It doesn’t seem possible, if you’ve ever wondered have houses changed, the answer is resoundingly yes! Home isn’t what it used to be.
We accept that most suburban homes have standard spaces. There’s a front and back door; a lounge perhaps, plus dining room, toilet and bathroom, with adjoining bedrooms. Distilled into a bedsit, the components are all still there – assembled by our needs, which are surprisingly similar to our neighbour’s.
Of course, when we start to think about it, many of us still remember houses with a longdrop in the backyard.
From hall to house
Bill Bryson’s book, At Home – a short history of private life (Doubleday, 2010), is a fascinating exploration of how the contemporary home came about. In it, he describes how, once we’d settled down, it all began with a single room – the hall.
Everything happened there, from sleeping to cooking to socialising. The more affluent decided some privacy was in order and a new room was added, and so on. Eventually, the hall shrank to become the “entrance hall”.
Today, many homes don’t even have that, although some of the grander places retain its memory in their names. In England especially, you’ll encounter This Hall and That Hall. Toad Hall of the Wind in the Willows comes to mind.
Houses have changed
The point of all this goes to show that nothing stays the same, and if you’re wanting to sell your home, it can be a good time or bad. That’s why it’s important to consider home staging. You get an experienced professional giving you an unemotional best shot at selling fast and at the best price.
As of the current year, home sellers can apparently look forward to a positive environment. Agencies and bond companies reckon that “pent-up demand” combined with low interest rates will provide a much needed boost to their industry.
“The work-from-home lifestyle continues to contribute to property sales, especially in remote areas,” declares bond originator Ooba in a recent blog entry.
Whatever your position, remember to appreciate the space you’re in because it won’t be there forever. No longer will you wonder: have houses changed?