Category Archives: Reset

Observations on Housing

Written on December 21, 2012 at 9:11 pm, by

In an August inFocus on the housing market, we wrote about some ways in which the buying public have re-prioritized what they value while also dealing with different financial realities.   The following are some recent facts and events that begin to illustrate the new reality of housing- that the majority of new construction will be multi-family, smaller and  Continue Reading »

Process Over Products

Written on November 12, 2012 at 9:39 pm, by

As we have been discussing, consumers now trust their shopping “process”, which includes things such as comparison shopping, blog reviews and friend queries more than they trust any specific product or brand.   Yabbly  is a new community-based question and answer Website and app  which allows consumers to receive feedback on potential purchases from others who  Continue Reading »

Go Big, Go Small or You Aren’t Selling a Home

Written on October 15, 2012 at 2:54 pm, by

For home builders the message from the market is clear: it is now go multi-generation, go micro, or get stuck with investory.   With one quarter of 25-to-34 year olds living with their parents, multi-generation homes are becoming more practical for many families.  In the U.S. as a whole, the number of 25- to 34-year  Continue Reading »

Rethinking Lifestyles

Written on June 6, 2012 at 6:22 pm, by

Results are in from this year’s Kinder Houston Area Survey, a 30-year old survey of Houston area residents conducted by Rice University. Fifty-one percent of respondents said they would choose a smaller home within walking distance of workplaces and shops, rather than a single-family home with a big yard that would require driving almost everywhere.  Continue Reading »

Generational Divide

Written on May 10, 2012 at 7:23 pm, by

Rutgers recently surveyed hundreds of young adults who graduated from college between 2006 and 2011. Only half are working full-time and six-in-ten think they’ll end up less financially successful than their elders. Workers who graduated in 2009, 2010 and 2011 earned a median starting salary of $27,000, or $3,000 less than graduates of previous years.  Continue Reading »