For $250,000 you can get a house with about 2,000 square feet. In fact, this is just about $30,000 under the average US home construction cost.
That said, the location where you live will greatly affect what kind of house you can get for this amount. For example, suburbs around major metropolitan areas like New York, Boston, Chicago or Los Angeles, are far more expensive. In New York City, $250,000 will get you a 900-square foot apartment. By contrast, a $250,000 house in Wichita, Kansas is about 3,500 square feet.