Wondering about Luxury Home Trends for 2019? Here are some things you might want to consider in your purchase or remodel of your luxury home.

By Jennifer Karami

While the average sale price for luxury homes nationwide rose 4.7 percent annually to $1,772,000 in the fourth quarter of 2018, a few things remain constant: the kinds of features and luxury home trends  associated with high end residences.

Money can buy you a lot of things, and in luxury homes, several amenities ring universal, says Los Angeles-based agent Alec Traub.

“The higher the price point, the more features buyers expect and that desire intensifies,” he said.

If you’re looking to buy or sell a luxe abode in 2019 –or just love daydreaming about them–these are the features and luxury home trends to watch this year.

1. Privacy

“In higher price points privacy is one of the things people are expecting. If you buy a $5 million home, you don’t want to see your neighbors or have someone on the street be able to walk up to your front door. People want gates, walls and hedges, but they must be aesthetically pleasing–no big chain link fence– especially somewhere like LA where you have a lot of celebrities, which adds a whole different layer to it as well.”

2. Smart Security

“In addition to the privacy element, there is the security element. Most homes these days on the higher end allow you to remotely control everything from lights, fireplace, pool, air conditioning and security cameras from an iPad or a phone. It’s something that’s almost come to be expected. Rather than, ‘that would be nice,’ it’s become, ‘that needs to have it.’

We’re also seeing super high tech safes hidden in closets for valuables like expensive jewelry, watches or purses. Or they’re being displayed in a way where you can’t just open a drawer and take something. You have to open up your closet drawer like you unlock your phone.”

3. Smaller Pools

“A pool is expected, but these days, no one really wants a big deep pool taking up the whole backyard. Instead, my clients are looking for smaller plunge pools that are almost glorified jacuzzis. While houses have been built bigger and take up more space on the lot, the pool is still something people still want and expect–just less of it.”

4. Guest Suites

“Luxury buyers I’m working with this year want guest suites. It doesn’t have to be detached–it could be downstairs off the garage, or a bedroom with en-suite bathroom that can be used for a live–in nanny or maid, or friends or family who come to visit. My clients want that extra space, as well as rooms that can be a home office, as well as a gym or workout room.”

5. Upscale Design Touches

“I’ve seen an emphasis on imported finishes–but pieces imported to LA from Italy as opposed to New Jersey. In the kitchen, an obvious design choice is still Ceasarstone or quartz over granite, but also high-end appliances. A $5 million home shouldn’t have Kitchenaid or GE. Not because they’re bad, but because they don’t fit with the narrative of a luxury home. Similarly, if there are sliding doors, my clients want them to be pocket doors that disappear into wall. Those are the kinds of added touches expected in a luxury home.”

6. The Power of Two

“A lot of homes I’ve shown have a trend of two. It’s no longer one stove and oven, now it’s two stoves, two ovens, two dishwashers, two sets of washers and dryers, and all upscale, designer brands. Luxury means never waiting or having dirty clothes or dishes.”

7. Overly Customized

“There is also a risk with ultra luxury homes in that features might be too customized to fit an individual need. I’ve seen houses where a musician put in a recording studio, and a basketball player had a full court. Those are things that won’t appeal to everyone, and as a result, can negatively affect a sale.”

We keep a close eye on luxury home trends and if you feel we have missed something that is up and coming, please feel free to comment!

Author bio: Jennifer Karami is a writer at Redfin, a technology-enabled real estate brokerage. Redfin’s mission is to redefine real estate in the customer’s favor

The post 7 Luxury Home Trends for 2019 appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

Lately, have been thinking about the fact that I am tracked by Google almost everywhere I go–as long as my cell phone or tablet is with me.

To the left, you can see results from an amazing program I discovered yesterday at Junkee, and mental wheels are turning. Panic hasn’t set in, but that’s probably because I’m a law-abiding citizen and really don’t have anything to hide. But still….

Like most of you, my cell phone is rarely far from me–unless I happen to drive off and accidentally leave it at home.  And that’s a panic-inducing event. But to have Google tracking steps and stops in my own home (just zoom in!) or where I wander on Sunday hikes? Something short of panic might be my feeling of unease–and uncertainty.

The intrusiveness of not only Google, but the NSA, IRS, the HCA and other three-lettered government agencies is beginning to chafe at our collective psyches. And with new apps and programs, we can see what may be going on behind the scenes–and sometimes dish it out ourselves (or so we think).

I use a little program called YesWare that tracks my outgoing email. It supposedly allows me to see when an email is opened by the recipient. That may be true, but what is more interesting is that a local Carlsbad, CA email might show it being opened in Mannassas, VA,  Germany, Amsterdam, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the world. I have changed email passwords to no avail.

It it the NSA? Foreign hackers? A buggy program?

These things are a concern and raise alarm bells about fundamental rights to privacy. On the other hand, if I were kidnapped with my phone I would be tracked by Google and could be easily found.

Email is another story.

The post Are You Being Tracked by Google? appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

by Roberta Murphy

Years ago, when we put our first home on the market, I insisted that the Realtor put NO SIGN in our yard.

I did not want neighbors to know that we were selling or cause any disruption in our neighborhood. Our agent tried to explain the importance of a sign, but I was the incalcitrant client–and we ended up selling the home with NO SIGN. This of course, was before the internet and Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia and all the other listing aggregators. And in those days, the wish for privacy was something that was understood by almost all.

At that time, I mostly wanted to protect our privacy–and didn’t want to have to answer questions or be the subject of neighborhood gossip.

Fast forward to 2012 and grocery shoppers have not only to contend with the revelations of rags in the checkout lines, they can also hop onto to the Trulia or Zillow sites and see which of their neighbors have fallen behind on house payments and could be facing foreclosure. Or, equally likely (and rarely assumed by the real estate novice), they may simply be trying to negotiate a loan modification with their lender WHO MAY HAVE ADVISED THEM THEY NEED TO BE DELINQUENT IN THEIR MORTGAGE PAYMENTS before they will be considered for a modification in the terms of their loan. Equally possible, the family may simply have fallen on hard times and are suffering enough embarrassment and pain without Zillow and Trulia posting up their delinquent mortgage status for all to see. Moreover, their home may already be listed as a short sale with their Realtor.

It seems these national aggregator sites who list homes for sale, provide market advice and offer slick mapping services feel this information might bring more eyeballs to their sites. Real estate agents already pay hefty sums to be the advertised “representative” of local zip codes. In further monetizing their sites, will these same agents be enticed to be the “local expert” for pending foreclosures in their purchased zip codes?

It’s not the business model that bothers me; rather, it is the brazen publication and monetization of personal pain. If parents discuss their neighbor’s published and pending foreclosure at the dinner table, is there not a chance that this juicy tidbit becomes an embarrassing morsel of school gossip the next day?

These commercial listing aggregators might try to convince real estate agents that they are offering a real opportunity to agents: They will now know who might be interesting in listing their home, and the more passive agents can $ign on to passively be the face to call when times get tough.

What’s next?

Let’s see, who else might be interested in listing their home when:

1. A loved one dies
2. Divorce proceedings are filed.
3. Someone is arrested (might need to sell to pay attorneys and bail?)
4. Birth announcement (need a home–or a bigger one?)

These are just a few examples of times when privacy might be appreciated and strongly desired. And of course, it is all public knowledge if one searches hard enough–and that is one of the arguments proffered by those who commercialize this information. And from this Realtor’s point of view, it’s pretty convenient information to have–if I’m inclined to pester people in their times of pain–or deep personal pride.

I guess one of the things I liked so long ago when I refused a lawn sign was the sense of control I had over my privacy. These days, a listed home wouldn’t stand a chance of being so obscured from looky loos and prying eyes. The listing would appear not only on hundreds or thousands of Realtor websites, but would also likely appear on Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Movoto, Redfin and innumerable other listing aggregators and national sites.

At a minimum, these sites should allow the homeowner the opportunity to opt out of publication–especially when the information published could cause personal pain and harm.

In exchange for this, as a San Diego Realtor, I would be gladly willing to forego any gain I might achieve from this information–and optimistically believe other real estate professionals would feel the same.

There was a time in our society when privacy was an assumed and granted given. These days, it appears to be a luxury afforded a privileged few.

The post The Luxury of…Privacy appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.