Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/1257023
goes for workweek commutes. According to Nunes, today's buyers "don't think anything of it if they can just drive five minutes, hop on a train or bus, and just do their work during the commute. And a lot of the major technology companies are providing their own transit." Green Neighborhoods Eco-friendliness is also an important, but subtle, consideration. Nunes has participated in the Built Green program from the beginning and has watched consumer priorities change. While clients generally don't ask for it directly, they're willing to pay more for sustainable home features. Clients want a healthy, dependable home with lower utility bills—they just don't necessarily associate those features with sustainability. "90% of people don't say 'I want a Built Green certified home,' but they want all the things on the Built Green checklist. What's interesting is how green elements have become standard desirable features." And clients aren't just interested in buying green homes these days; they're looking for green neighborhoods that complement high-performing homes. "Among many early adopters of the Built Green model, there has been a shift away from focusing on individual houses toward focusing more on the overall health of the community," says Nunes. "It's great to have an energy-efficient home and a small green space, but I want to have neighbors and community space, I want to be able to get the mail or walk the dog and talk to someone. I also want access to fresh, healthy food." Shaping Future Neighborhoods So, where are neighborhoods going? Nunes says she's been watching cities manage growth and believes what neighborhoods look like in the future will depend on the kind of housing we build now. This will largely depend on building codes and zoning. "It's interesting to think about how those decisions will affect the way those cities look in 10 or 15 or 20 years. Totally different kinds of neighborhood cultures will evolve and develop." Kirkland, for example, is encouraging missing middle development across the board, while Bellevue is concentrating most of their growth in the Bel-Red corridor and leaving older single-family neighborhoods untouched. And Black Diamond, where new neighborhoods are being built from scratch, will feature a wide variety of home styles from the get-go, rather than infilling later. These divergent strategies will create very divergent neighborhoods. How homebuyers respond to these approaches will have a profound and lasting effect on the real estate market. Clients aren't just interested in buying green homes these days; they're looking for green neighborhoods that complement high-performing homes. 48 master BUILDER | SUMMER 2020