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Frank Kaszynski has lived in the
Boston-Edison historic neighborhood of Detroit since the 1960s.
But he hasn't remained in the same house. In fact, the 62-year-old
estate salesman has bought and sold several houses within a few-block
radius over the last half-century.
He has occupied a 1916 English Tudor with beautiful
woodwork, beamed ceilings and a sweeping Georgian staircase. He
also spent a decade in a 1914 home with Pewabic tile, a sunroom,
original woodwork and a terrace.
"I've always loved Detroit houses, but my heart
is in Boston-Edison," he says. "The houses need people
that care for them."
Kaszynski's story is not unique. Whether it's the
allure of antique architecture or the proximity to friends and family,
great schools, and reliable amenities, most Americans don't move
far from house to house.
Putting down roots
Hearkening to simpler times, when people stayed put and called the
same communities home, generation after generation, this trend is
not unique to Detroit. In fact, it's happening all across the country,
according to the National Association of Realtors, or NAR. Although
the reasons might vary, people like to put down roots, even though
they may transplant them within the same community over the years.
The typical home buyer moves 12 miles from his previous
residence, says Walter Molony, a spokesman for the NAR, based in
Washington, D.C.
The typical seller moves no more than 15 miles to
his next house, he adds, though many buyers and sellers stay closer.
Thirty-five percent of home buyers purchase a home within five miles
of their last residence.
"This has been fairly consistent over time,"
Molony says. "Younger people are more likely to move greater
distances."
But even that's changing. Real estate agent Marianne
Curran, in Raleigh, N.C., and Diane Tolley, in Mendham, N.J., have
had many clients who buy a town house or condominium when they're
single, move up within a mile or two to a starter home once they
marry, and move again, still within the same town or neighborhood,
when they are ready to start a family.
Neighborhood loyalty
In NAR surveys, American homeowners cite the neighborhood itself
as the most important reason for buying where they do, says Molony.
"After that, it's close to family, friends, job and school."
Kaszynski agrees. "It was like that in the early
days. People stayed in the same neighborhoods. Family members would
keep their eye on favorite houses and, when they came available,
would switch up or down."
That's been Kathryn Fitzsimmons' experience in northern
New Jersey. A decade ago, she and husband Jamie first bought a condominium
in Morristown, a part of Mendham Borough, where a small-town feeling
reigns supreme. There's a main street with a coffee shop, pharmacy,
bookstore and Chinese restaurant -- all within walking distance
from houses of various styles and sizes.
"The streets were lined with adorable houses
as well as beautiful mansions," Fitzsimmons recalls of her
first exposure to the area. "It was a town similar to one I
had grown up in, and we both knew instantly we would fulfill our
dreams of raising a family in as best of an environment as we could
possibly give them."
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