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8 Hartford Business Journal • June 13, 2016 www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS REAL ESTATE/ARCHITECTURE Higher-end homebuyers seeking outdoor, other amenities By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com I t wasn't that many years ago that longtime Hartford- area Realtor John Lepore could quickly quote for a client the cost of eliminating a swimming pool, an amenity not in high demand among homebuyers. Not anymore. People want pools, especially those shopping for higher-end homes, he said. "Pools definitely are more in favor now than they were 10 years ago," said Lepore, a Realtor in the West Hartford office of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Lepore, whose niche is higher-end homes but sells homes at all price ranges, was the No. 1 sales agent in Hartford County last year for all agents and companies in total sales volume by dollar amount. Pools are just one amenity he's seen growing in popu- larity among buyers the last three to five years. Also popular, outdoor kitchens with stainless appliances like refrigerators, wine coolers and grills, and granite countertops and fire pits, often complementing pools. "The younger people especially, this is what they want," Lepore said, showing the outdoor kitchen, dining, pool and fireplace area of an impressive renovated home he has list- ed on stately Scarborough Street in Hartford's west end. "Everybody gets excited, they can see themselves grilling, the refrigerator out there, sitting by the fire, running from the pool up here. This is what attracts people today." Added Lepore, "California was all about this for a number of years because of the weather … outdoor kitchens were very popular. It took awhile for New Eng- land to catch on, but they're here now." While the Scarborough home is situated on almost 5 acres and listed at $1.25 million, pools and outdoor kitch- ens aren't exclusive to the highest-end homes, he said. Lepore cites a home he just sold in Canton, for about $700,000. "I sold it a year and a half ago because of the pool and the outdoor kitchen; I sold it this year again because of the pool and the outdoor kitchen," he said. He believes people, with hectic work and personal lives, value the ability to relax and pamper themselves at home rather than drive somewhere for the same experience. In a Realtor Magazine post in March, outdoor liv- ing spaces were among 10 trends that more than 500 residential architects said would be the most significant home design elements over the next 10 years. "More homeowners will look to invest in sprucing up their outdoor living spaces, beyond just outdoor grills or decks," it said. "Instead, look for more homeowners add- ing outdoor kitchens and fully furnished outdoor rooms." Other amenities Lepore sees buyers looking for are finished basements, soaking tubs, but not necessarily whirlpools and steam showers — and the larger the shower the better. Hardwood floors Trish Murphy, a Realtor in the Avon office of Cold- well Banker Residential Brokerage and the company's No. 1 agent out of roughly 2,000 in the state last year in sales volume, also has seen more interest in pools this year than any other, but just in the past couple months. She has three buyers who would love a pool and are waiting to find the right house with one before they put their homes on the market. Murphy speculates the heightened interest in pools could be due to more people seeking the ease that comes with "staycations," while others just like to entertain. One of her pool-seeking families has three children and wants to be the house where kids come to play. Inside, hardwood and cork flooring are in more demand the past couple years, she added. "When I talk to a seller that's getting ready to sell, if they have hardwood under the carpet, I'm like, 'Rip it up, rip out the carpet, take out the area rugs,' " Murphy said. Buyers are looking for cleanliness, an open floor plan, good flow and unobstructed views outside, she said. They also like good storage, kitchen pantries and kitchens that open to the family room. They're not so much into larger bedrooms; they'd rather have the space on the first floor where they spend most of their time. Home show impact Margaret Wilcox, a Realtor and team leader at Mar- garet Wilcox & Associates at William Raveis Real Estate in Glastonbury, said more people could be shopping for pools at the upper price points, perhaps $700,000 and up, more than they were a decade ago. But she hasn't noticed people routinely looking for homes with pools. "However, what I do see people looking for are … the open-concept home," as well as hardwood floors, Wilcox said. In master bathrooms, she sees buyers wanting Q&A JCJ aims to help revitalize Coltsville Q&A talks about JCJ Architecture's recent downtown Hartford move and U.S. expansion with firm President Peter Stevens. Q: JCJ recently relocat- ed to the Colt Build- ing. Why was that an important move for you? Does an architectural firm need to be in a dynamic space to impress its clients? Or were there other factors behind it? A: Looking back on JCJ's history, our firm has been attracted and committed to locating in areas that were part of a larger redevelop- ment initiative. This occurred in the 1970s when we moved to 450 Church St., as part of the Union Station redevelopment initia- tive, continued with our move in 2006 to the Front Street neighbor- hood, and now with our move to Coltsville. In each case, JCJ was not "the first one in," but the firm has realized the impact our moves could make in acting as a catalyst for the area's further development. In contemplating our most recent move, we had an opportu- nity to reflect upon the fact that we were going to be celebrating our 80th year in business — a mile- stone that made for ideal timing to renew our commitment to the city of Hartford as well as make a pro- found impact on our work environ- ment for our employees. To create a more open and collaborative office, JCJ made it a priority to find a space that would house the firm on a single floor. In the end, we felt that locating in Coltsville allowed us to create a very dynamic workspace — one that is both sustainable (LEED Sil- ver) and healthy (WELL Building Certified). While Coltsville is still considered to be "on the fringe" of the downtown area, this is not new for us; JCJ has a passion for rein- venting and reimagining historic structures, and our new headquar- ters truly celebrates the rich his- tory of the East Armory Building and surrounding neighborhood. Q: JCJ recently purchased Los Angeles-based Randall/ Baylon Architect Inc. Does your LA expansion indicate a need to diversify among vari- ous parts of the country for more stable revenue? A: For the past 15 years, JCJ has strategically committed itself to diversify both geographically and in terms of market sectors. Cur- rently, this manifests in locations from east to west including Atlanta, Boston, Hartford, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and San Diego — with project work spanning a broad range of building types from institutional (i.e. K-12, college and university, civic) to hospitality (i.e. hotels, gaming, entertainment). We strive to create a high level of synergy between our offices within each region, with the majority of our large projects involv- ing a cross-office team of experts. Our Los Angeles expan- sion aligns with our approach to open offices in key urban areas where we already have estab- lished a presence working on significant and highly visible proj- ects near these cities. This bi-coastal for- mat also proves to be a very efficient business model for JCJ, allow- ing us to extend our business day to the equivalent of "two shifts." Q: How's the pipeline for up-and-coming architects? Is it still a field drawing suffi- cient numbers to replace retir- ing architects? A: According to the National Council of Architectural Regis- tration Boards (NCARB), 2015 saw the number of aspiring archi- tects continue to grow. In the last reporting year of 2014, an all-time high of 37,174 people were actively engaged in the activities leading to professional licensure. During the last recession many architects left their firms to pursue other career paths — and while the pipeline of young professionals is strong, there are fewer mid-career archi- tects in the profession. JCJ remains very engaged in activities to both increase the pipeline of new graduates and offer young professionals career-devel- opment opportunities. Through our decades-long involvement in the ACE Mentor Program and Hart- ford Scholars, we have introduced high school students in Hartford to careers in architecture, construc- tion and engineering. From an internal perspective, we provide regular continuing education and leadership oppor- tunities for our younger profes- sionals as well as support them as they study for and take the licensing exam. Q: Overall, what's the biggest challenge facing your industry from your perspective? How PETER STEVENS President, JCJ Architecture John Lepore, a Realtor in the West Hartford office of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, shows the outdoor features of a home for sale at 84 Scarborough St., in Hartford. The backyard includes a pool, fireplace, patio, kitchen amenities and covered dining area, all surrounded by profes- sional landscaping covering almost 5 acres. The house is listed for $1.25 million. H B J P H O T O | J O H N S T E A R N S Continued Continued