Hello,

Last week was Valentine's day and my wife's birthday - two events I should never combine into one. I decided to buy her a handheld GPS since her car does not have one. I thought I lucked out when she said we did not need it, do not waste the money on it. I then found out that it was because she wanted to save the money to buy a new car! You see, her BMW SUV had been in the shop 5 times for the same problem - six, now! It intermittently won't start. She loves the car, but you can't count on a car if it will not start when you need it. Being environmentally conscious, she wants to get a hybrid. However, she still wants it to be an SUV. I had to laugh. Then I read a report by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) which talked about the home of the future. Not a lot of the changes predicted by the report were very startling.

Here are a few of their prediction for the average homes of 2015. The houses will be 'greener', they will provide better access for persons of limited physical ability (important as the population ages). They will be same 2300-2400 square feet as today. They will be 2-stories (to reduce foot print and help with the 'Green' aspect). They will have 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms and the living room will become a parlor, study, retreat, or disappear all together. The average home will not have high vaulted ceilings but the ceilings will be 9 feet tall on the first floor and 8-9 feet on the second. The exterior will be vinyl, fiber cement, or brick. Tech-wise they will a fiber-optic network, programmable thermostat, structured wiring system, and multiline phone system. Okay, here is the one I really like: The garages are going to grow. The houses will have three car garages with larger doors for SUVs. How's that for being 'greener'! To see the full article click here.

Well I am still hopeful that my wife's car will be fixed this time, and we will not need to buy a new one. I will have to see how 'green' it is.

Richard Lazovick and the MortgagePro News Team