Homes of the future

I looked at the sign that showed a map of the newly built neighborhood. At a time when real estate has taken a real beating along with the job market and general all-pervasive economic lethargy, it was amazing to see new construction happening in this area. In each street, there was at least one house on sale – Plateau realty, Cascade Realtors, Coldwell Banker, Windermere Real Estate; these are just a few of the real estate companies representing the sellers. I am sure most of the homes were selling at much lower prices than what had been paid for them a couple of years ago. However, the builder of new homes had not been deterred. He listed a variety of types of homes that had been constructed, for a variety of budgets and families. There were townhomes, carriage homes, single family homes, hillside cottages, garden cottages, suburban lofts, garden flats and condominiums. Space had been utilized judiciously such that these homes offering a range of square footage, garages for cars, front and back yards were juxtaposed to give a wholesome appearance of a connected community.

Of all these choices, I was intrigued by the concept of “live-work townhouses”. It is a smart idea. The compact 3-level townhouses which share adjacent walls with neighbors, face the street. Each has a separate entrance and space for a home office while keeping the rest of the house secluded. No commute, ideal for independent businesses and service providers. An accountant in the corner of the row had an understated but prominent sign which simply said “CPA” along with a telephone number. Another one housed a freelance photographer. There was “Shanti” offering European facials, while a real estate agent had her office-cum-home next door. Given the current climate of lay-offs, people moving into more compact accommodation and looking for other avenues of income, I thought the idea of offering you a home from where you could work without intrusion, was a timely one. I would love to have such an option in Hyderabad for my own work from home situation.

I wondered if the builder had done well with the other types of houses. The fact that something new was springing up at a time when there were gloom and doom predictions everywhere, showed faith in continuity and long term potential of a place. A few years back, prices in the Issaquah Highlands community had skyrocketed when word got around that Microsoft might expand towards this side. When that did not happen, the desirability of the community for other reasons, including a good elementary school allowed it to retain its premium status. Now the scene is quite discouraging in most parts of US. But there is always hope. A large hospital is coming up close by and will certainly lead to increased interest in housing around it. So everyone tries to stay put while some enterprising souls, like the builder, go ahead with a steady eye on the future.