, you need land, foundation and much more.

    Macquel Van Steeter
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How the heck are my kids supposed to afford a home when they grow up?? Is this really the future of housing?? They're either going to have to live with me their whole lives and not get to experience independence, or live in a shed. This makes me so sad 😭

    Full of Giggles
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My farms has twenty of these houses for our visa workers. However, we didn’t purchase through Amazon. We went directly to a manufacturer so we could customize the house to have two bedrooms. I believe we paid about $34k USD per unit. The only complaint I have are the houses become sweat boxes in the summer and a nightmare to cool down. We live in the Sonoran Desert so summer temperatures are between 105F/40C and 120F/48C. The first summer after we installed the houses, our poor solar grid couldn’t keep up with demands of all the air conditioning units.

    Lisa Pippin
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thanks for the tip we live in west TX! So not being insulated to stand up to our heat is a problem! My concern was a septic system, but you added one more! Rethinking this idea?

    Load More Replies...
    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Airbnb, Vrbo, and everyone trying to work remotely instead of in office has all the Commercial Property investors turning to Residential Property investments. Also the continual influx of those seeking the possibility of a better future in a different country.

    Load More Replies...
    Lena Harris
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    BP needs to fact check themselves. This is not "Content Creators Document What Moving Into A $30k House Bought On Amazon Looks Like". This is Nathan aka Unspeakable a YouTube vlogger buying the house for content only. They aren't "moving into the tiny house", they are just showing it off for views.

    Lena Harris
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He has so much money, that he has several houses just for filming videos, one being on a miniature island, constantly buys bulk, and I mean BULK, orders of random sh** for "challenge" videos, and even has a warehouse specifically for videos in which he built a custom "giant Lego" house. This was a "flex purchase" because he can, not because he decided to move in to it. My 10 year old watches him all the time. He even bought his friend Preston, another YouTube personality a car, wrecked it, showed it to him and his wife, and then surprised them both with a Rolls-Royce.

    Load More Replies...
    Teresa Boze
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So ugly. And shiny ceilings are a definite No No. those walls are too thin to have any insulation values at all. Depressing and ghetto like. The shower curtain hung like mine is in my HUD subsidized studio with two more square feet than this pop-up dwellling with door rails fastened to the floor an inch of more higher than the floor are red flags for more thoughtless and uncaring designer work. The infrastructure does appear to be pre-installed, which is better than many prefabs. But the floor does not appear to be insulated either. It is a goddamned shed by all accounts. In a word: depressing.

    R S
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Teresa, I own a mid-sized RV trailer that I use as an office and man-cave when I'm not camping. Insulation is not great,but a Walmart floor heater works just fine when it's freezing outside. And it's still a lot cheaper than heating a fully insulated McMansion. Just a thought.

    Load More Replies...
    Steve Boardner
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am a retired trailer, mobile home and modular home dealer that offered a good and affordable home that was built to state and federal codes and requirements. I see these homes and reminds me of the product that was my business. I am interested in knowing who is the manufacturer of the home. I'm thinking it might be built in a factory then sold by a dealer. Who knows? The homes I sold were built to code and had financing from banks, saving & loan and FHA. Not a bad thing about it. Affordability!

    Load More Comments
    Sugar Shack
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    1. You need land 2. It needs to be allowed with zoning 3. Since it doesn't have wheels it needs to meet building codes. 4. It needs a foundation or footings 5. How will this do in adverse weather conditions? 6. HVAC, plumbing, electric, wastewater? 7. This is utter nonsense.

    howdylee
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thank you! A sound, logical argument pointing out the realities! And you used the proper term "footings", my structural mentor would like to give you a hug! :)

    Load More Replies...
    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazon is the last place I'd go to buy anything and Tiktok the last place I'd go for advice.

    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I look on Amazon for stuff then hunt down the thing I actually want elsewhere. Sometimes Amazon is more convenient and cheaper and you can specify delivery time if you want... TikTok on the other hand can fuq right off, and when it gets there, it can fuq off a lot futher.

    Load More Replies...
    Roan The Demon Kitty
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that isn't a house. It's a glorified shed. I mean, if it was affordable for the homeless, (which its not) it's obviously better than being on the street. But to me, it doesn't seem viable for the long term. It doesn't look like it'd hold up against any severe weather conditions, either.

    Lara Verne
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sorry not sorry, but this house doesn't look very durable. It looks like it would fall apart after one winter. Also, as some pandas already pointed out, you need land, foundation and much more.

    Macquel Van Steeter
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How the heck are my kids supposed to afford a home when they grow up?? Is this really the future of housing?? They're either going to have to live with me their whole lives and not get to experience independence, or live in a shed. This makes me so sad 😭

    Full of Giggles
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My farms has twenty of these houses for our visa workers. However, we didn’t purchase through Amazon. We went directly to a manufacturer so we could customize the house to have two bedrooms. I believe we paid about $34k USD per unit. The only complaint I have are the houses become sweat boxes in the summer and a nightmare to cool down. We live in the Sonoran Desert so summer temperatures are between 105F/40C and 120F/48C. The first summer after we installed the houses, our poor solar grid couldn’t keep up with demands of all the air conditioning units.

    Lisa Pippin
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thanks for the tip we live in west TX! So not being insulated to stand up to our heat is a problem! My concern was a septic system, but you added one more! Rethinking this idea?

    Load More Replies...
    Jane No Dough
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Airbnb, Vrbo, and everyone trying to work remotely instead of in office has all the Commercial Property investors turning to Residential Property investments. Also the continual influx of those seeking the possibility of a better future in a different country.

    Load More Replies...
    Lena Harris
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    BP needs to fact check themselves. This is not "Content Creators Document What Moving Into A $30k House Bought On Amazon Looks Like". This is Nathan aka Unspeakable a YouTube vlogger buying the house for content only. They aren't "moving into the tiny house", they are just showing it off for views.

    Lena Harris
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He has so much money, that he has several houses just for filming videos, one being on a miniature island, constantly buys bulk, and I mean BULK, orders of random sh** for "challenge" videos, and even has a warehouse specifically for videos in which he built a custom "giant Lego" house. This was a "flex purchase" because he can, not because he decided to move in to it. My 10 year old watches him all the time. He even bought his friend Preston, another YouTube personality a car, wrecked it, showed it to him and his wife, and then surprised them both with a Rolls-Royce.

    Load More Replies...
    Teresa Boze
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So ugly. And shiny ceilings are a definite No No. those walls are too thin to have any insulation values at all. Depressing and ghetto like. The shower curtain hung like mine is in my HUD subsidized studio with two more square feet than this pop-up dwellling with door rails fastened to the floor an inch of more higher than the floor are red flags for more thoughtless and uncaring designer work. The infrastructure does appear to be pre-installed, which is better than many prefabs. But the floor does not appear to be insulated either. It is a goddamned shed by all accounts. In a word: depressing.

    R S
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Teresa, I own a mid-sized RV trailer that I use as an office and man-cave when I'm not camping. Insulation is not great,but a Walmart floor heater works just fine when it's freezing outside. And it's still a lot cheaper than heating a fully insulated McMansion. Just a thought.

    Load More Replies...
    Steve Boardner
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am a retired trailer, mobile home and modular home dealer that offered a good and affordable home that was built to state and federal codes and requirements. I see these homes and reminds me of the product that was my business. I am interested in knowing who is the manufacturer of the home. I'm thinking it might be built in a factory then sold by a dealer. Who knows? The homes I sold were built to code and had financing from banks, saving & loan and FHA. Not a bad thing about it. Affordability!

    Load More Comments
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