There’s a misconception that bigger is always better when it comes to buying a home – it would seem to make sense that a buyer should always look for the most bang for their buck; two stories, a huge lot, and a pool if they can swing it. But, truthfully, considering the cost of maintenance, cleaning, and coming in under budget can have some real benefits.

Having two separate lists is helpful when house shopping, one for what may be ‘nice to have’ and one that’s all ‘need to have.’ It’s easy to fall in love with the idea of sweeping staircases and Olympic-sized swimming pools, but the majority of new homebuyers are on a far tighter budget and will be spending the majority of their time in the office as opposed to poolside.

In the long term, scaling it back and staying within a realistic budget will usually ensure a higher return on investment when getting ready to sell when it’s realistically time to get a bigger place. For this reason, I’m a fan of the ease of maintenance for single-story homes, and the manageable amount of yard work they generally come with. This being said, let’s take a look at these 6 homes under $700,000 that may be just what a new home buyer needs to get started.

Click through our gallery above to preview these single-story homes