Three generations under one roof, home-swaps and discreet selling: Caroline McGhie predicts how 2012 will alter the way we live.
By Caroline McGhie 'The Telegraph'
The year ahead
In the year ahead one thing is sure – whatever happens to the economy, the importance of the home will be paramount. Our homes will become greener, more hi-tech, we’ll socialise around the kitchen table rather than in expensive restaurants, make our properties work and plan for the longed-for recovery.
The big question is what will happen to house prices? Savills has forecast “marginal” falls in the year ahead of around two per cent, followed by a 0.5 per cent increase in 2013 and a slow recovery that will bring a six per cent rise in 2016. “In 2016, prices will be what they were in 2006 but, taking inflation into account they will actually be at 2002 levels,” says Lucian Cook of Savills research. Things aren’t so bad if you take a long-term view. These are the trends we can expect to see in the coming year.
Home-made holidays
Close quarters: three generations of the Harman family live together
New research from the website LoveHomeSwap.com, for people who want to exchange homes for vacations, shows that more than twice as many home owners are planning to swap in 2012 as in 2011. Continued ....
