What's Your Style? A Guide to America's Most Common Home Styles

Styles of houses vary across the country. From the New England Cape Cod to the Victorians of San Francisco, the choices are almost endless. Knowing which style you prefer is one of the basic elements in your hunt for the perfect home.

Following is a quick guide to help you recognize and use the professional terms for many of the most prevalent house styles:

• Ranch: these long, low houses rank among the most popular types in the country. The ranch, which developed from early homes in the West and Southwest, is one-story with a low pitched room. The raised ranch, which is also common is the U.S.. has two levels, each accessible from the home's entry foyer, which features staircases to both upper and lower levels.

• Cape Cod: this compact story-and-a-half house is small and symmetrical with a central entrance and a step, gable roof. Brick, wood or aluminum siding are the materials most commonly seen.

• Georgian: Popular in New England, the Georgian has a very formal appearance with two or three stories and classic lines. Usually built of red brick, the rectangular house has thin columns alongside the entry, and multi-paned windows above the door and throughout the house. Two large chimneys rise high above the roof at each end.

• Tudor: modeled after the English country cottage. Tudor styling features trademark dark-wood timbering set against light-colored stucco that highlights the top half of the house and frames the numerous windows. The bottom half of the house is often made of brick.

• Queen Anne/Victorian: Developed from styles originated in Great Britain, these homes are usually two-story frame with large rooms, high ceilings and porches along the front and sometimes sides of the house. Peaked roofs and ornamental wood trim, many times referred to as "gingerbread," decorate these elaborate homes.

• Pueblo/Santa Fe Style - Popular in the Southwest, these homes are either frame or adobe brick with a stucco exterior. The flat roof has protruding, rounded beams called vigas. One or two story, the homes feature covered/enclosed patios and an abundance of tile.

• Dutch Colonial - the Dutch Colonial has two or tow-and-one-half stories covered by a gambrel roof (having two lopes on each side, with the lower slope steeper than the upper, flatter slope) and eaves that flare outward. This style is traditionally make of brick or shingles.

• New England Colonial - This two-and-one-half story early American style is box like with a gable roof. The traditional material is narrow clapboard siding and a shingle roof. The small-pane, double-hung windows usually have working wood shutters.

• Southern Colonial -this large, two-to-three-story frame house is world famous for its large front columns and wide porches.

• Split-levels: Split-level houses have one living level about half a floor above the other living level. When this type of home is built on three different levels, it is called a tri-level.

These are just a few of the many styles of homes available across the country - some are more prominent in different areas than others. Knowing home style terms will help you zero in on the type of house that will fill your needs and suit your taste.

About The Author

W. Troy Swezey is the author of "WHAT'S YOUR STYLE? A guide to America's Most common Home Styles." As a Realtor at Century 21 Paul & Associates, he has helped many individuals with their real estate needs. Visit his web site to download his free e-book, "REAL ESTATE SECRETS EXPOSED." http://www.TroyIsMyRealtor.com or mail to: TroyC21@usa.net

Palm Beach Daily News

Palm Beach real estate market shifting into higher gear Palm Beach Daily News With a new season upon us, Palm Beach's revved-up real estate market has continued its year-long shift into higher gear, driven in no small part by affluent home buyers whose wealth has steadily increased and who increasingly view the island as a ...

Real estate transfers: Reported Oct. 21, 2018 Herald-Whig Real estate transfers recorded in the office of Adams County clerk and recorder. Quincy area. Russell F. Rohrer, property at 2000 State St., to Elias M. Wigfall and Lachelle M. Wigfall. Melissa R. Hinkamper, property at 1212 N. 20th St., to Melissa R ...

Mansion Global

Menorca's Real Estate Market Sees Rapid Growth Mansion Global One of Spain's Balearic Islands, Menorca is known for its natural beauty and has a reputation for being family-friendly and low key. It is the least visited and developed island in the archipelago, but lately it's been receiving more attention. Tourism ...

OCRegister

Commercial real estate: Catch the first wave, there may not be another! OCRegister Enlist your commercial real estate professional to take you on a tour of your competition. Sure, you can accomplish this on paper, but if you get in the car and look at other things available, you'll see the market through a buyer's perspective ...

Naples Daily News

Real estate briefs Naples Daily News Free real estate seminar. Naples' top real estate professionals are holding a public talk to help homebuyers and sellers avoid making common but harmful mistakes. According to local Realtor Jim York, who will be one of the professionals at the seminar ...

Real Estate Happenings Charleston Post Courier WHAT: This inaugural golf tournament fundraiser is sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Southern Coast Real Estate, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to nonprofit The Sunshine Kids Foundation (www.sunshinekids.org) providing group ...

Franklin County considers collecting real estate tax twice a year Roanoke Times The county's board of supervisors is considering moving to twice-a-year real estate tax collection. Doing so would create a one-time windfall in the neighborhood of $18 million that could be applied to capital projects or used to boost the county's ...

Real estate transfers for Oct. 21, 2018 Roanoke Times Federal National Mortgage Association to Morris Real Estate Management LLC, 1813 Eastgate Ave. N.E. Roanoke VA 24012, $64,900 10/02/2018. HSBC Bank USA to Victoria L. Epperly, 3401 Birchwood St. N.E. Roanoke VA 24012, $71,000 10/04/2018.

Wall Street Journal

The Bullies of Real Estate Wall Street Journal “Bullying is rampant among real-estate agents, but you see less of it among the top-performing agents. The most common form of bullying here is a passive-aggressive running of the clock, which usually happens when buyers and sellers are negotiating ...

Forbes

Six Skills Real Estate Investors And Developers Need To Develop Forbes Being a successful real estate investor or developer requires the unique ability to see an opportunity where others do not. Looking at trends in other successful markets and recognizing those trends elsewhere are key factors in identifying opportunities.