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After veering away from super-sized homes throughout the recession, Americans are yet again attracted to the idea of bigger homes, according to the American Dream Survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Trulia.

The survey found that 27 percent of Americans who believe homeownership is part of achieving their personal American Dream said that their ideal home size is more than 2,600 square feet – up from 17 percent in 2011. In fact, interest in homes of more than 3,200 square feet nearly doubled in the last year from 6 percent in 2011 to 11 percent in 2012.

Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed said owning a home is part of achieving their personal American Dream. Among renters, 78 percent – many of whom may be first-time home buyers – aspire to buy a home at some point in the future. However, most have unrealistic expectations about their prospective starter home.

When surveying renters on what amenities would make them fall in love with a home if they were in the market for a home today, the top amenities were a master bathroom (62 percent), walk-in closet (56 percent), and gourmet kitchen (50 percent). However, there is a clear disconnect between what renters want and the reality of what actual homeowners said they had in their first home. Only 26 percent of homeowners said that they had an en-suite master bathroom in their first home, while just 35 percent had a walk-in closet, and 9 percent had a gourmet kitchen.

C.A.R.