Our society seems to run on trends.  People are always searching for the latest coolest thing to do, wear or say.  Housing is no exception to this.  Often times we see people giving their homes the latest trend make over in order to sell it fast.   Anyone can google the latest housing trend or in fact all they have to do is open up the latest pottery barn or crate n’ barrel magazines to see it.  But for those people looking to remodel and not sell until a year or 2 down the road.  What about them?  How can they make best use of their money now?  Should they put granite/stainless steel in the kitchen?  Or will it just be outdated in 2 years?  Trends are always hard to predict, but there are a few that are starting to fall by the wayside.  According to a recent article I read theses seem to be the top trends leaving… I’m not sure I agree with all of these.  I’ll post my opinion in italics…

1. Fireplaces: The fireplace skyrocketed in importance in homes in 1991 with 62 percent of new homes having one or more. But the number has steadily been decreasing ever since. In 2007, the number dropped to 51 percent. 

I’m not sure I agree with this one.  In my area, most of the fireplaces don’t work but people still love having them around.  There is a sense of nostalgiawhen it comes to a fireplace.  Especially the Rookwood ones we have.

2. Carpet: While 54 percent of homes still have carpet floors, the number is decreasing and hardwood floors are taking the place. Vinyl and ceramic tile flooring also are being bypassed more by buyers. Seventeen percent of new homes contain hardwood floors throughout the entire house. 

I do agree with this.  Most buyers I have prefer to have hardwood floors.  Some of them still want carpet in the bedrooms.

3. Living room: These once-decorative centerpieces of homes are slowly vanishing from newer homes. Thirty-four percent of consumers say they’re willing to buy a home without a living room.

I’m assuming that this is the ‘formal living room’ that new construction and older homes don’t have.  I find people want a family/living type room.  Gone are the days of the family room and a formal living room. Today’s buyer wants a room that will work for both purposes.

4. Desks in the kitchen: These desks were once looked at as great storage areas but they’re often too small and quickly become clutter spaces in a home, said Gayle Butler, editor in chief of Better Homes and Gardens. Instead, more consumers say they prefer larger desks in or near the family room—equipped with a messaging center—where they can keep an eye on their kids as they work on the computer.

Ha Ha, this one makes me laugh.   Of course these aren’t in any of the older homes I sell.  But I do see them in the suburbs.   We actually had one in the house I grew up in.  My mom used it all of the time.  Of course those were they days before the personal computer.  Now, we’ve got home offices and computer rooms taking the place of these spaces.  People find it a waste of space today.

5. Skylights: The little windows that allow natural light to seep into a home from above are falling out of style. Only 10 percent of new homes will include them this year, a continuing downward spiral for skylights.

I don’t have anyone that dislikes skylights.  I don’t really see this one as being a dying trend.

6. Upscale kitchen finishes: Granite counter tops are slowly becoming less desirable among buyers who are now moving toward affordable, low-maintenance laminate countertops—which tend to last longer and now come in various styles.

This still seems to be a trend in our Cincinnati market.  Everyone is wanting the granite and stainless steel kitchens.  I have often thought of all these kitchens becoming outdated relatively quickly.  My thought is, don’t do it to sell.  Do it because you want to and enjoy it while you’ve got it. 

When it comes to equipping your home with the latest and greatest you take a risk that it will become outdated eventually.  If you enjoy it, then its worth the money.  Have you seen any trends out there that you think are going by the way side?

I’m so excited and happy that this past week I purchased a new furnace.  As I was sitting there with the my guy Dan from Apollo signing the paper work and picking out my new machine, I thought to myself “you know you’re growing up when purchasing a new furnace gets you all pumped up.”  I think Dan was tickled seeing me get so excited about it.  Well, what’s not to be excited about?  My Duke bills will be lower this winter, i will actually be warm in my house without feeling guilty and I’m helping the environment by upgrading my efficiency!  YIPPEE!

My old furnace (and i’m sad i didn’t take a picture of it before they started dismantling it) was a Williamson probably installed somewhere between the 1960’s-1970’s.  When I purchased my house 3 years ago, my inspector told me that my old Williamson furnace is a “work horse” and will never die.  In fact it’s rumored that Williamson put themselves out of business because their equipment never broke down and never needed replacing!  Not sure how true that is, but everyone in the real estate biz around here seems to know that story.  This furnace was so inefficient that everytime I would hear it crank up in the basemnt I would just see dollar bills floating out the windows.  My heating bills weren’t outrageous, but I also wasn’t very warm for the prices I was paying.  So, now I can feel comfortable both temperature and pocket book. 

Here are some before and after photos of the furnace: 

The Old Heat Exchanger - Its so BIG!The NEW heat exchanger

The New 95% Eff Furnace!

The ENTIRE new furnace could fit inside the duct work of the old furnace!  WOW!

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