Are we moving towards a Jetsons style home or could we be going back to the basics?
I read an article in Yahoo Real Estate that looked into the home of 2015 in which it pointed out what we could expect to see more of and less of in the homes of the future.
And, over the past 2 or 3 years, I’ve read that builders were seeing fewer McMansions being built. Surprisingly, for those hoping to see George Jetson, they may have to wait.
And, over the past 2 or 3 years, I’ve read that builders were seeing fewer McMansions being built. Surprisingly, for those hoping to see George Jetson, they may have to wait.
Some of the features we can expect to see according to the article are:
-Spacious Laundry Rooms
-Master Suite Walk in closets
-Porches
-Eat-in Kitchens
What can we expect to see less of:
-Formal Dining rooms
-4 bedrooms or more
-Media or hobby rooms
Of course the economy plays some part in this trend... smaller homes can be less expensive to build. And hopefully our desire to own the “biggest” or have 2 bathrooms for every person in the house will wane.
Some Builders think that all they have to do with Baby Boomers is just put a home into a shrinkie machine (remember those). Baby Boomers still want the features we’ve always had, As a member of the Boomer segment, I’m not ready to throw in the towel... yet. I still want a kitchen large enough for entertaining. But, we don’t need family rooms that are so large we feel like we have to buy a pool table to fill in the space. We know that when we have family and friends over, everyone ends up in the kitchen, so we want space for that. I may be aging but I didn't shrink that much! My Master Bath area is still important to me. What I don’t need are large secondary bedrooms or formal living rooms.
Use-ability, multi-function areas, and functionality seem to play a key. Media rooms? Seriously... how many times are they really used. It just sounds nice to say you have one. Who needs a room just for wrapping gifts? Home offices... absolutely need one.
Other features we can expect to see are “Green” elements to the home, and either one-story homes or at least if a two story, one where the Master Bedroom is on the first floor.
How does this information affect Realtors or Home Stagers? I’d love to hear your thoughts. For me as a Stager it may mean making sure I highlight the functionality of each room; that I make sure the seller edits their closets to show the storage it has; and to not leave the laundry or utility as an afterthought but to make sure it’s space is highlighted.
-Spacious Laundry Rooms
-Master Suite Walk in closets
-Porches
-Eat-in Kitchens
What can we expect to see less of:
-Formal Dining rooms
-4 bedrooms or more
-Media or hobby rooms
Of course the economy plays some part in this trend... smaller homes can be less expensive to build. And hopefully our desire to own the “biggest” or have 2 bathrooms for every person in the house will wane.
Some Builders think that all they have to do with Baby Boomers is just put a home into a shrinkie machine (remember those). Baby Boomers still want the features we’ve always had, As a member of the Boomer segment, I’m not ready to throw in the towel... yet. I still want a kitchen large enough for entertaining. But, we don’t need family rooms that are so large we feel like we have to buy a pool table to fill in the space. We know that when we have family and friends over, everyone ends up in the kitchen, so we want space for that. I may be aging but I didn't shrink that much! My Master Bath area is still important to me. What I don’t need are large secondary bedrooms or formal living rooms.
Use-ability, multi-function areas, and functionality seem to play a key. Media rooms? Seriously... how many times are they really used. It just sounds nice to say you have one. Who needs a room just for wrapping gifts? Home offices... absolutely need one.
Other features we can expect to see are “Green” elements to the home, and either one-story homes or at least if a two story, one where the Master Bedroom is on the first floor.
How does this information affect Realtors or Home Stagers? I’d love to hear your thoughts. For me as a Stager it may mean making sure I highlight the functionality of each room; that I make sure the seller edits their closets to show the storage it has; and to not leave the laundry or utility as an afterthought but to make sure it’s space is highlighted.
As for getting back to the basics? I see nothing wrong with that... there’s something nice about 
having the family actually see each other when they’re in the home as opposed to every one being off in their little “i love me” spaces.
having the family actually see each other when they’re in the home as opposed to every one being off in their little “i love me” spaces. 
