There is a trend within American society of more people isolating themselves within their homes. The cause for this isolation include: Tougher laws on smoking and drinking in public, drinking and driving, and increased levels of smog, road rage, muggings, and fuel prices.
Similarly, it is much easier in today's society to have products such as groceries and gifts along with services such as education, personal trainers, and dog glooming delivered right to one's home. Another reason why more people are staying at home has to do with the increased cost for goods and services without corresponding increases to wages.
With our ever-increasing urban, suburban and rural populations comes more traffic and general irritation in our daily lives. Developers and manufacturers have responded to this trend and have thus developed home media centers some of which rival movie theaters, home exercise equipment that is often equal to the equipment found in gyms and health clubs, and office furnishings and equipment that often exceed what one would find in an office setting. Also, some of the newer homes have storage space and refrigerators comparable to what one might find in small local market. These trends are in direct response to people preferring to stay in their homes as opposed to dealing with the stresses related to traffic, parking, lines, and bad customer service all so one can spend $20.00 to see a movie.
For others there are economic reasons for this trend of staying home. The cost of housing means that many young people live at home longer; some never move out. Extended family members such as a mother-in-law, or brother or sister share a home with other family members. This occurs because the cost of living has risen dramatically in the past decade, yet the average person's wage lags significantly behind. The result is a continual loss of economic power among the lower and middle classes and in order to make ends meet people are pooling their resources. For others who lack this option, they become highly selective in what they do so that they can reserve as much of their monthly income for things like rent or mortgage, basic utilities, and food.
In the not-so-distant past the home's primary function was to serve as a place to eat and sleep in relative safety. Most everything else was done outside the home -- working, socializing, exercising, getting an education, shopping. What this means for developers and realtors is that the home no longer serves simply as shelter. It is also the place where we earn money, recreate and exercise. Therefore, realtors and developers need to be in tune with their homebuyers' daily activities to determine what functions they will expect from their new homes.
In light of the many social and economic changes in the past decades it is not surprising that people are gravitating to larger homes. A home with more square footage and more rooms affords many more options in the way it can be used. Many homes now have private exercise rooms, offices and hobby rooms in addition to bedroom, living room and other traditional areas. The flip side to this is that we are seeing more social isolation. Therefore developers and realtors need to collaborate better with other design and human service fields in order to identify ways that will facilitate healthier environments for everyone.
