By JEFF BETSILL
President, Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia

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.)