Welcome to the "Z" Team!

Kitchens are losing their image as just a place for cooking. They’ve also become a place to gather with family, entertain, and even work, which is influencing how buyers are perceiving the possibilities of the space. As such, more home owners are trying to make it feel less like a kitchen and more as an almost second living room. 

For example, some home owners are opting to hide their appliances, such as with under counter refrigerator drawers and dishwashers-in-a-drawer, a trend that the National Kitchen & Bath Association noted earlier this year. 

Another trend catching on: Fewer upper cabinets. A kitchen filled with cabinetry is a hard look, says Susan Serra, a home designer in Huntington, N.Y., who specializes in kitchens. Less kitchen cabinets make a kitchen feel more open and allow the walls, windows, and light to show through. 

In 2003, Serra began her own kitchen home renovation, seeking to add more comfort into her kitchen. She added a sofa near a window nook (raising the sofa up so it was proper dining height) and a 36-inch, recessed television in the breakfast area. She also removed the wall kitchen cabinets, keeping only doorless, base cabinets that she hid with a long skirt on a curtain rod. 

“Putting comfort into the kitchen was amazing,” Serra says. “It encouraged socialization, people wanted to hang out in the kitchen, look out the window, and watch media.” 

Serra and interior design expert Ashley Whittenberger, founder and owner of Interiority Complex, provided tips in REALTOR® Magazine this month on how you can stage a home for sale using this cozy kitchen trend, such as how to use kitchen islands and lighting to create the look. (To read their tips, read Buyers Want Cozy, Connected Kitchens.) 

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

Three to four years ago when home prices were at their peak, there were people who wished they could have gone back in time to buy a house before prices went though the stratosphere.  At the same time, there were other people that decided to wait for prices to come down before buying a house. For both sets of people, it would appear that the time has come. Today prices have come down to the 2002 levels, so for the people that wanted to go back in time, here is your chance to go back to 2002. Now for the people who said they wanted to wait until prices come down, now is the time, because prices are at historic lows after being at historic highs. 
To keep things real, you’re going to have both sets of groups that will find fault with this line of reasoning. The ones who wanted to go back in time to 2000, (Home values doubled in many areas from 2000 to 2006.), its just not far back enough for them. They want the magic time machine to go back further to maybe, what like 1985? (The problem is, the 1980s experienced interest rates going up to 20% on home loans.)
For the people who were waiting for prices to come down until they bought, they want to see prices come down even lower! Say another 50%?
The old adage applies; “you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” It would seem that the procrastinators waiting to buy a home will be saying the same thing when prices rise and they miss the boat, “again.”
Now out of those two groups, the ones that have a better chance to have their wish come true might be the ones looking for prices to come down, although it’s very doubtful they will see another 50% drop in value. They might see another 15-20%, but interest rates could increase, and decrease buying power.
With the vast changes to the real estate industry and the government’s involvement along with ever greater influences the Internet is having, it’s hard to see what the future holds.
But, looking back on the real estate industry over the past 60 years, appreciation has occurred. So if you’re in one of the groups of people that really wants to buy a home, now would be a good time to get an idea of what you can afford to buy and find a Real Estate agent to help you find a house that will fit your needs.

Related articles by Zemanta

• In Manhattan, the Real Estate Brokers Can ‘Breathe Again’ (blogs.wsj.com)