The first couple of months of every New Year are primetime for predictions. Everything from dollars (the economy) to donuts (diets) is fair game for the prognosticators in all industries.

At first glance, the design style known as “modern farmhouse” sounds like a conflict in terms. For anyone who grew up on a farm or visited grandparents who lived there, they most likely have memories of life on the farm as anything but modern!

DALLAS – A television series sponsored by Acme Brick Company since its launch airs its record-breaking 1,000th episode in the Dallas-Fort Worth market on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 11 a.m. on WFAA-TV (channel 8, ABC).

Hot On! Homes, produced by Crozier and Henderson Productions, Inc., showcases new home communities and home builders.

"We are extremely humbled to reach the 1,000th episode milestone,” said Leslie Crozier, co-founder of Crozier and Henderson Productions. "We are proud to have produced the longest running TV series in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The millennial generation has the undivided, rapt attention of the real estate industry. Why? According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the National Association of Realtors said they were the largest group of home buyers, at 34 percent, from July 2015 until June 2016.

More and more custom home builders are being asked for less and less from clients who want a modern design. In 1947, architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe opined that “less is more” in terms of aesthetic and functional architectural design and this began the evolution of “modern” home design.

For anyone contemplating the sale of their home, the picture in 2017 is rosy indeed. According to residential real estate advisory site, Zillow, the median home value in the United States rose 6.8 percent over the past year – and predicts another 2.7 percent increase next year.

Americans are on the move…literally. According to a Gallup Survey, one in four Americans moves to a new home every five years. The statistics blog site FiveThirtyEight, notes that the average U.S. citizen will move 11.4 times in their lifetime. Compare this to Europeans who move only 4 times in their lifetime.

Given the fact that the Denver area has become one of the country’s technology hot spots, it is no surprise that “smart homes” have become very popular, especially among buyers of custom homes.  Many experts believe 2017 will mark the tipping point for these technology-enabled homes.