Nothing stays the

same, and that includes the housing market.

Today, increasingly

diverse types of people buy homes. The dream of

home ownership is not exclusive to married

couples with two growing children and a dog. And

the different demographic groups that compose the

housing market want different home features, so

architects have devised many new design trends to

suit their customers' needs.

Empty-nesters and

seniors strongly influence today's design trends

in all parts of the country, not only those areas

with warmer climates. Migration to the Sun Belt

has slowed down. Many people now choose to stay

in the neighborhoods where they've raised their

children, but they still want new houses that

accommodate their new lifestyles.

Empty-nesters and

seniors prefer smaller homes with more amenities.

Oftentimes, their new, smaller houses cost the

same as the larger homes in which they've raised

their families. They are just spending the money

on different features.

For instance, they

want fewer, but not smaller, bedrooms stocked

with luxurious amenities. And many seniors are

exploring the benefits of one-story living.

Many of today's

homeowners value high ceilings. Architects claim

that two or three years ago, 9-foot ceilings were

rare in new homes. Today, most have high

ceilings, and some architects now design rooms

with 10-foot ceilings.

Americans want

homes with uniquely designed interior space. When

today's new home buyers visit their neighbors,

they don't want to feel like they're in a carbon

copy of their own homes. Homebuyers want elegant,

comfortable and inviting rooms - they want

to feel at home.

Many new home

buyers purchase homes in neighborhoods built

around courtyards, not cul-de-sacs. Individual

yards in communities that feature courtyards are

smaller, and homes are spaced closer together.

Courtyards can serve as an area for social

gatherings and encourage casual

neighbor-to-neighbor interaction.

Many architects

design today's new houses "in the

round" with the family room as the focal

point of the interior. Oftentimes, the kitchen is

also a dominant room.

Other design

features common in some of today's homes include

larger garages to house more cars, boats or lawn

equipment; more pre-manufactured and

environmentally sensitive materials; more

high-tech features; easy-to-maintain exterior

surfaces; and flexible space.

(Jeff Betsill,

owner of Jeff Betsill Homes, is president of the

Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia,

which serves a membership of approximately 410

builders and associate members in Fayette,

Coweta, Spalding, Heard and Meriwether Counties.)