Have you fallen in love with the idea of a tiny home, but your friends and family are expressing doubts? 

If that sounds familiar, you’ll definitely want to keep reading. This tiny house blog post was written especially for you!

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Do Your Loved Ones Think Buying a Tiny House is a Bad Decision?

Of all the challenges you encounter on a tiny home journey, a lack of support from friends and family is one of the toughest. 

After all, our friends and family are everything, and it can be devastating when they don't embrace the things close to our hearts. (Like tiny houses!)

Our team at Teacup Tiny House Company has heard this one before. And the good news is that friends and family can change their tune, but you’ll have to go about this carefully. 

Here’s how to show your friends and family that buying a tiny house is a good idea.

What to Do if Your Friends and Family are Unsupportive of Your Tiny House Goals

First, breathe and remember this: your inner circle isn’t anti-tiny house, they are just pro-you.

They have concerns about your well-being, and if they don’t understand what tiny homes are about, they tend to jump to conclusions, make assumptions, and tell you things like “a tiny home is a terrible financial decision." Either that or suggest that you "you should just buy an RV."

It’s frustrating, but remember that they are saying these things because they care about you. 

That’s why the first step to getting them to change their tune on tiny homes is to validate their tiny house concerns.

Validate Their Tiny Home Concerns.

Your inner circle wants what’s best for you, so begin by acknowledging that.

People are so much more receptive to listening when they feel heard first. So let them speak, listen to them, and find a way to validate what they are saying. 

Here are a few examples of how this could go: 

Them: A tiny house is so expensive, you should just buy an RV.

You: You’re right; tiny homes are more expensive than RVs. Thank you for caring that I’m making a good financial decision.

Them: Tiny homes are hard to park, and no one really knows the deal with them, and I’m pretty sure they are illegal here…

You: It sounds like you’re concerned that I’ll buy a tiny home and run into problems I can’t solve. Am I hearing that right? Will you write a list of your specific concerns so I make sure I look at them more closely?

Once you’ve validated their concerns, be sure to express gratitude. Remember, they love you!

*Then burn some incense to cleanse their negative outlook and move on to the next steps!

Educate Them About Tiny Homes

Tiny homes are newer structures, and there are real challenges associated with them, but once you validate their concerns, it’s time to educate them.

For example, tell them about the difference in quality between tiny homes and RVs.

Here’s a crash course:

RV stands for recreational vehicle, meaning that an RV is not supposed to be lived in full time. This means the building materials, systems, and appliances used in an RV only have to support temporary living.  

Tiny houses have way more insulation, a heavier-duty trailer, real glass windows, real doors, and better systems and appliances than RVs. Hopefully, understanding the massive difference in quality will help your family come around to the idea of a tiny house. 

If they are still struggling though, you could try framing it this way: TECHNICALLY, some of our tiny homes are RVs. This is to say that we build them to meet (surpass!) RV standards and they are certified as such. 

We just make really, really, really good “RVs” that will keep you safer, warmer, and hold their resale value better!

Explain the Importance of the Tiny House Lifestyle

Sometimes friends and family can get hung up on the downsizing aspect. They can’t imagine voluntarily letting go of their possessions to live in a small space like a tiny house. 

In this situation, you’ll want to show them the value of the tiny house lifestyle. 

The tiny house lifestyle is all about building a highly intentional life. It’s about prioritizing relationships over collecting things. It’s about spending less time at work and more time outside. It’s about reducing waste, lowering stress, and perhaps even retiring earlier.

And aren’t those all things they want for you?

Take Them to a Tiny House Airbnb

If you’ve been explaining the benefits of a tiny home to your family, but they still don’t get it, it’s time to get serious and book a weekend stay at a tiny house Airbnb. 

Sometimes our loved ones just need to experience a tiny home to *get it.*

If you really want to do this right, get there before your friends and family arrive. Light a candle, put on some music, throw some fresh flowers in a vase, and be sitting on the couch reading when they arrive. 

We can’t tell you how many times a person has changed their tune about tiny houses once they see one in person.

Do you need a tiny house to rent for the weekend? If you live in Alberta, try The Whispering Birch!

Share How Teacup Will Support Your Tiny Home Journey

Fear often comes from the unknown. So assure your friends and family that you will choose a top-notch tiny house building company that knows what they are doing. 

Here are some things you can tell your loved ones about us! 

• We only sell certified tiny homes.
• We are one of the most experienced tiny home builders in Canada (and the USA!)
• We specialize in mitigating cold-weather concerns. 
• We have a ton of after-care support for clients.

We also have an online learning portal called The Teacup Academy that will allow you to experience what it’s like to buy and own a tiny house before you sign a build contract!

So Is It A Good Idea to Buy a Tiny House?

This is the part where you need to tune your friends and family out. 

Because at the end of the day, the decision to buy a tiny home is all about you.

This is your life, your dream, and your moment to be wildly authentic. And ultimately, it’s our individual responsibility to pursue the things that inspire us. 

So while we want you to take your loved ones’ concerns seriously, we hope that you’ll listen most closely to your heart. 

After all, that’s what the tiny house lifestyle is all about.