Many homeowners have turned their attention to enhancing their outdoor space since the pandemic began—and that may pay off at resale, according to a new survey from the National Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Ninety-two percent of REALTORS® say they recommend that sellers improve their curb appeal prior to listing, finds the 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features. REALTORS® most often recommend general landscaping maintenance, standard lawn care service and tree trimming.
“It’s no surprise that nearly all REALTORS® and most homeowners place a high value on the curb appeal of a well-maintained yard,” says NALP CEO Britt Wood. “Healthy outdoor living and green spaces help the environment, increase home values, make communities more desirable and improve people’s mental and physical health.”
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way Americans use their homes for daily living, relaxation and entertainment, adds Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist and vice president of research. “Homeowners have embraced their outdoor spaces, transforming them into oases with pools, patios, plants and greenery,” Lautz says. “These outdoor features … can also attract buyers if the owner wants to sell.”
Prioritizing Outdoor Projects for Resale
Most homeowners indicate a desire for an in-ground pool or an outdoor fire feature, but the ROI on these items may not be as high as simple lawn care and landscape maintenance, the report finds. The survey defines “standard lawn care service” as six seasonal applications of fertilizer and/or weed control on a 5,000-square-foot lawn and “landscape maintenance” as mulch application, regular lawn mowing, pruning shrubs and planting about 60 perennials or annuals.
The features that make homeowners happiest, however, aren’t necessarily the ones that earn the most at resale. The least expensive projects, such as standard lawn care service, have the highest cost recovery but one of the lowest “joy” rankings from homeowners, according to the survey. Instead, the report found that the following outdoor projects received the highest satisfaction marks among homeowners:
In-ground pool
Landscape lighting
New patio
New wood deck
Fire feature
On the other hand, the items that ranked the lowest on homeowners’ “joy” scale were:
Outdoor kitchen
Tree care
Standard lawn care service
Installing a yard irrigation system
The majority of landscape professionals surveyed say the size and scope of outdoor home improvement projects have increased since the pandemic began. REALTORS® surveyed say the landscape projects they’ve seen most often since the pandemic began are the addition of an in-ground pool, landscape maintenance and a new patio.
This is a byline post from Liz Gehringer, President and CEO, Anywhere Franchise Brands, Acting President, Coldwell Banker Affiliate Business, COO, Coldwell Banker Real Estate
Housing inequalities, a growing wealth gap in the United States and a lack of resources among disenfranchised communities are major restrictions preventing an increase in Black homeownership. To ensure that people of color have equal access to homeownership, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) is prioritizing several initiatives including shrinking racial inequalities and financial hurdles.
As we enter National Fair Housing Month, I had an opportunity to connect with four leaders who are working tirelessly to create equal paths to homeownership for all. Lydia Pope, president of NAREB, is kicking off this series by sharing the initiatives the organization is investing in to address fair housing.
Gehringer: What is the current state of fair housing?
Pope: While we’ve made great strides in creating equal opportunities to homeownership, there remains a lot of room for growth. Marginalized communities continue to face racial inequalities and lack access to the same resources that their white counterparts are afforded in the search of their dream home. NAREB is hoping to bring awareness to these issues to help tackle them and guide people through them.
Gehringer: To what extent have Black Americans been impacted by housing and wealth inequalities?
Pope: Homeownership for the Black community has declined nearly 20% since 2008. Despite the enactment of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which was designed to offer legal protections from housing discrimination, the homeownership gap continues to expand further disenfranchising the most marginalized. In 1960, 38% of Black Americans owned homes while White homeownership was at 65%, a 27-point gap. Forward to 2021 and the United States has experienced the largest homeownership spread since 1890 with 44.6% of Black Americans owning a home and 74.2% for Whites, a 29.6-point gap.
Gehringer: Are there any dynamics and obstacles impacting Black homeownership?
Pope: It is evident that blatant, race-related barriers are hindering the expansion of Black wealth in America. The average white family possesses eight times the wealth of a Black family of similar stature. The median net worth for Black households is $24,000 compared to $188,000 for White families. The cycle can only be broken by improving the major driver of Black wealth – intergenerational homeownership that yields prosperity and family economic security.
America’s public and private sectors claim to be committing to a more equitable society, one with opportunities for wealth and success regardless of race or ethnicity. But to make racial equity a reality, government, corporate and civic leaders must address the wealth and home ownership gaps that diminish the aspirations, hopes, and dreams of Black families and individuals.
For many Black families, one of the biggest hurdles is saving money for the down payment on a house. Their income level may qualify them for a mortgage, but they struggle to come up with the upfront costs. In passing H.R. 5376, the original Build Back Better Act, the House included a $10 billion down payment grant program for first-time, first-generation homebuyers. Options currently exist for down payment assistance, but most come with onerous conditions such as adding a second mortgage or stricter wage and credit score requirements making it harder to qualify for a mortgage. As the Senate pares down H.R. 5376 to attract support needed for passage in reconciliation, it’s critical that the down payment provisions remain in the bill.
Gehringer: How has fair housing progressed over the past few years?
Pope: The Economic Policy Institute has reported that African Americans have made significant advances in educational achievement, health, wealth, and wages since the fair housing act was passed.
President Joe Biden has issued a directive specifically calling on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to undo historic patterns of segregation and other types of discrimination in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing. Recently, this department made available over $19.4 million in American Rescue Plan funding to agencies working to address the unequal impact the COVID pandemic has had on communities of color, low-income communities and other vulnerable populations. This funding provides resources and support to victims of housing discrimination and is being used to conduct housing education and outreach activities, as well as address fair housing inquiries, complaints and investigations.
HUD has also endorsed the use of Special Purpose Credit Programs to help address inequities in barriers to credit and homeownership. The Special Purpose Credit Program is a tool that allows banks to meet the specific needs of these historically disadvantaged groups. HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge has asked government agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve, Federal Housing Finance Agency and National Credit Union Association to expand homeownership opportunities for those who have been and continue to be systemically excluded from the housing and credit markets.
Gehringer: How is NAREB tackling fair housing issues in 2023?
Pope: To address racial inequalities and financial hurdles faced by Black Americans, NAREB is prioritizing the elimination of loan-level price adjusters and penalty fees for borrowers to access down payment assistance. The organization is also working to expand down payment assistance, especially for first time homebuyers, and is leveraging special purpose credit programs. Lastly, NAREB strives to end discriminatory and abusive appraisal practices and ultimately, aiming to fix the broken and out-of-date finance system in the housing industry.
Making a Difference
I am honored to champion and uplift the voices of the industry’s biggest trailblazers in housing equality. Throughout the month of April Coldwell Banker will be hosting a full series right here on the Blue Matter blog, sharing how Coldwell Banker-affiliated leaders are working to reduce housing inequities and ways you can serve the mission.
The demise of three banks last week has been sending shockwaves through an already fragile economy. Could it have an impact on real estate, too?
“The Silicon Valley Bank failure, along with a few other banks, means that the Federal Reserve cannot be so aggressive in raising its short-term interest rates,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS®. “Therefore, mortgage rates will decline.”
Mortgage rates had been steadily rising in recent weeks, with the 30-year fixed-rate loan averaging 6.73% last week, according to Freddie Mac. The Fed has been making a series of aggressive rate increases, which may indirectly influence mortgage rates, over the last few months. Home buyers have been up against affordability woes, as mortgage rates are nearly double what they were just a year ago.
But as of Monday, mortgage rates had fallen about 50 basis points lower than last week. Yun says that when there is a panic in the financial market, investors often shift money toward safer assets, which tends to be U.S. Treasury notes and bonds. Mortgage rates lately have tended to follow the movement of Treasury yields, which are falling.
“So, a panic in a sense leads to an automatic stimulus to the economy from lower interest rates,” Yun says in public comments on LinkedIn. “The housing sector nearly always responds to falling mortgage rates, especially when there are job additions to the economy.” And if rates do head lower, more home buyers undoubtedly would still enter the housing market in response, he adds.
Bank Failures Spark Panic
Last Friday, the shutdown of Silicon Valley Bank became the second largest bank failure in U.S. history and the largest since the 2008 financial crisis. The bank was known as a large supporter of tech startups. About 15% of the loans in Silicon Valley Bank’s portfolio were residential and commercial mortgages, The Real Deal reported. Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital, both big lenders in the cryptocurrency space, also shuttered their doors.
To help avoid mass panic, the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Treasury Department created an emergency program to backstop all deposits using the Fed’s emergency lending authority. That granted depositors full access to their funds as of Monday, and the agencies vowed to make all depositors whole. Usually, banks only insure up to $250,000 per account ownership category through the FDIC, an agency that was created in 1933 after thousands of bank failures. In this case, the federal government’s move to backstop uninsured money has been viewed as an unusual step.
President Joe Biden has been offering assurance to Americans that banks are safe. He vowed on Monday to “strengthen oversight and regulations of larger banks so that we are not in this position again.”
Meanwhile, the bank failures may be a sign of trouble ahead for the tech industry. “Some businesses reliant on funding from Silicon Valley Bank [and others] may lack capital to continue its business or have to cut back,” Yun says. There could be some job losses ahead as a result, especially among some California tech companies, he adds. Local housing markets may be hampered by those job losses. But “broadly across the country,” Yun says, “more home buyers will enter the market [because of] lower mortgage rates.”
The majority of homeowners say they would like to lighten up their home’s exterior with a neutral color palette, according to a new survey of more than 1,400 respondents conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by Alside, an exterior building product firm. The top five most popular siding colors for 2023, as identified by survey respondents, are:
Off-white/cream
White
Light gray
Light brown
Medium blue
“It’s interesting to compare the national survey data to what we’re seeing in the market,” says Chase Creighton, business director of vinyl & composite cladding for homebuilding firm Associated Materials. “The farmhouse trend is driving more of the preference of homeowners choosing white and light colors. It’s possible, too, that cost may be a driver. As building material prices have risen, consumers may have gravitated toward lower cost options and away from premium colors.”
In fact, Alside, in its review of its company’s sales data, found that demand for white siding paint has more than doubled since 2018. View some of the leading siding colors below.
Every house has a unique architectural style, and sometimes it has two or more. Renovations and new, eclectic mixes make fitting a home into one specific category daunting or even impossible. Thankfully, there’s no need to memorize complicated architectural terminology. REALTOR® Magazine has compiled a guide to common residential architectural styles. Read about the details that give a home character, history, and romance.
The 1925 Paris Exhibition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs launched the Art Deco style, which echoed the Machine Age with geometric decorative elements and a vertically oriented design. This distinctly urban style was never widely used in residential buildings; it was more widespread in public and commercial buildings of the period.
Towers and other projections above the roofline enhance the vertical emphasis of this style, which was popularized by Hollywood movies of the 1930s. Flat roofs, metal window casements, and smooth stucco walls with rectangular cut-outs mark the exteriors of Art Deco homes. Facades are typically flush with zigzags and other stylized floral, geometric, and “sunrise” motifs. By 1940 the Art Deco style had evolved into “Art Moderne,” which features curved corners, rectangular glass-block windows, and a boat-like appearance. Popularized in the United States by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, the style enjoyed a revival in the 1980s.
These narrow, rectangular one and one-half story houses originated in California during the 1880s as a reaction to the elaborate decoration of Victorian homes. The style then moved eastward to the Midwest in the early 20th century, where it remained popular until the Great Depression. Bungalows have low-pitched gabled or hipped roofs and small covered porches at the entry. The style became so popular that you could order a bungalow kit from Sears and Roebuck catalog. The name “bungalow” had its origins in India, where it indicated a small, thatched home.
Some of the first houses built in the United States were Cape Cods. The original colonial Cape Cod homes were shingle-sided, one-story cottages with no dormers. During the mid-20th century, the small, uncomplicated Cape Cod shape became popular in suburban developments. A 20th-century Cape Cod is square or rectangular with one or one-and-a-half stories and steeply pitched, gabled roofs. It may have dormers and shutters. The siding is usually clapboard or brick.
America’s colonial period encompassed a number of housing types and styles. For more information about Colonial styles, see Cape Cod, Saltbox, Georgian, and Dutch Colonial. However, when we speak of the Colonial style, we often are referring to a rectangular, symmetrical home with bedrooms on the second floor. The double-hung windows usually have many small, equally sized square panes.
During the late 1800s and throughout the 20th century, builders borrowed Colonial ideas to create refined Colonial Revival homes with elegant central hallways and elaborate cornices. Unlike the original Colonials, Colonial Revival homes are often sided in white clapboard and trimmed with black or green shutters.
You know them by their odd-sized and often tall windows, their lack of ornamentation, and their unusual mixtures of wall materials—stone, brick, and wood, for instance. Architects designed Contemporary-style homes (in the Modern family) between 1950 and 1970, and created two versions: the flat-roof and gabled types. The latter is often characterized by exposed beams. Both breeds tend to be one-story tall and were designed to incorporate the surrounding landscape into their overall look.
Popularized at the turn of the 20th century by architect and furniture designer Gustav Stickley in his magazine, The Craftsman, the Craftsman-style bungalow reflected, said Stickley, “a house reduced to it’s simplest form… its low, broad proportions and absolute lack of ornamentation gives it a character so natural and unaffected that it seems to… blend with any landscape.”
The style, which was also widely billed as the “California bungalow” by architects such as Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, featured overhanging eaves, a low-slung gabled roof, and wide front porches framed by pedestal-like tapered columns. Material often included stone, rough-hewn wood, and stucco. Many homes have wide front porches across part of the front, supported by columns.
The Creole Cottage, which is mostly found in the South, originated in New Orleans in the 1700s. The homes are distinguished by a front wall that recedes to form a first-story porch and second-story balcony that stretch across the entire front of the structure. Full-length windows open into the balconies, and lacy ironwork characteristically runs across the second-story level. These two- and three-story homes are symmetrical in design with front entrances placed at the center.
“Creole French,” a variation of the basic Creole design, came into vogue in southern states in the 1940s and 1950s.
This American style originated in homes built by German, or “Deutsch” settlers in Pennsylvania as early as the 1600s. A hallmark of the style is a broad gambrel roof with flaring eaves that extend over the porches, creating a barn-like effect. Early homes were a single room, and additions were added to each end, creating a distinctive linear floor plan. End walls are generally of stone, and the chimney is usually located on one or both ends. Double-hung sash windows with outward swinging wood casements, dormers with shed-like overhangs, and a central Dutch double doorway are also common. The double door, which is divided horizontally, was once used to keep livestock out of the home while allowing light and air to filter through the open top. The style enjoyed a revival during the first three decades of the 20th century as the country looked back with nostalgia to its colonial past.
Ubiquitous up and down the East Coast, Federal-style architecture dates from the late 1700s and coincided with a reawakening of interest in classical Greek and Roman culture. Builders began to add swags, garlands, elliptical windows, and other decorative details to rectangular Georgian houses. The style that emerged resembles Georgian, but is more delicate and more formal. Many Federal-style homes have an arched Palladian window on the second story above the front door. The front door usually has sidelights and a semicircular fanlight. Federal-style homes are often called “Adam” after the English brothers who popularized the style.
Balance and symmetry are the ruling characteristics of this formal style. Homes are often brick with detailing in copper or slate. Windows and chimneys are symmetrical and perfectly balanced, at least in original versions of the style. Defining features include a steep, high, hip roof; balcony and porch balustrades; rectangle doors set in arched openings; and double French windows with shutters. Second-story windows usually have a curved head that breaks through the cornice.
The design had its origins in the style of rural manor homes, or chateaus, built by the French nobles during the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-1600s. The French Provincial design was a popular Revival style in the 1920s and again in the 1960s.
Befitting a king—in fact, the style is named for four King Georges of England—Georgian homes are refined and symmetrical with paired chimneys and a decorative crown over the front door. Modeled after the more elaborate homes of England, the Georgian style dominated the British colonies in the 1700s. Most surviving Georgians sport side-gabled roofs, are two to three stories high, and are constructed in brick. Georgian homes almost always feature an orderly row of five windows across the second story. Modern-day builders often combine features of the refined Georgian style with decorative flourishes from the more formal Federal style.
The influence of English romanticism and the mass production of elaborate wooden millwork after the Industrial Revolution fueled the construction of Gothic Revival homes in the mid-1800s. These picturesque structures are marked by “Gothic” windows with distinctive pointed arches; exposed framing timbers; and steep, vaulted roofs with cross-gables. Extravagant features may include towers and verandas. Ornate wooden detailing is generously applied as gable, window, and door trim.
American architects Alexander Jackson Davis and Andrew Jackson Downing championed Gothic in domestic buildings in the 1830s. Most Gothic Revival homes were constructed between 1840 and 1870 in the Northeast.
This style is predominantly found in the Midwest, South, New England, and Midatlantic regions, though you may spot subtypes in parts of California. Its popularity in the 1800s stemmed from archeological findings of the time, indicating that the Grecians had spawned Roman culture. American architects also favored the style for political reasons: the War of 1812 cast England in an unfavorable light; and public sentiment favored the Greeks in their war for independence in the 1820s.
Identify the style by its entry, full-height, or full-building width porches, entryway columns sized in scale to the porch type, and a front door surrounded by narrow rectangular windows. Roofs are generally gabled or hipped. Roof cornices sport a wide trim. The front-gable found in one subtype became a common feature in Midwestern and Northeastern residential architecture well into the 20th century. The townhouse variation is made up of narrow, urban homes that don’t always feature porches. Look for townhouses in Boston, Galveston, Texas., Mobile, Ala., New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Va., and Savannah, Ga.
Initiated by European architects—such as Mies van der Rohe—in the early 20th century, this is the style that introduced the idea of exposed functional building elements, such as elevator shafts, ground-to-ceiling plate glass windows, and smooth facades.
The style was molded from modern materials—concrete, glass, and steel—and is characterized by an absence of decoration. A steel skeleton typically supports these homes. Meanwhile, interior and exterior walls merely act as design and layout elements, and often feature dramatic, but nonsupporting projecting beams and columns. With its avant-garde elements, naturally the style appeared primarily in the East and in California.
Italianate homes, which appeared in Midwest, East Coast, and San Francisco areas between 1850 and 1880, can be quite ornate despite their solid square shape. Features include symmetrical bay windows in front; small chimneys set in irregular locations; tall, narrow, windows; and towers, in some cases. The elaborate window designs reappear in the supports, columns, and door frames.
This style emerged in 1853 when Boston merchant Thomas Larkin relocated to Monterey, Calif. The style updates Larkin’s vision of a New England Colonial with an Adobe brick exterior. The Adobe reflected an element of Spanish Colonial houses common in the Monterey area at the time. Later Monterey versions merged Spanish Eclectic with Colonial Revival styles to greater or lesser extents.
Larkin’s design also established a defining feature of Montereys: a second-floor with a balcony. At the time one-story homes dominated the Bay Area.
In today’s Montereys, balcony railings are typically styled in iron or wood; roofs are low pitched or gabled and covered with shingles—variants sometimes feature tiles—and exterior walls are constructed in stucco, brick, or wood.
Born out of the fundamental need for shelter, National-style homes, whose roots are set in Native American and pre-railroad dwellings, remain unadorned and utilitarian. The style is characterized by rectangular shapes with side gabled roofs or square layouts with pyramidal roofs. The gabled-front-and-wing style pictured here is the most prevalent type with a side-gabled wing attached at a right angle to the gabled front. Two subsets of the National style, known as “hall-and-parlor family” and “I-house,” are characterized by layouts that are two rooms wide and one room deep. Massed plan styles, recognized by a layout more than one room deep, often sport side gables and shed-roofed porches. You’ll find National homes throughout the country.
A well-publicized, world-class event can inspire fashion for years. At least that’s the case with the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, which showcased cutting-edge classical buildings that architects around the country emulated in their own residential and commercial designs. The Neoclassical style remained popular through the 1950s in incarnations from one-story cottages to multilevel manses. Its identifying Ionic or Corinthian columned porches often extend the full height of the house. Also typical: symmetrical facades, elaborate, decorative designs above and around doorways, and roof-line balustrades (low parapet walls).
In suburban Chicago in 1893, Frank Lloyd Wright, America’s most famous architect, designed the first Prairie-style house, and it’s still a common style throughout the Midwest. Prairie houses come in two styles—boxy and symmetrical or low-slung and asymmetrical. Roofs are low-pitched, with wide eaves. Brick and clapboard are the most common building materials. Other details: rows of casement windows; one-story porches with massive square supports; and stylized floral and circular geometric terra-cotta or masonry ornamentation around doors, windows, and cornices.
Taking its cues from Native American and Spanish Colonial styles, chunky looking Pueblos emerged around 1900 in California, but proved most popular in Arizona and New Mexico, where many original designs still survive.
The style is characterized by flat roofs, parapet walls with round edges, earth-colored stucco or adobe-brick walls, straight-edge window frames, and roof beams that project through the wall. The interior typically features corner fireplaces, unpainted wood columns, and tile or brick floors.
A sub-style of the late Victorian era, Queen Anne is a collection of coquettish detailing and eclectic materials. Steep cross-gabled roofs, towers, and vertical windows are all typical of a Queen Anne home. Inventive, multistory floor plans often include projecting wings, several porches and balconies, and multiple chimneys with decorative chimney pots.
Wooden “gingerbread” trim in scrolled and rounded “fish-scale” patterns frequently graces gables and porches. Massive cut stone foundations are typical of period houses. Created by English architect Richard Norman Shaw, the style was popularized after the Civil War by architect Henry Hobson Richardson and spread rapidly, especially in the South and West.
Sometimes called the California ranch style, this home in the Modern family, originated there in 1930s. It emerged as one of the most popular American styles in the 1950s and 60s, when the automobile had replaced early 20th-century forms of transportation, such as streetcars.
Now mobile homebuyers could move to the suburbs into bigger homes on bigger lots. The style takes its cues from Spanish Colonial and Prairie and Craftsman homes, and is characterized by its one-story, pitched-roof construction, built-in garage, wood or brick exterior walls, sliding and picture windows, and sliding doors leading to patios.
Although they borrow from the Georgian’s classic lines, Regency homes eschew ornamentation. They’re symmetrical, two or three stories, and usually built in brick. Typically, they feature an octagonal window over the front door, one chimney at the side of the house, double-hung windows, and a hip roof. They’ve been built in the United States since the early 1800s.
This New England Colonial style got its name because the sharply sloping gable roof that resembled the boxes used for storing salt. The step roofline often plunges from two and one-half stories in front to a single story in the rear. In Colonial times, the lower rear portion was often used as a partially enclosed shed, which was oriented north as a windbreak. These square or rectangular homes typically have a large central chimney and large, double-hung windows with shutters. Exterior walls are made of clapboard or shingles. In the South this style is known as a “cat’s slide” and was a popular in the 1800s.
Popular in the Midwest and Northeast, this Victorian style was fashionable for public buildings during Ulysses S. Grant’s presidency, but its elaborate, costly detail fell out of favor in the late 1800s for economic reasons. Second empire homes feature windows, molded cornices, and decorative brackets under the eaves. One subtype sports a rectangular tower at the front and center of the structure.
A subset of the Modern style, Shed homes were particular favorites of architects in the 1960s and 1970s. They feature multiple roofs sloping in different directions, which creates multigeometric shapes; wood shingle, board, or brick exterior cladding; recessed and downplayed front doorways; and small windows. There’s virtually no symmetry to the style.
This American style originated in cottages along the trendy, wealthy Northeastern coastal towns of Cape Cod, Long Island, and Newport in the late 19th century. Architectural publishers publicized it, but the style was never as popular around the country as the Queen Anne. Shingle homes borrow wide porches, shingles, and asymmetrical forms from the Queen Anne.
They’re also characterized by unadorned doors, windows, porches, and cornices; continuous wood shingles; a steeply pitched roof line; and large porches. The style hints at towers, but they’re usually just extensions of the roof line.
Tradition has it that if you fire a shotgun through the front doorway of this long, narrow home, the bullet will exit directly through the back door. The style is characterized by a single story with a gabled roof. Shotguns are usually only one room wide, with each room leading directly into the next. Exterior features include a vent on the front gable and a full front porch trimmed with gingerbread brackets and ornamentation. Mail-order plans and parts for shotgun homes were widely available at the turn-of-the-century, making it a popular, low-cost structure to build in both urban and suburban settings.
Most common in the Southwest and Florida, Spanish-style architecture takes its cues from the missions of the early Spanish missionaries—such as the one at San Juan Capistrano in California—and includes details from the Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance architectural styles. The houses usually have low-pitched tiled roofs, white stucco walls, and rounded windows and doors. Other elements may include scalloped windows and balconies with elaborate grillwork, decorative tiles around doorways and windows, and a bell tower or two.
A Modern style that architects created to sequester certain living activities–such as sleeping or socializing–split levels offered an multilevel alternative to the ubiquitous style in the 1950s. The nether parts of a typical design were devoted to a garage and TV room; the midlevel, which usually jutted out from the two-story section, offered “quieter” quarters, such as the living and dining rooms; and the area above the garage was designed for bedrooms.
Found mostly in the East and Midwest, split-levels, like their Ranch counterparts, were constructed with various building materials.
A member of the Victorian family, the Stick house boasts a lot of detailing. However, few Stick homes incorporate all the possible features. Typical characteristics include gabled, steeply pitched roofs with overhangs; wooden shingles covering the exterior walls and roof; horizontal, vertical, or diagonal boards–the “sticks” from which it takes its name–that decorate the cladding; and porches.
You’ll find traditional sticks in the Northeast and their sister, the Western Stick, in California. The Western Stick is rectangular with sliding glass doors, a small chimney, and large panes of glass.
This architecture style was popular in the 1920s and 1930s and continues to be a mainstay in suburbs across the United States. The defining characteristics are half-timbering on bay windows and upper floors, and facades that are dominated by one or more steeply pitched cross gables. Patterned brick or stone walls are common, as are rounded doorways, multi-paned casement windows, and large stone chimneys. A subtype of the Tudor Revival style is the Cotswold Cottage. With a sloping roof and a massive chimney at the front, a Cotswold Cottage may remind you of a picturesque storybook home.
Victorian architecture dates from the second half of the 19th century, when America was exploring new approaches to building and design.
Advancements in machine technology meant that Victorian-era builders could easily incorporate mass-produced ornamentation such as brackets, spindles, and patterned shingles. The last true Victorians were constructed in the early 1900s, but contemporary builders often borrow Victorian ideas, designing eclectic “neo-Victorians.” These homes combine modern materials with 19th century details, such as curved towers and spindled porches. A number of Victorian styles are recreated on the fanciful “Main Street” at Disney theme parks in Florida, California, and Europe.
As Yellowstone fans well know, patriarch John Dutton, played by Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner, has spent five seasons trying to hold on to his Dutton Ranch. It’s not hard to see why. I mean, have you seen that place?
In real life, Costner owns a secluded Aspen spread that’s equally beguiling, and it’s just become available for rent for $36,000 per night.
Dunbar Ranch is a dreamy 160-acre compound minutes from downtown yet ensconced in a pine forest that shelters it from view. Layered vistas of sparkling water, towering trees, and snow-covered hills make it look like a movie set background. Here, the Roaring Fork River, Independence Pass, North Star Nature Preserve, and Aspen Mountain are all within sight. This is Aspen in all its glory.
With three separate homes amassing 12 bedrooms and 12 baths in 5,800 square feet, you can accommodate up to 34 guests and pamper them with around-the-clock caretakers. The beautiful main residence sleeps 16 and offers welcoming entertainment spaces dressed by chunky wood beams and rustic luxe décor, a gourmet kitchen, soaring ceilings, and a massive heated outdoor space for entertaining. The primary suite is luxuriously appointed and features an attached sitting room surrounded by lush greenery and some Hollywood-worthy whimsy — in the form of a trap door that leads down a staircase to a private grotto with spa and waterfall.
The serene Lakehouse adds sleeping space for 12, along with a dramatic, double-sided floor-to-ceiling fireplace in the main living area, an exquisite wood and stone kitchen, and ideal indoor-outdoor connection to showcase the lakefront vantage point. Another six people can bunk in the River House, where they’ll enjoy an eat-in kitchen and wraparound windows to drink in the views.
The property doesn’t just allow you to channel your inner Dutton. It also gives you plenty of Kevin Costner vibes. Dunbar Ranch is named after Lt. John Dunbar, Costner’s character in his 1990 Academy Award-winning film Dances with Wolves. And if you meander along the wilderness of Dunbar Ranch, you’ll happen upon a literal Field of Dreams — a private baseball field inspired by Costner’s 1989 hit film, complete with lights and music.
There’s no shortage of other activities to enjoy on the ranch. Go fishing, tubing, paddle boarding, kayaking, or horseback riding. Partake of the sledding hill. Skate on the private ice rink. Do some archery. Or simply gaze out among the spectacular scenery, fulfilling your Yellowstone fantasy.
Dunbar Ranch is listed for rent for $36,000 per day by Amy Mottier of Coldwell Banker Mason Morse-Aspen.
Maybe it’s the influence of The White Lotus, but it seems like everyone is dreaming about “la dolce vita,” these days. And when you start to explore the many regions of Italy and all they have to offer, its no wonder you could have a tough time deciding where to visit or even invest in your next home. For your consideration, may we suggest you look at Siena, a small city of roughly 50,000 within the Tuscany region. Famous for its wine varietals, picturesque villages, and home to the epicenter of Italian Renaissance, Florence (or, Firenze), Tuscany may be the perfect location to start your Italian chapter. Siena has small-town charm with big-city proximity, and you can find the perfect domicile whether it’s a village apartment or a castle or villa nestled amongst the vineyards.
“Our history dates back to the Etruscans and we have one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, among many other Medieval architectural jewels,” boasts Moira Mancini, broker-owner of Coldwell Banker Chianti Heritage. “And of course, The Palio is a famous annual horse race that offers one of the best-known festivals in all of Europe.” Maybe it’s time to pack your bags and explore Siena and all it has to offer. After all, the next Palio race takes place on July 2, 2023; plenty of time to plan your trip and visit the Coldwell Banker Chianti Heritage office!
Where do you live: Siena (Tuscany), Italy
What is the perfect weekend day like: Saturday is a good time for a walk in a historical town, like Pienza, San Gimignano, Val d’Orcia (three of the most beautiful UNESCO world-wide heritage sites) or in a wine kingdom like Montalcino. Have lunch with traditional dishes in al-fresco restaurant placed in a medieval square out in the Chianti area or nearby Montalcino. In the afternoon there are plenty of choices: driving a Vespa or a small car through the Tuscan hills embellished by vineyards and olive trees farms till you reach your own villa to enjoy the evening fresh air with an exquisite glass of wine. Sunday morning in both Siena and Florence offers a wide choice of museums and shopping alternatives. The afternoon is perfect to taste Brunello di Montalcino at some of the many vine cellars located in the area.
What are the common modes of transportation there: It is important to distinguish between downtowns (which are to be visited by walking) and surrounding areas characterized by small villages which have to be reached by a vehicle (car, moto, bus).
Tell us about the foods your area is known for: Tuscan food is based on traditional peasant cuisine strongly re-visited with a modern twist. The most popular dishes are based on homemade soups such as ribollita (soup made with vegetables and bread, usually leftovers!). Meat is also essential and fills the tables of families and restaurants with grilled pork and veal steaks “Fiorentine”. Important restaurants have earned one, two or three Michelin stars as a distinction sign of their superb cuisine and inventiveness.
What is your favorite meal? At home or at a restaurant: Among my favourite food there are “pici” pasta with “Chianina sauce”. They are a handmade pasta, like spaghetti but much thicker and topped with a sauce made from Cinta Senese (a breed of pig native to the Sienese territory). Also, we love “bruschetta,” grilled bread scented with garlic and immersed in extra-virgin olive oil and complemented by a traditional pork cold cut, a grilled steak, or a dish of local pecorino cheese.
Where do you recommend someone vacation in your region, why: Rent a beautiful villa with a swimming pool located in between Siena and Florence, in the middle of the vineyards and olive groves, a few kilometers away from small villages where you can dine in the evening.
What is your favorite recreational or leisure time activity: Hiking and biking are by far the most popular sport activities, followed by other recreational occupations like horse riding, sightseeing and museum visits.
Is there a specialty your area is known for: There are several wine varieties from our region known worldwide: Chianti, Brunello, Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano are among the many wines obtained in the area. Another well-known event is Palio di Siena, a horse race which is run In Siena main square twice a year in summer and which gather tens of thousands of people from all over the world.
Share a little known but interesting fact about your area: L’Eroica is a bike race in the Chianti area usually held by the end of the summer. This is a commemorative historical race that passes along various white roads (usually non-asphalt roads) at a controlled pace. Participants wear vintage or historically inspired cycling gear, on historical or vintage-style bikes. An average number of participants is around 10,000 people coming from every corner of the world.
If you were to live in any other region where we have a Coldwell Banker presence, where would it be and why: Apulia is a splendid region, with an astonishing seaside, traditional villages, and wonderful cuisine, which would be a gorgeous place to live as an alternative to Tuscany.
Key Facts:
Population: 3.7 million (2019)
Language(s) Spoken: Italian
Climate: Mediterranean
Currency: Euro
Territory Summary: Tuscany is a region in central Italy with an area of about 23,000 square kilometers (8,900 square miles) and a population of about 3.7 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (Firenze). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its influence on high culture. It is regarded as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and of the foundations of the Italian language (Dante Alighieri, Niccolo Machiavelli, Petrarch and many other poets had their birthplace in Tuscany). Tuscany is also known for its wines, including Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Brunello di Montalcino and white Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 117.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 6.7% of Italy’s economic output.
Industry Facts – Siena
Types of Architecture: Houses are built with bricks, sandstone, travertine, and wood for the fixtures. The interior elements that most of all retain the original charm of the house, are the terracotta tiles and the large beams of oak or chestnut wood which are composed of roofs and ceilings.
Price per Square Meter: Average 3,000 Euros per square meter (ranging from 2,200 to 7,000 Euro per square meter)
Average Sales Price: 1.5M Euros (ranging from 300k Euros for an apartment in historical hamlet to over 10M Euros for a castle or villa estate).
What’s one of the fastest and easiest ways to update a room? You guessed it – window treatments. Gone are the days of heavy, dark, drab curtains. Instead, you can refresh just about any space with a variety of modern options to fit every style and budget.
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With a mixture of the Argentinean, Andean and Bolivian cultures, cuisine influence and traditions, Salta offers the perks of a large city while keeping the pace and comfort of a small town. Mountains and rivers, impressive museums, candlelit cafes, and vibrant peñas (folk-music clubs), Salta has something for everyone.
Subtle sophistication? Check. Unique gastronomy? Check. Plaza-side romance? Check. The most touristed spot in northwest Argentina is calling your name! Commonly known as Salta la Linda, the translation of the name says it all… “Salta the Pretty”. With a mixture of the Argentinean, Andean and Bolivian cultures, cuisine influence and traditions, Salta offers the perks of a large city while keeping the pace and comfort of a small town. Mountains and rivers, impressive museums, candlelit cafes, and vibrant peñas (folk-music clubs), Salta has something for everyone.
In addition to the delicious foods, nature, and personality that the region is known for, Salta is also famous for their excellent quality wines, thanks to the Torrontés grape which is only found in Argentina. Torrontés has flavors of orange peel, peaches, honey, oregano, chamomile and muscat grape. The balance between acidity and fruit flavors make it appear as a sweet wine but turns out to be a magnificent dry wine. Pair your wine with delicious meals, spend a few days touring the sights of Salta, then rent a car to hit the road and explore the northwest. Read on to learn more!
Where do you live: I live in the capital city, Salta, of the Province of Salta (northwest region of Argentina)
What is the perfect weekend day like: A perfect day during the weekend is spent enjoying the great weather, amazing nature between the hills and valleys, local traditions such as gaucho parades and folklore festivals, and delicious regional food with family and friends. When the nighttime strikes, we enjoy the famous peñas (folk-music clubs) that always entertain and surprise with music, traditional dance and typical dishes such as the Argentinean empanadas.
What are the common modes of transportation there: People in Salta move around both in private vehicles and public transport, such as buses, taxis, or Remis (car-hire).
Tell us about the foods your area is known for: Salta is characterized by its amazing regional food. The flavors are combined from the Andean, Spanish and cosmopolitan culture- taking us on a journey of sensations. From typical empanadas and regional dishes to gourmet cuisine with products from the area, Salta has generated its own unique gastronomic identity. Salta provides places such as the San Miguel Market, shops, and warehouses with a variety of typical, healthy, and organic products to sell/use.
What is your favorite meal? At home or at a restaurant: My favorite food is rib roast and empanadas.
Where do you recommend someone vacation in your region, why: I recommend vacationing in our city because we have many local activities, and you can leave for excursions from the city to visit the best places in the region such as the Cafayate region, just two hours away. In the Cafayate region, you can enjoy the excellent wines and amazing weather. A trip not to be missed is El Tren de las Nubes (“the train to the clouds”). The Train to the Clouds is an iconic tourist attraction of the province of Salta. It crosses the plateau until it reaches 4,220 meters above sea level, crossing landscapes of valley and grasslands. This is the third highest railway on the planet and has rigorous international quality and safety standards.
Another town that you cannot miss is Purmamarca in the province of Jujuy, just a two-hour drive from Salta. The most amazing site you can visit in Purmamarca is the Hill of Seven Colors, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. This breathtaking site is a mountain slope with ribbons of earth seemingly painted in distinct hues: brown, purple-brown, pink, red, white, yellow, and green, all of which derive from different types of rocks. The hill is said to be the most beautiful during the first 45 minutes after dawn but welcomes visitors all day long. You will not want to miss this trip.
What is your favorite recreational or leisure time activity: Our favorite activity is exploring the nature between hills, mountains, and rivers in our province.
Is there a specialty your area is known for: Our region is mainly known for tourism, the production of excellent quality wines (Torrontés grape), vegetables, tobacco, and mining production.
Share a little known but interesting fact about the area/region: The feast of our patron saints Lord and Virgin of the Miracle that every day on September 15 the religious procession is held with more than 800,000 faithful who arrive in our city of Salta after walking for several days from all points of our province.
If you were to live in any other region where we have a Coldwell Banker presence, where would it be and why: The region we would like to live in is Madrid, Spain. It is a very beautiful city, and the country of Spain offers greater stability than Argentina.
Key Facts:
Population: Estimated 750,000 inhabitants in city of Salta
Language(s) Spoken: Español
Climate: Warm climate, tropical zone
Currency: Peso Argentino
Industry Facts:
Types of Architecture: In Salta capital, a type of French-style colonial architecture predominates, as well as new building developments, modern premium country constructions, many of which follow the colonial line
Prices per sq. ft/meter: Price per m2 depends on the area and the property but the average is USD $1,000 approx.
Average Sale Price: Average sales price for land: USD $50,000, apartments: USD $80,000, and houses: USD $150,000 approx.
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