Is the Stolid New Home Industry Headed for a Shake-up?
When it comes to industries, you’d have to place Rehoboth Beach real estate into the “stolid” category. The rules are set and agreed-upon. Everything having to do with real estate is entirely “real”—the opposite of “imaginary.” Certainly not frivolous, fleeting, or mercurial.
Major changes don’t come about often or quickly. It is true that one facet of the way real estate business is conducted has undergone a noticeable change due to the web. But that is actually only a shift in how clients find and qualify properties they might be interested in. They still overwhelmingly rely on real estate professionals to take responsibility for the consequential details of buying and selling.
But wait!
A new technology suddenly presents the possibility of making a substantial difference when it comes to new homes—one that might come to pass pretty quickly. It promises to shave as much as 30% off the total cost of constructing new Rehoboth Beach homes. If and when that gets real, it’s hard not to envision widespread repercussions .
The technology involved is 3-D printing—up until now, a technology that has been confined to a ‘gee whiz’ futuristic corner of the residential construction industry. But if Texas startup Icon, Inc. is to be believed, by the end of this year, it will be producing printers that can create up to 2,000 square foot bungalows in a matter of days. That’s 80% of today’s average-size home.
Their Vulcan II is a machine that can print concrete walls as wide as 28 feet and 8 ½ feet high—in any number of patterns. An automatic mixer pumps concrete into the printer, which pours it into place (actually, it squeezes it out “like icing on a cake”). Following the programmed blueprint, it leaves precise voids for electrical wiring, plumbing, windows, and doors, all of which are conventionally installed. Material wastage is all but eliminated. Today as much as a third of conventional materials typically end up in the trash.
This might seem more sci-fi than reality, but the photos of the printer in action that accompanied the Wall Street Journal’s writeup make that unlikely. To be sure, technical barriers will have to be overcome before we’re likely to see 3-D printed new homes in Rehoboth Beach—but the effect of a substantial reverse in the skyrocketing costs of new construction could well make affordable housing more than a political rallying cry. HUD secretary Ben Carson calls it “a game changer.”
Keeping abreast of Rehoboth Beach’s new and existing home market allows me to provide my clients guidance that’s timely—and sometimes critical. Call me anytime! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
- Details
- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Among Homes for Sale Features, a Surprise ‘Must-Have’ Leader
This spring’s Rehoboth Beach, DE homes for sale will, as always, highlight the special features that make them stand out. Just which features those are for today’s buyers is what realtor.com calls “the billion-dollar real estate question.” Zeroing in on them is the goal of a number of “must-have” lists. One of the most carefully-researched of those was just announced—and it’s topped by a surprisingly practical feature. It’s one that reached the number one position for the first time ever.
The National Association of Home Builders’ Home Buyer Preferences poll strongly indicates that practicality is growing in importance in buyers’ minds. It’s still a cinch that a stunning, well laid out kitchen will always rate high on most everybody’s must-have list—and that a leading 21st-century contender is the open-concept design. But the 4,000 respondents’ answer to that billion-dollar real estate question was, as one commentator put it, “both surprising and extremely practical.”
So: what is that top feature—the one that 91% of 2019 homebuyers said was a have-to-have?
It’s “a laundry room.”
When you think about it, it does make good practical sense—and it’s not hard to see why it deserves a prominent place in many a Rehoboth Beach, DE home shopper’s checkoff list. Today’s washers and dryers are energy efficient, quiet, and many really do do a superior job compared with their predecessors. But if their placement is a design afterthought, who wants to be constantly stepping over piles of dirty laundry, or around stacks of to-be-sorted baskets?
A well-situated laundry room allows the whole business to remain neatly sidelined until laundry day. And for the launderer or laundress, a well-lit, dedicated room instead of a dark corner of the garage or basement makes the chore a much more pleasant one.
Still, realtor.com is right: “laundry room” is a surprising Number One—probably because it lacks glamour. Even so, I’m betting builders will take note.
If your own property will be among this spring’s Rehoboth Beach, DE homes for sale, even if it lacks a dedicated laundry room, it might be worthwhile to direct some creativity toward improving the laundry area—possibly with additional lighting or an ingenious shelving solution. Give me a call, too—I’ll be happy to share other tried-and-true ideas for making your property one of Rehoboth Beach, DE’s gotta-have homes! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
- Details
- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Four Fixes the Best Rehoboth Beach, DE Real Estate Agents Recommend
The topic of preventive maintenance seems particularly timely, given last week’s record-breaking polar vortex and the many tales of household plumbing disasters it spawned.
The best Rehoboth Beach, DE real estate agents do more than just represent their selling clients in the marketing, negotiation, and documentation of their homes’ sale—they also roll up their sleeves to make the entire process less anxiety-producing. One of the ways the best Rehoboth Beach, DE real estate agents keep the process on an even keel is to offer advice on heading off surprises—especially the havoc that a maintenance breakdown can cause when showings are imminent.
There are several areas that Rehoboth Beach, DE households can be threatened by—and you don’t have to have your house on the market to benefit from preventing them. Last month, the National Association of Realtors pointed out a batch of home maintenance areas that need attention—and four of them, if neglected, could cause major headaches:
· Water heater spill. Water heaters can suddenly cease to function—or even flood an area if corrosion is rampant. The preventive measure many Rehoboth Beach, DE homeowners aren’t even aware of is to “flush” it. Just turn off the power or gas to the heater, open a hot water tap elsewhere for a few minutes to lower the temperature in the heater, then put a bucket under the water heaters drain valve and drain until no sandy stuff is in it. Be careful—the water might still be hot.
· Test for leaks. Since even slow leaks can cause major damage behind walls, it's worthwhile to be sure none are going on. Read your water meter, don’t use any water for four hours, then take another reading. If the readout has changed, you’ve got a leak.
· Wash the clothes dryer’s lint screen. Additives from fabric softener and dryer sheets can gum it up. To remove any grease and oil, simply soak the screen in hot water and dishwashing detergent. You’ll save on your energy bill—and might even prevent dangerous overheating.
· Refrigerator mold. The drip pan below your refrigerator can breed disgusting mold if it’s left unchecked. Remove the kick panel, trace the defrost drain line that runs down to it, and be sure it’s not clogged (if it is, you may be able to clear it with a wire coat hanger). Be gentle when you pull out the drip pan—too often, it’s full!
But the best Rehoboth Beach, DE real estate agents make it part of our service to bring our experience to bear in heading off the kind of household maintenance “surprises” that can push a homeowner’s stress level through the roof—double when your home is up for sale. To keep surprises at a minimum, give me a call! Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
- Details
- Written by Jimmie Bachand
Multigenerational Trend Counters Downsizing Wave
Downsizing has gotten a lot of attention as Baby Boomers—many of whom have become empty-nesters—discover that they don’t need the space, expense, and elbow grease required to keep up the family property. But there is a counter-trend that could well explain the popularity (and desirability) of many big ol’ Rehoboth Beach, DE homes. It’s a multigenerational thing.
It was to be expected that multigenerational family households became more numerous following the Great Recession. After all, when jobs became scarce, incomes stagnated, and foreclosure rates skyrocketed, the idea of moving back home with mom and dad became a practical necessity for many Rehoboth Beach, DE families.
Enter the term “multigenerational family living.” It’s defined as the inclusion of two or more adult generations—or including grandparents and grandchildren under 25 years of age—in a single residence. That lifestyle choice had been steadily declining from 21% in 1950 to 12% thirty years later. But beginning in 1980, that trend reversed—sharply so, during the economic turmoil of 2007-2009. Although that rapid increase has since slowed, today it is still on the rise.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 51.5 million Americans lived in multigenerational households in 2009 (that’s 17% of the entire population). Compare that with the latest count from Pew Research, which registered 60.6 million (19%) in 2014.
Pew explains part of the trend as a cultural phenomenon stemming from the growing diversity of the U.S. population. Cultural preferences among some Asian and Hispanic groups—as well as with some foreign-born Americans—tilt toward multigenerational living. But in recent years, young adults make up the age group “most likely” to add to the trend. Previously, the elderly had led the way, but by 2014, for young adults aged 18 through 34, living with parents surpassed other living arrangements for the first time ever.
What this means for Rehoboth Beach, DE home sellers is simply that there is a measurable counter-trend to the more widely publicized downsizing phenomenon. Whether your own residence is right-sized for multiple generations or single ones, there are buyers out there eager to take a look tour. Call/Text me Russell Stucki at (302) 228-7871, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit more listings at www.beachrealestatemarket.com.
- Details
- Written by Jimmie Bachand
