Beyond McMansions and SUV's : The TOP TEN Changes Coming to California

Janet,  I have to agree with your predictions and have been seeing them coming for some time.  It will still take many a long time to adapt.  For me, instead of just jumping in the car to hit the grocery store for a few items,  I now hop on my bike with my backpack.  It's better for the environment and surely a heck of a lot better for me.     

Janet, You are very much in touch with the current moods.  I blogged recently about our innocent years when we dreamed of building an earth-bermed house.  After many moves we now own a McMansion (not worth what we owe) and wonder how we got so off track.  Good for you for stating the people's choice, even if everyone is not on board yet.  It's coming; simplicity is in.

I really hope more economical cars start taking over. I drive an SUV because (seriously) I have panic attacks if I'm in a small car, while surrounded by SUV's and large trucks. The only way I'm going to drive a small car is if everyone else is. I don't need anymore anxiety in my life.

Janet, when the courts forced EBMUD to provide water to Dougherty Valley, this taxed the water system when the resource becomes limited.  Now we have emergency water restrictions, I hope they review the decission.  But, I suspect they will continue to build.  In California, water will become like gold if California heats up due to global warming... AJ

Glad you guys are catching up. We can sell you some water if you get thirsty.  People will adapt rather quickly and change will be fast. If you guys keep raising taxes we can use a few people who like humidity and lots of water. We stay so far behind everything is coming full circle. The city of New Orleans has not one shopping mall which is really strange. You cannot drive fast, the roads are too bad.

Yeah, Janet, and then as soon as they found one, they'd have to remember to move it for street sweeping!  What a life.

LESS STUFF, MORE FUN!  Oh how I wish I could be there again. I remember the days when TLW and I could just hop in the car and go anywhere we wanted. Now I have to get up and go to work. Of course if business stays the way it is I may have less stuff sooner than I want:)

I lived in San Jose for a few years, and watched as homes with small yards were surrounded by homes with no yards.   Some light rail and other transit was being built, but mostly it was traffic, a lot of traffic.  Maybe things will change.... 

HI!  What a great post!  Marked as a favorite!! 

Janet - I, too, agree with your predictions. All the extras are fun for some when the checkbook well never runs dry, but I must confess I've never been drawn to the "must have mores", and gain an ever growing appreciation of the more simplistic lifestyle as the days go by. I sit in our 1500 sf home, albeit with almost 1/2 acre that does indeed contain a private vegetable garden, with my Prius parked in the tucked away garage, grateful that my vehicle fuel costs AND housing fuel costs are less than $300 per month, briefly considering riding my bike to the store or movies, until I remember the journey home will be all uphill with no bike lanes to buffer me from the giant SUVs. Gazing out our front windows over the hills spotted with 3500+ sf homes that were built as the market peaked...

I also love your predictions. I have been building small and green for over thirty years - it is nice to see we are moveing past the denial phase:) I have recently put together a modular home package that fits very well with your vision. I have also been seeing cities start to adopt a new cottage development codes to allow for small clusters of small houses.

Ron

25 redwoods - how wonderful! We DO need to meet one day! When we get to your neck of the woods next to see our relatives in Petaluma and Daly City, I'll see if it works for you. My 2008 Prius isn't paid for yet - love those manufacturers' interest incentive programs too much - and I DO love to leverage low cost money! When I caught wind the HELOC on a rental we have was likely to be frozen, we took a draw to the limit while the rates were low a few weeks back, assigned the balance to the fixed rate lock portion of the line (National City), and stuck the money in a savings account, figuring with the mortgage interest deductions we're eligible for combined with the 3-4% interest we expect to earn on the savings account would make the overall cost was so low it would be worthwhile to pay it to maintain access to those funds  for when we planned to use them to buy a commercial property in 2009, which is why we took out the HELOC in the first place. So, I guess that means I haven't COMPLETELY simplified my ways when it comes to certain financial transactions!