Location In a city, traditional upscale custom houses are mostly found in the most affluent residential neighbourhoods (commonly regarded as "
Millionaires' Mile"), which are typically gated, waterfront, ravine, or golf course communities, all of which have some of the highest residential property taxes in the city. Most of these communities are usually well-established, and the real estate prices tend to be high but stable. The houses themselves feature architectural preferences in general accordance with the surrounding neighborhood. By contrast, McMansions are typically constructed further from the city center than suburban tract housing. In addition, the land that McMansions are built on is often zoned as agricultural or re-zoned to residential from agricultural, and is often outside of the city proper limits, as both of these result in lower property taxes. These areas may be in demand by buyers who desire a bigger house than the tract house, but are unwilling to pay for (or lack the means to afford) houses in the city's traditional upscale neighborhoods. Due to this demographic, which is more susceptible to
boom and bust economic cycles, prices of McMansions tend to be much more volatile and are often fueled by speculation. Another reason why McMansions are generally found in outlying suburban areas is that lots in older neighborhoods are often much smaller and not conducive to such residences. McMansions are usually much larger than older houses and constructed among other large houses by a
subdivider on speculation; they generally are built
en masse by a development company to be marketed as premium real estate, but offer few custom features. The construction of what seems to be too large a house on an existing lot can draw the ire of neighbors and other local residents. In 2006, for example, a recently built house in
Kirkland, Washington – an affluent suburb on
Seattle's
Eastside – stood so close to an adjoining property that, in the words of the chair of the city's Neighborhood Association, "you can read the lettering on the canned vegetables in the house next door."
Design roof. McMansions often mix a variety of different architectural styles and elements, combining
quoins, steeply sloped roofs, multiple roof lines, complicated
massing, and pronounced
dormers, to produce an appearance that may be considered unpleasant, jumbled, or messy. Some neighborhoods, where most or all the houses have the same layout and design with minor differences, such as siding or shutter color, are often called "cookie-cutter" neighborhoods. ==Economics==