The Missing Middle
“The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.”
Each month I write this blog from experiences I have had, lessons I’ve learned or topics that the universe seems to keep repeating into my force field. This one is a question I have continued frustration with, and, at least 2-3 times a week I find others asking – Why isn’t anyone building houses I want to live in?
For as long as can be remembered, home ownership was a great source of pride and a sure investment that could be counted when it came time to sell. Based on those beliefs, we continually increased square footage and the amount of gadgets and specialty rooms in our homes. We built palaces as tribute to this ideal and always believed there would be another generation eagerly wanting to invest in the same dream. But in recent years, the 2008 housing crisis forced us start looking at what we were really investing in and asking what we really need? In answering that question, many of us find we’re no longer willing or able to devote time and resources to upkeep something we no longer want or need.
Many baby boomers and empty nesters looking to downsize still prefer the privacy and individuality that a single family home provides. They just don’t need 3 extra guest bedrooms, an unused lower level, 2 laundry rooms, a 4 car garage and 5 acres of grass to mow. With growing numbers in this buying demographic you would think the market would be teeming with choices of smartly designed, well built options that includes the amenities, uniqueness and privacy we’ve put into our existing homes in a more manageable footprint.
And downsizers aren’t the only frustrated buyers. Post-apartment dwelling Gen Xers, who would like the quality of living that a single family home provides, are being met with the same lack of housing offerings. They are simply not interested in spending their time and money on up-keeping the McMansion (which you won’t be able to give away in the very near future), yet want a quality home that can adjust to the changes they anticipate while living there.
There seem to be endless choices for those wanting the flexibility of apartment dwelling and convenience of urban living, but for many the high costs, inconvenience of parking, higher crimes rates, etc. make this an impractical long-term solution. For those whose needs are best met with an age restricted or elder care facility there are plenty of options there too. Heck, there are even niche markets, like tiny homes, that seem to have more options than being offered to the rest of us.
Townhouses are great for many reasons, but a couple of rooms per floor separated by stairs, and more stairs, have challenges for those of us who don’t want to get our 10,000 steps in because we’re on the 3rd floor and our phone is on the 1st floor. They can also lack the outdoor space and privacy that we have come to enjoy in our single family homes. For many, rehabbing an existing smaller home is a financial and torturous endeavor. Been there. Done that. Don’t want to do it again. And if smaller square footage homes are available, they are usually lack the quality in construction and architectural details we’ve loved in the homes we’re leaving.
Yes, there are options out there, but they’re the same ones we’ve been offered for a long time. It’s like having to eat at the only restaurant in town, who’s menu you find neither delicious nor satisfying. While builders are developing options for convenience of living I am not seeing evidence that they are building for quality of living. Many of my friends and clients see these choices as downgrades, so they’re staying put because there is simply nowhere for them to go. We are the missing middle and simply not being heard.
I’ve had this conversation with so many architects, contractors and even developers over the years and they all agree that there would be clients lined up for miles to buy such a product. I know 2 people that have been involved with building just what I am talking about and both projects sold out in record time. But again and again I hear the same excuses – zoning and profit. It is simply more profitable to build a maximum number of units on smaller plots of land. But surely there has to be someone willing to break the norm and invest tin such a project. Personally, I have been looking for someone outside of the conventional building/developing world to collaborate with and take the chance that what I hear from people all day long is a good market to service.
So for now, it’s status quo and sitting in houses we don’t need, or buying ones we don’t really want, until something better comes along. In the words of Ray in Field of Dreams “if you build it they will come”.
