ALISO VIEJO, CA, June 28, 2007 – Each neighborhood has a history and that history shapes the community and the people that live in that neighborhood. Knowing when your neighborhood was built, what the initial make-up was of the neighborhood and how it evolved over time adds a special insight and quality to the service level of a true real estate professional. This is but one more added skill attained when agents take the new Certified Neighborhood Specialist (CNS) designation course designed to help agents become “Neighborhood Experts.”

During the last century homeownership has grown from 46% in 1900 to 68% in 2007 with architectural designs spanning from log cabins to palatial modern masterpieces. Prior to World War II most lived in tenements and or on farms.  After World War II two innovations occurred that changed the housing landscape.  The GI Bill, which allowed for war veterans to purchase a home, and the proliferation of the automobile.  Neighborhoods built during the 15 year period following WWII typically would be classified as “traditional neighborhoods” offering proximity to services, but were not as reliant on public transportation do to the proliferation of the automobile.  However, families typically had only one automobile.

The 1960s brought another change to neighborhood design and a new word was introduced into everyday life, the “suburb”.  Suburbs grew in popularity as more families had multiple cars and proximity to work or school was not the primary concern when selecting a neighborhood to live.  Typically neighborhoods built in this era have little if any commercial or multi family homes within their boundaries.

The suburban sprawl of the 1970s and 1980s was driven by two factors; the desire to leave urban areas and the beginning shift in the economy away from large manufacturing to professional and service fields.  During this time period many speculated that cities would merge together and become one large sea of rooftops from San Diego through Los Angeles and up to San Francisco. 

 The automobile also had a major influence on the sea of homes that became the American landscape.  Households typically had one car per driver versus the shared cars seen in earlier generations.  This, along with a stronger service economy, caused yet another change in neighborhood development and a blast to the past.

So in general neighborhoods have been transformed by innovation, design, location, convenience and consumer preference. Collectively these factors influenced the price of communities, which in turn influenced and shaped the selection process of each neighborhood by potential home buyers.

Become a “Neighborhood Expert” by learn more about the current development trends and the how you can find out about the history of your neighborhood in the new Certified Neighborhood Specialist designation at www.CertifiedNeighborhoodSpecialist.com. The CNS course is another quality learning experience offered by the RealtyU Group, the largest network of real estate schools (www.RealtyURealEstateSchools.com) in the country.