Saturday, January 3, 2015

December 2014 National Housing Trends Newsletter

Angela Yglesias

Levesque Realty 

Cell: 805-490-4944  
Phone: 805-490-4944 

Housing Trends

December 2014


Use our tools
to find out


Neighborhood reports

Market Snapshot
Get a detailed report showing market trends in your neighborhood, including recent listings, sales prices and average time on market.
Get a report

Community reports

Powered by realtor.com®

Enter a ZIP code to create a report. Enter a second ZIP to compare two communities.
View statistics on population, education, housing, transporation, income, employment, net worth, cost of living and climate.
Compare amenities such as public services, places of worship, recreation and leisure facilitles, shopping and restaurants.
Get a report

Find a Mover

Find a Mover

Type of Move
Move date
Moving From Zip
Moving To Zip
Size of Move


Mortgage rates

Powered by thefinancials.com


Mortgage calculator

Market Snapshot
Get a detailed report showing market trends in your neighborhood, including recent listings, sales prices and average time on market.
Get a report

Rent vs buy


How big is an acre? What is an option?
Do I need hazard insurance?

Take a look at our real estate glossary to learn definitions of common words and phrases used in the industry.

National market update

Existing-Home Sales Lose Momentum in November as Inventory Slightly Tightens

WASHINGTON (December 22, 2014) – After hitting their highest level of the year, existing-home sales slid in November as housing supply showed some tightening, according to the National Association of Realtors®. All major regions experienced a decline in sales compared to a month earlier.

Read more

NAR Identifies Top Metro Areas Poised for Uptick in Baby Boomer Home Sales

WASHINGTON (December 10, 2014) – Metro areas with a lower cost of living and sunnier weather are poised to see an increased number of baby boomers moving in and buying a home as some delay retirement and remain participants in the labor market, according to new research by the National Association of Realtors®.

Read more

National housing indicators

Existing home sales (December)

4.93 millions units*

Existing home median price (December)

$205,300

Housing Starts (December)

1.028 millions units*

New home sales (December)

4.58 millions units*
*Seasonally adjusted annual rate. Source: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

National economic indicators

Home ownership

3rd Qtr 2014

+64.4%

3rd Qtr 2013

+65.3%
The homeownership rate in the third quarter 2014 was 64.4 percent, down 0.9 (+/- 0.4) percentage points from the third quarter 2013 rate of 65.3 percent. The homeownership rates in the Northeast, Midwest and South were lower than the rates in the third quarter 2013, while the rate in the West was not statistically different from the rate a year ago.

New home sales

November 2014

-1.6*%

October 2014

-2.2*%
Sales of new single-family houses in November 2014 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 438,000. This is 1.6 percent (+/- 12.3%)* below the revised October 2014 estimate of 445,000.
Source: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

How much is your home worth? Get a real-time report on the value of your home. Start now


Regional market updates

View market statistics for your region.

Click on the links below to view data from two different industry sources. Choose information on local prices & state sales from any of 150 metropolitan housing markets prepared by the National Association of REALTORS® or information on sales & price activity from local area markets in 25 states prepared by Clarus MarketMetrics.

Local Prices & State Sales

Local Sales & Price Activity


Representing residential and commercial buyers and sellers in Ventura and LA Counties.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, statements and/or ideas expressed in this Message Section do not reflect the ideas, policy, position, views or opinion of Move,Inc.

Consumer tips & hot properties

Image

5 Housing Market Predictions for 2015

With an accelerating economic recovery fueling job and income growth, prospects are good for homeowners and would-be home buyers.

Read more
Image

Top 10 Hot Housing Markets to Watch in 2015

Realtor.com® Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke offered up his top 10 picks for 2015—the places where we can expect to see strong housing growth, affordable prices and fast-paced sales.

Read more
Image

10 Questions to Ask Your Mortgage Lender

A house is likely your most valuable asset, so it’s a good idea to know as much as possible about your mortgage before you rush toward closing day.

Read more
Image

8 Benefits of Buying a House at Year’s End

Summer may be real estate’s busy season, but winter offers great opportunities for buying a house.

Read more
Image

10 Perfect Gifts for a New Homeowner

Housewarming gifts don’t have to be homemade brownies or a "Home Sweet Home” cliché.

Read more

Existing Home Statistics

View statistics based on national data, regional data and data gathered from 159 cities & metropolitan areas.

National Statistics

Statistics by City or Metropolitan Area

Regional Statistics

Source: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
at No comments:

Monday, December 29, 2014

Study: Buying Trumps Renting in Most Places

Buying is still more affordable than renting in the majority of U.S. housing markets, according to a new analysis. A study conducted by RealtyTrac factored in 2015 fair market rental data recently released by the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development for three-bedroom properties in 543 counties nationwide with populations of at least 100,000. Buying a median-priced home was found to be more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property in 68 percent of the counties tracked.
Overall, in 473 of the counties tracked, the fair market rent for a three-bedroom property in 2015 will require 27 percent of median household income, on average. For comparison, buying a median-priced home will require an average of 25 percent of median household income, based on median sales prices in November, the study found.
The top counties with the biggest increases in fair market rents on three-bedroom properties were in Williamsport, Pa.; Elizabethtown, Ky.; and Midland, Texas, which saw a 24 percent or more surge in fair market rents compared to 2014. Williamsport and Midland are both experiencing booms in their oil industries, and Elizabethtown is home to the Fort Knox U.S. Army post, the study notes. Other markets seeing soaring rents include counties around Denver; Asheville, N.C.; Chicago; and Santa Barbara, Calif.
The study showed that in 25 of the counties with the biggest increases in the millennial population (for this study, those born between 1977 and 1992) – housing costs were among some of the highest. Between 2007 and 2013, fair market rents for a three-bedroom property in popular millennial markets will require 30 percent of the median household income, on average. Buying a median-priced home on the other hand, will only require 36 percent of median household income, on average.
Opportunities Abound
The top markets with the largest increases in percentages of Millennials – all of which saw a spike of more than 50 percent over the last seven years — were in counties located around Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Denver. Other counties attracting a large majority of Millennials are located in New York City, Nashville, and Seattle, among others. 
“First-time buyers and potential boomerang home buyers are stuck between a rock and a hard place in today’s housing market: Many of the markets with the jobs and amenities they want have hard-to-afford rents and even harder-to-afford home prices; while the more affordable markets have fewer well-paying jobs and tend to be off the beaten path,” says Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac. “Those emerging markets with the combination of good jobs, good affordability, and a growing population of new renters and potential first-time home buyers represent the best opportunities for buy-and-hold real estate investors to buy low and benefit from rising rents in the years to come.”
Still, as the economy improves and salaries rise, Millennials – particularly those living in affordable locales — are expected to become a bigger force in the housing market in the new year. Households headed by Millennials are expected to see significant growth in 2015, particularly as the economy continues to make gains. Millennials are expected to drive two-thirds of household formations over the next five years, according to realtor.com®'s report. The forecasted addition of 2.5 million jobs next year, as well as an increase in household formation, are the two factors that realtor.com® points to in driving more first-time home buyers to the housing market.
at No comments:

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

How the 2014 Housing Market Will Shape 2015

The real estate market has shown a build-up of housing momentum this year – “fueled by significant improvements in economic fundamentals, low mortgage rates, and compressed inventory” – that will likely translate into larger gains in 2015, according to realtor.com®’s newly released 2014 Housing Review.
What's Around the Corner?
"Many of the gains that we recently predicted in the realtor.com® 2015 Housing Forecast are built on housing growth established in 2014,” says Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “Overall, this year's housing market showed steady advances over 2013 with significant improvement in key housing metrics, despite some remaining challenges. Increases in job creation and gross domestic product (GDP) have had a significant impact on consumer confidence and home buyer demand. Paired with historically low interest rates, these factors kept properties moving quickly with median time on market at approximately 90 days. Unfortunately, the low number of homes for sale and stringent lending standards prevented a normal number of first time home buyers from closing on their first home in 2014."   
Here are some of the trends realtor.com® notes from 2014 that will help drive a stronger 2015:
  1. An improving economy: “After an especially harsh winter earlier in the year, the economy picked up steam and produced a banner year for new jobs,” realtor.com® notes in its report. “The GDP this year was higher, and is still trending higher, resulting in stronger consumer confidence.”
  2. Low mortgage rates: Despite the end of the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing this year, mortgage rates continued to decline and helped to lower borrowing costs of home buyers. In recent weeks, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has been below 4 percent.
  3. Returns to normal price appreciation: “After two years of abnormally high levels of home price appreciation in 2012 and 2013, price increases moderated throughout 2014,” realtor.com® notes. “We are now experiencing increases in home prices consistent with long-term historical performance.”
  4. Distressed sales decline: Foreclosures and short sales fell throughout the year. Foreclosures are projected to be down 30 percent year-over-year at the close of 2014.
  5. Investor activity lessens: Coinciding with the drop in distressed sales and higher home prices, large-scale investor purchase activity in the single-family market decreased. Less competition from investors may offer more room for traditional first-time buyers to squeeze into the market.
However, the realtor.com® report notes several factors that continue to plague the housing recovery and prevent it from being stronger, including:
  1. Tight credit standards: “Despite historically low rates, many households were prevented from capitalizing on mortgage access because of overlays lenders added to qualification standards in order to limit put-back risk,” realtor.com® notes. “A tight spread between approved and declined FICO scores shut out nearly half of the potential population this year. As a result, mortgage credit availability did not improve in 2014.”
  2. Tight inventories of for-sale homes: Inventories did rise this year, but supply failed to outpace demand. The monthly supply of new homes and existing homes continued to fall beneath normal levels, and the age of inventory was down year- over-year.
  3. Fewer first-time buyers: The share of first-time buyers dropped to the lowest level in nearly 30 years, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. "But the first-time buyer share is showing signs of modest improvement by the year-end," says Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. Federal policy actions, such as revised regulations for lenders and new low down-payment programs introduced in December, are believed to have a positive impact in increasing first-time home buyer share in 2015.
  4. Record levels of renters: The home ownership rate continued to fall this year as the number of renters increased. Rent increases have become an inflationary concern this year, and the pace of rental increases does not appear to be slowing down.
  5. Sluggish new-home building: Single-family new-home starts barely budged in 2014 compared to 2013. New home sales remain far from normal levels. They are typically near 16 percent and instead remain around 9 percent. Still, new home prices rose substantially again this year, revealing that higher priced product is limiting the demand.

Source: realtor.com®
at No comments:

Loan Demand Picks Up Before the Holidays

Mortgage applications were on the rise last week after posting several weeks of declines. Applications for home purchases, viewed as a leading gauge of future home buying activity, increased by 1.3 percent in the week ending Dec. 19, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday in its weekly mortgage market survey, which reflects more than 75 percent of U.S. retail residential mortgage applications. 
"Purchase application volume was up slightly for the week,” says Mike Fratantoni, the MBA’s chief economist. “Conventional purchase application volume was also up on a year-over-year basis for the first time in 2014; total purchase volume was only 0.9 percent below last year's level. This makes sense in light of the continuing stream of very positive data regarding the broader economy and the job market."
Overall, mortgage applications, including both for refinancing and home purchase, rose 0.9 percent last week. Refinancing applications increased 1.1 percent.
Mortgage rates also continued to fall last week. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 4.06 percent to 4.02 percent, reaching the lowest average since May 2013, the MBA reports.
Source: “Encouraging Econ Data Boost Weekly Mortgage Applications,” CNBC (Dec. 24, 2014) and “Mortgage Applications Rose Last Week,” Reuters (Dec. 24, 2014)
at No comments:

Top 10 Most-Searched Neighborhoods in 2014

Some neighborhoods across the country stood out from the pack in 2014, garnering the most searches on realtor.com® for the entire year. In a newly released report, realtor.com® highlights the top 10 most searched neighborhoods for 2014.
Realtor.com® Forecast: 10 Markets to Grow the Most Next Year
“The hyperlocal markets on this list demonstrate the wonderful diversity of real estate demand across the country,” says Jonathan Smoke, realtor.com®’s chief economist. “Median list prices in these most-searched neighborhoods are near $400,000, well above the national median of $214,000, as well as their respective metro medians. Homes in these communities are moving quickly as the aggregated median age for the group is almost half of the national median of 90 days.”
The following were the most-searched neighborhoods, by city and ZIP code, in 2014 on realtor.com®:
1. Orlando, Fla./32801
Median list price: $276,000
Local point of interest: Thornton Park District
2. Las Vegas/89138
Median list price: $380,000
Local point of interest: Red Rock Resort and Spa
3. New Orleans/70124
Median list price: $398,000
Local point of interest: New Orleans City Park
4. Fort Worth, Texas/76109
Median list price: $380,000
Local point of interest: Fort Worth Zoo
5. Savannah, Ga./31401
Median list price: $284,000
Local point of interest: Savannah History Museum
6. Fort Wayne, Ind./46845
Median list price: $146,000
Local point of interest: Pine Valley Country Club
7. Raleigh, N.C./27617
Median list price: $268,000
Local point of interest: William B. Umstead State Park
8. San Diego/92106
Median list price: $974,000
Local point of interest: Historic Lighthouse Point Loma
9. Chicago/60646
Median list price: $398,000
Local point of interest: Edgebrook Golf Course
10. Columbus, Ohio/43212
Median list price: $298,000
Local point of interest: Columbus Fish Market
Source: realtor.com®
at No comments:

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Multifamily Sector Embraces Green Movement

Staying current on incentives and programs available to multifamily owners and developers keeps real estate pros better positioned to discuss and market such properties.
DECEMBER 2014 | BY DEBBIE SWANSON
Green isn’t just for single-family home owners anymore. Environmentally friendly properties are gaining favor among both tenants and property owners in the multifamily sector.
“Green buildings are seen by many as a better asset,” says David Newcombe, designated broker of Habitat Urban Agents in Phoenix. “The green concept will continue to be a stamp of approval, not just for the environmental benefits, but for the quality of the building.”
The initial push for green buildings — those that have a minimal impact on the environment — began in the early 1990s, propelled by the introduction of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program and the creation of the U.S. Green Building Council. Soon technological advances created better ways to reduce energy consumption, and terms like “sustainable” and “high performance” became a more common element of a property’s description.
Popular Ways to Save
Current eco-friendly updates include:
  • Energy Star appliances and windows
  • Water-saving features, such as low-flow faucets, high-efficiency toilets, and timers on irrigation systems
  • Efficient water heaters, such as tankless and solar models
  • Whole-home systems that give tenants the ability to control energy use when not in the home
  • LED retrofits in existing light fixtures
With the larger occupancy rate of multifamily buildings expending more energy per square foot than single-family homes, these structures have been the focus of recent energy conservation incentives and certification programs, giving real estate professionals and property owners new ways to compare and assess properties.

Energy Star for Multifamily

The Energy Star designation, created in 1992 by the EPA, has become synonymous with appliances and materials that are highly energy-efficient. Recognizing that multifamily property owners needed a way to understand and compare the performance of their buildings, Fannie Mae Multifamily Mortgage Business partnered with the EPA to create Energy Star for multifamily properties, introduced in September of 2014.
Newcombe says this is a huge step forward for multifamily customers, property managers, and developers.
“People are familiar with the concept of Energy Star; there’s a public understanding already in place,” he says.
To obtain a score, property owners submit data to the EPA’s Portfolio Manager, a free online tool for measuring and comparing buildings’ energy use. The resulting number, from 1 to 100, ranks a building’s performance in comparison with others; for example, a score of 70 indicates that the building performs better than 70 percent of similar properties.
Multifamily properties scoring over 75 qualify for Energy Star certification. Overall, certified buildings use approximately 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent fewer greenhouse gases than standard buildings.

LEED Certification

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was created in 2000 by the U.S. Green Building Council. A building receives LEED points for energy- and water-saving features, as well as other factors such as innovative property management. The total number of points sets the certification level: certified, silver, gold, or platinum. Real estate professionals can then incorporate such language into their property descriptions.
“We’ve seen tremendous success in multifamilies with LEED certification,” says Asa Foss, a LEED residential technical director with the U.S. Green Building Council.
Multifamily low-rise buildings became eligible for certification under the LEED for Homes classification in 2008. With LEED v4, launched in November of 2013, multifamily mid-rises—up to 12 stories above grade—are also eligible, and upgraded standards apply to multifamily low-rise buildings.
 “Certification is valuable if you’re marketing your building to a younger demographic, to whom environmental issues are important,” says Foss, adding that it can also be beneficial to property owners seeking financing. “Some larger lenders — who see certified buildings as better, safer investments — are starting to require LEED certification.”
Foss points to a recent study published by researchers at CoStar’s Property and Portfolio Researchsubsidiary for proof of the bottom-line benefits of certification. The study looked at a half-million data points about apartment buildings that drive investment value based on renter demand in the apartment sector. LEED certification was determined to be the second highest driver in lease rates, behind location.
Better Buildings Challenge
Another incentive igniting eco-friendly improvements to multifamily structures is the Better Buildings Challenge. Originally launched in 2011 by President Barack Obama and implemented through the U.S. Department of Energy, this program challenges commercial and industrial building owners to strive to make their properties at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020.
In 2013, the Department of Housing and Urban Development partnered with the DOE to expand the challenge to the multifamily sector. Participants in the challenge, referred to as partners, commit to reducing energy consumption by at least 20 percent over 10 years. Partners agree to publicly share their data on their energy savings and details about the efficiency strategies they employ.
Partners in the challenge are looked upon as energy-efficient role models in their community, and are recognized as part of a collaborative conservation effort. While the specifics vary by state, subsidized services and resources are available to support reduction goals.
Boston-based real estate developer WinnCompanies was a partner in the challenge in 2013.
“Joining the challenge has given us an opportunity to be a leader in both meeting — and going beyond — green building standards,” says Darien Crimmin, vice president of Energy and Sustainability at WinnCompanies. “Both renters and buyers are recognizing the trend toward more environmental building.”
Crimmin says the challenge has been beneficial, given the demographic shift in favor of environmentally sound buildings.
“It’s forced us to take a holistic look at our long-term energy efficiency strategy,” he reports. “Renters and buyers are recognizing that this is a priority.”
at No comments:

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

21 Hot Housing Trends for 2015

Everyone wants to be hip, and the latest trends in design can help distinguish one home from another. And it’s not all flash; many new home fads are geared to pare maintenance and energy use and deliver information faster. Here’s a look at what’s coming.
DECEMBER 2014 | BY BARBARA BALLINGER
This time of the year, we hear from just about every sector of the economy what’s expected to be popular in the coming year. Foodies with their fingers on the pulse of the restaurant industry and hot TV chefs will tell us to say goodbye to beet-and-goat cheese salad and hello roasted cauliflower, and there’s no end to the gadgets touted as the next big thing.
In real estate, however, trends typically come slowly, often well after they appear in commercial spaces and fashion. And though they may entice buyers and sellers, remind them that trends are just that—a change in direction that may captivate, go mainstream, then disappear (though some will gain momentum and remain as classics). Which way they’ll go is hard to predict, but here are 21 trends that experts expect to draw great appeal this year:
  1. Coral shades. A blast of a new color is often the easiest change for sellers to make, offering the biggest bang for their buck. Sherwin-Williams says Coral Reef (#6606) is 2015’s color of the year because it reflects the country’s optimism about the future. “We have a brighter outlook now that we’re out of the recession. But this isn’t a bravado color; it’s more youthful, yet still sophisticated,” says Jackie Jordan, the company’s director of color marketing. She suggests using it outside or on an accent wall. Pair it with crisp white, gray, or similar saturations of lilac, green, and violet.
  2. Open spaces go mainstream. An open floor plan may feel like old hat, but it’s becoming a wish beyond the young hipster demographic, so you’ll increasingly see this layout in traditional condo buildings and single-family suburban homes in 2015. The reason? After the kitchen became the home’s hub, the next step was to remove all walls for greater togetherness. Design experts at Nurzia Construction Corp. recommend going a step further and adding windows to better meld indoors and outdoors.
  3. Off-the-shelf plans. Buyers who don’t want to spend time or money for a custom house have another option. House plan companies offer myriad blueprints to modify for site, code, budget, and climate conditions, says James Roche, whose Houseplans.com firm has 40,000 choices. There are lots of companies to consider, but the best bets are ones that are updating layouts for today’s wish lists—open-plan living, multiple master suites, greater energy efficiency, and smaller footprints for downsizers (in fact, Roche says, their plans’ average now is 2,300 square feet, versus 3,500 a few years ago). Many builders will accept these outsiders’ plans, though they may charge to adapt them.
  4. Freestanding tubs. Freestanding tubs may conjure images of Victorian-era opulence, but the newest iteration from companies like Kohler shows a cool sculptural hand. One caveat: Some may find it hard to climb in and out. These tubs complement other bathroom trends: open wall niches and single wash basins, since two people rarely use the room simultaneously.
  5. Quartzite. While granite still appeals, quartzite is becoming the new hot contender, thanks to its reputation as a natural stone that’s virtually indestructible. It also more closely resembles the most luxe classic—marble—without the drawbacks of staining easily. Quartzite is moving ahead of last year’s favorite, quartz, which is also tough but is manmade.
  6. Porcelain floors. If you’re going to go with imitation wood, porcelain will be your 2015 go-to. It’s less expensive and wears as well as or better than the real thing, saysarchitect Stephen Alton. Porcelain can be found in traditional small tiles or long, linear planks. It’s also available in numerous colors and textures, including popular one-color combos with slight variations for a hint of differentiation. Good places to use this material are high-traffic rooms, hallways, and areas exposed to moisture.
  7. Almost Jetson-ready. Prices have come down for technologies such as web-controlled security cameras and motion sensors for pets. Newer models are also easier to install and operate since many are powered by batteries, rather than requiring an electrician to rewire an entire house,says Bob Cooper at Zonoff, which offers a software platform that allows multiple smart devices to communicate with each other. “You no longer have to worry about different standards,” Cooper says.
  8. Charging stations. With the size of electronic devices shrinking and the proliferation of Wi-Fi, demand for large desks and separate home office is waning. However, home owners still need a dedicated space for charging devices, and the most popular locations are a corner of a kitchen, entrance from the garage, and the mud room. In some two-story Lexington Homes plans, a niche is set aside on a landing everyone passes by daily.
  9. Multiple master suites. Having two master bedroom suites, each with its own adjoining bathroom, makes a house work better for multiple generations. Such an arrangement allows grown children and aging parents to move in for long- or short-term stays, but the arrangement also welcomes out-of-town guests, according to Nurzia Construction. When both suites are located on the main level, you hit the jackpot.
  10. Fireplaces and fire pits. The sight of a flame—real or faux—has universal appeal as a signal of warmth, romance, and togetherness. New versions on the market make this amenity more accessible with more compact design and fewer venting concerns. This year, be on the lookout for the latest iteration on this classic: chic, modern takes on the humble wood stove.
  11. Wellness systems. Builders are now addressing environmental and health concerns with holistic solutions, such as heat recovery ventilation systems that filter air continuously and use little energy, says real estate developer Gregory Malin of Troon Pacific. Other new ways to improve healthfulness include lighting systems that utilize sunshine, swimming pools that eschew chlorine and salt by featuring a second adjacent pool with plants and gravel that cleanse water, and edible gardens starring ingredients such as curly blue kale.
  12. Storage. The new buzzword is “specialized storage,” placed right where it’s needed. “Home owners want everything to have its place,” says designer Jennifer Adams. More home owners are increasingly willing to pare the dimensions of a second or third bedroom in order to gain a suitably sized walk-in closet in their master bedroom, Alton says. In a kitchen, it may mean a “super pantry”—a butler’s pantry on steroids with prep space, open storage, secondary appliances, and even a room for wrapping gifts. “It minimizes clutter in the main kitchen,” says architect Fred Wilson of Morgante-Wilson.
  13. Grander garages. According to Troon Pacific, the new trends here include bringing the driveway’s material into the garage, temperature controls, sleek glass doors, specialized zones for home audiovisual controls, and a big sink or tub to wash pets. For home owners with deeper pockets, car lifts have gone residential so extra autos don’t have to be parked outside.
  14. Keyless entry. Forget your key (again)? No big deal as builders start to switch to biometric fingerprint door locks with numerical algorithms entered in a database. Some systems permit home owners to track who entered and when, says Malin of Troon Pacific.
  15. Water conservation. The concerns of drought-ravaged California are spreading nationwide. Home owners can now purchase rainwater harvesting tanks and cisterns, graywater systems, weather-controlled watering stations, permeable pavers, drought-tolerant plants, and no- or low-mow grasses.
  16. Salon-style walls. Instead of displaying a few distinct pieces on a wall, the “salon style” trend features works from floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall. Think Parisian salon at the turn of the century. HGTV designer Taniya Nayak suggests using a common denominator for cohesiveness, such as the same mat, frame color, or subject matter. Before she hangs works, she spaces them four to five inches apart, starting at the center and at eye level and working outward, then up and down. She uses Frog Tape to test the layout since it doesn’t take paint off walls. Artist Francine Turk also installs works this way, but prefers testing the design on the floor like a big jigsaw puzzle.
  17. Cool copper. First came pewter; then brass made a comeback. The 2015 “it” metal is copper, which can exude industrial warmth in large swaths or judiciously in a few backsplash tiles, hanging fixture, or pots dangling from a rack. The appeal comes from the popularity of industrial chic, which Restoration Hardware’s iconic style has helped promote, says designer Tom Segal.
  18. Return to human scale. During the McMansion craze, kitchens got so big they almost required skates to get around. This year we’ll see a return to a more human, comfortable scale, says Mark Cutler, chief designer of design platform nousDecor. In many living or family rooms that will mean just enough space for one conversation grouping, and in kitchens one set of appliances, fewer countertops, and smaller islands.
  19. Luxury 2.0. Getting the right amount of sleep can improve alertness, mood, and productivity, according to the National Sleep Foundation. With trendsetters such asArianna Huffington touting the importance of sleep, there’s no doubt this particular health concern will go mainstream this year. And there’s no space better to indulge the desire for quality rest than in a bedroom, says designer Jennifer Adams. “Everyone is realizing the importance of comfort, quality sleep, and taking care of yourself,” she says. To help, Adams suggests stocking up on luxury bedding, a new mattress, comfortable pillows, and calming scents.
  20. Shades of white kitchens. Despite all the variations in colors and textures for kitchen counters, backsplashes, cabinets, and flooring, the all-white kitchen still gets the brass ring. “Seven out of 10 of our kitchens have some form of white painted cabinetry,” says builder Peter Radzwillas. What’s different now is that all-white does not mean the same white, since variations add depth and visual appeal. White can go from stark white to creamy and beyond to pale blue-gray, says Razwillas. He also notes that when cabinets are white, home owners can choose bigger, bolder hardware.
  21. Outdoor living. Interest in spending time outdoors keeps mushrooming, and 2015 will hold a few new options for enhancing the space, including outdoor showers adjacent to pools and hot tubs along with better-equipped roof decks for urban dwellers. Also expect to see improvements in perks for pets, such as private dog runs and wash stations, says landscape architect Jean Garbarini of Damon Farber Associates.
While it’s fun to be au courant with the latest trends, it’s also wise to put what’s newest in perspective for your clients. Remind them that the ultimate decision to update should hinge on their needs and budgets, not stargazers’ tempting predictions.
at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Realtor in Thousand Oaks, Conejo Valley

I help people selling their homes get them sold quickly and almost always at 100% asking, even over in some markets. I save my real estate b...