Well, it seems the bursting of the real estate market bubble and slow slow slow economic recovery is making its effects known in terms of the new housing market.

New studies show many Americans are actually giving up their visions of settling down in a mighty McMansion home and downsizing their dream home hopes to smaller, more economical homes.

Can you believe it? Americans actually opting for something smaller? Man, times are tough.

Based on individuals polled in a July 2010 Trulia-Harris interactive survey, only 9 percent were seeking a home in the McMansion range -- that is, a house with at least 3,200 square feet in a tightly nestled neighborhood. However, 64 percent of those polled overall were looking for homes between 800 and 2,600 square feet, and 37 percent of those reported their ideal home at less than 2,000 square feet.

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