How I come up with the concept of a Lifestyle Neighborhood

I came up with the concept of a lifestyle neighborhood as a way to describe the type of neighborhoods my clients were looking for. My clients were telling me that they needed to have access to a variety of amenities and that they preferred to have these amenities within walking distance. I am finding that more and more people are concerned with their carbon footprint and that they want to have the ability to get around as much as possible without getting in a car. They want a neighborhood that supports their lifestyle. So I coined the term "Lifestyle Neighborhood" to capture what my clients were looking for.

Many of my clients are professionals who work from home and because they spend more time at home they want amenities that are in the neighborhood. Many work in a virtual global world and they take breaks in their day as they get an opportunity. Their day can start in the early morning and very often ends late at night. Every client is different but common desires are a park close by to enjoy during the day, a virtual office space in a friendly neighborhood coffee shop, and a grocery store or at least a farmer's market that they can walk to. They also desire other neighborhood amenities such as a café, a dry cleaner and hardware store. They also want the option of using public transportation and want to walk to public transportation.

My clients vary in age and background but they all seem to agree that a neighborhood that supports their lifestyle is important. One of the great things about Silicon Valley is that it has so many wonderful lifestyle neighborhoods at different price points and with multiple housing types. Almost every city in Silicon Valley is redeveloping their downtown area and creating neighborhoods that support various lifestyles. I will highlight some of my favorite "Lifestyle Neighborhoods" here in Silicon Valley in future blog posts.