I'm sure it started out way before I noticed it as a kid.  I'm talking about the battle of the better-thans. There was a Dairy Queen in Emerson New Jersey when I was a kid. As a treat my parents used to take us there for ice cream.  When ever we came off of the Garden State Parkway from long trips and got onto Kinderkamack Road; there were two mansions up the hill to the left.  When I saw those mansions I knew the Dairy Queen was not too much further ahead on the right.  This was my signal to start my pleading for my Dad to stop the car.  Little did I know he always wanted a DQ as well and his resistance was just a show for Mom.

One year we took the Country Squire station wagon, a pop up tent trailer, and headed all the way to Disneyland in California.  But after four weeks and thousands of miles, I still spied those landmarks on Kinderkamack road as we got close to home.

Of course we stopped and Dad sent me in to get small four cones.

When I came back to the car I soberly announced that they didn't have small cones anymore.  In fact the smallest was a large.

"Huh?"

"Yup: large, extra large and jumbo."

This morning I was sitting reading the paper over looking JayCee Park in Cape Coral from our new Parkside Condo. It was (and still is) a gorgeous morning. It rained pretty much all night and a cool soothing breeze was coming off the river through a cloudless sky.  As I made my way through the news sections of the paper there were joggers, dog walkers,  and some sort of workout club distracting me, in a pleasant way, from the news. When I got to the real estate section I scanned the ads.  The first half page ad as is for Concordia Brand New Luxury Condos.  This is a project that is near and dear to my heart.  Before we developed the Island Pines project we looked at this design, which is a modification of the "BigHouse" concept but went instead with a more traditional design from Mike Sheeley Architects. These homes being offered by Concordia are at a price that is at least half of their replacement cost and very much a bargain.  In fact at as low as $77,000  it would be a mistake not to take a look at them if you are thinking of buying a condo in Florida.

For Concordia, luxury is defined by granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances and screened lanais.  Certainly a step up from laminated counter tops - but who builds laminated countertops anymore anyway?  My point is not to disparage Concordia, for I think it is a fantastic project, but to point out that our benchmark, our starting block, if you will, is luxury. We go up from there.

To those who have been coming up from luxury; luxury is a bathroom with a cocktail bar, or a kitchen with under counter refrigerators and beer on tap, built in wine coolers and six burner gas stoves; inlayed marble mosaic floors, gold plated faucets, and walk in closets with windows.

Opulent, sumptuous, lavish; but where do we go from here?

I say to intelligent design. Not bigger, but better; not more luxurious, but smarter.

The trend will be to the small, understated luxury, No extra rooms, but those that are built are built with use and design in the forefront. Large closets yes, third bedroom suites no. I expect not to lose high ceilings and large windows but I expect higher quality storm and sound proof windows; practical use of the space with things like built in safes, smart storage design, efficient kitchen and bath design, and little or no wasted floor space, multi use rooms with built ins:  Energy efficient and "Green".  Proper ventilation for the baths and kitchens, "smart" electrical design with remote controls, sleep modes and temperature stable homes.

In any case that's what I want. And I want to develop this too.   But first we have to sell all the luxury homes that are on the market at bargain prices. We need to finish this  "clearance sale".  Which raises another interesting point: today the "few steps up"  from luxury in now available at affordable home prices.  Money available at 5% and incentives from sellers and banks alike.

I am expecting a very busy season in real estate in South West Florida.  Come on down for yourself.

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