That inherent, holistic sense of home. It’s something that’s more of a feeling than a construct because when you get there you know it; you feel it.
As we enter into what is traditionally the most active time of the year for real estate, we felt it was a good time to take a fresh look at what the market drivers are in this sector, what potential homeowners are wish-listing, and what that means for our greater Chesapeake region.
Amenities vs. Infrastructure
Relative to this conversation is the discussion of the three primary trends that are attractive particularly to home buyers in our area; the first is the Wellness Real Estate Trend.
While we have seen residential designs that specially address health in the form of adding home gyms and other luxury extras like spa amenities to baths for the last couple of decades, this latest take on wellness, also known as “Frictionless-Living,” denotes a holistic integration of the entire home.
Wellness real estate, as defined by biofilico.com, is the intentional design of environments that proactively support the physical, mental, and social health of occupants. It helps to think of the concept as amenities versus infrastructure.
Differentially, this concept takes flashy elements that you can see, such as the home gym, to health-perpetuating elements that you can’t. These include:
Circadian Lighting Systems: Designed to mimic the sun’s natural progression to regulate sleep-wake cycles.
Advanced Air & Water Filtration: Medical-grade HEPA filtration and multi-stage water purification systems which have become a new-build standard in multifamily builds in the mid-Atlantic region.
Regenerative Design: Uses non-toxic, “living” materials, such as mycelium insulation or VOC-free paints which work to improve indoor air quality over time.
Across the Chesapeake region, real estate experts are concurring that buyers are prioritizing health and wellness, in equal measure with both home efficiency and aesthetic standards.
“I am definitely seeing that buyers are more interested in homes that offer these trends. They especially want the cleanest air possible and install air purifiers,” says Cornelia Heckenbach, an associate broker with Long & Foster Real Estate based in St. Michaels.
“They are also requesting quality water systems that feature the reverse osmosis process which removes more contaminants for the whole home and are switching from gas ranges to convection cooktops for overall safety,” she adds.
Christopher Ducey, Managing Broker of Annapolis Fine Homes Office, Long and Foster Real Estate, adds to this thought. “Efficiency and wellness are sometimes synonymous. A geothermal heating and cooling system is about efficiency, with wellness as an added benefit. The same can be said for certain types of air filtration systems. While dedicated fitness and wellness areas will remain important when space allows, buyers are increasingly requesting optional spaces for health and fitness. A flex space that allows owners to adapt a room to changing needs and trends, such as a fitness area, office, or golf simulator, will likely be more valuable. Wellness considerations can also be driven by personal preference, such as induction versus gas cooking, and in some cases, by cost.”
Another key amenity that developers are providing is forever living scenarios. This aspect of longevity is essential for homeowners who are in better health and are living longer. Alison Wisnom, associate broker with Coldwell Banker in Annapolis says the options are here for consumers who want them.
“We are currently offering 18 new construction townhomes for sale at Towne Row, each with a private elevator. While not a senior community, many inquiries are focused on the ability to downsize into a home that’s easier to care for and offers seniors long-term living,” Wisnom explains.
“Even if they don’t currently need the elevator, it’ll be there for them when they do, and they can stay in their home independently. Also, these homes offer two primary suites on separate floors, so in the event they need a caregiver at some point, they can each have privacy.”
Key Cultural Drivers: A growing focus on mental health and longevity, a greater demand for self-care and functional luxury, and the willingness of high net-worth buyers to pay premiums for these enhancements.
Additional Key Features of Wellness Integration: Dedicated meditation and yoga rooms or spaces, aspects of biophilic design, such as indoor plants including green walls, and optimized natural light throughout.
“In waterfront markets especially, wellness shows up through biophilic design, expansive views, indoor-outdoor living, and spaces that encourage movement and calm,” explains Brad Kappel, Executive Vice President of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty in Annapolis. “We see these features directly influencing how buyers emotionally connect to a home and how they value it.”
Always on Vacation
Trend No. 2 is the increasing popularity of Resort-Style Homes. Designed to feel like you’re on a permanent vacation, our Chesapeake Bay backdrop provides the perfect location, location, location when bundled with a premier property enhanced to entertain and sustain its inhabitants 24/7.
Key Cultural Drivers: Along with providing the financial security that properties with multiple residences and high-end amenities create, many experts feel that living through the pandemic made homeowners more thoughtful about their surroundings and needs.
"Post-pandemic, there’s also a heightened desire for privacy, self-contained living, and homes that genuinely enhance quality of life,” Kappel says.
Additional Key Features of Resort Style Homes: Upscale outdoor living environments that mimic “all-inclusive” recreational experiences. These often include infinity pools, outdoor kitchens, living, and dining spaces, and entertainment terraces. Ideally the property also has access to recreational amenities such as walking trails, pickle ball and tennis courts, golf courses, beaches, ski slopes, and flex spaces that provide the opportunity to host a private event or family gathering.
Geographically, we are fortunate that our area is extremely well-suited to deliver on most of these points. “Our vast waterfronts are already geared toward the resort lifestyle with pools and numerous reasons to be outdoors,” Heckenbach says. “And Talbot county is the perfect destination for resort style homes. If someone does not buy waterfront, there are also home offerings that are nearby golf courses and yacht clubs.”
Prime Location = Enduring Value
Of the three primary trends, No. 3, the Legacy Property Trend resonates most keenly with David Orso, a licensed REALTOR and owner at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services PenFed Realty of Severna Park.
“Legacy properties will become more common in our region as baby boomers start to deploy hard earned assets toward creation of family gathering spaces,” Orso explains. Legacy homes are properties that typically carry long-term value, historical significance, and/or prestige.
And every once and a while our area specifically produces a property “unicorn” that embodies the aspects of all three trends.
“A recent example is The Friary, a historic waterfront estate we represented that perfectly embodies the convergence of wellness, resort-style living, and legacy ownership,” Kappel says.
“The property featured indoor and outdoor pools, expansive entertaining areas, and a private pier with deep-water docking. It wasn’t just a luxury home—it was a generational estate, and buyers responded to it as such.”
Chuck Mangold, Jr., Associate Broker at Benson & Mangold Real Estate, a prominent Eastern Shore brokerage, says he finds all these trends to be intriguing, relevant, and worth keeping up with.
“Since we have a higher end, luxury market here, legacy properties, or as we call them ‘heirloom homes’ are family purchases we see a lot.”
While these types of property sales have always been there, Mangold says he is noticing an uptick in intentional planning associated with them.
“I have seen several homes purchased in entities that were set up with generational ownership in mind from the outset. We are seeing more of this type of proactive estate planning done at inception rather than an afterthought years later.”
Key Cultural/Economic Drivers: More buyers with an interest in long-term wealth preservation; the status that owning a prestigious property confers; and greater demand for homes that can become family legacies or investment assets.
Additional Key Features of Legacy Properties: These homes, or in some cases estates, can possess an architectural significance, historical relevance, a prime location with proven enduring value; or homes that provide flexibility for multi-generational living, or rental/investment potential.
Sector Responses
Responses to the overarching market influences of the generational shift that values experiences over possessions, the financial ability to pursue lifestyle-focused homes, and the increasing awareness of sustainability, environmental impact, and personal wellness has developers, architects, and brokers taking more bespoke or highly-localized approaches to providing living scenarios for current and potential residents.
More thoughtful living experiences that foster and enhance community, developed with environmental forethought, and long-term living potential are being talked about and planned for across the region, from bustling Annapolis to more bucolic towns on the Eastern Shore.
Case in point, the recent introduction of the Chestertown Downtown Master Plan on the Eastern Shore. This comprehensive and strategic roadmap for growth and development factors in the “experience” pivot, to the concept of urban revitalization.
A specific aspect of the plan recognizes and builds on the town’s inherent “walkability” factor with developers looking at “Opportunity Sites” identified in the plan to create mixed-use spaces. One of the plan’s goals is to connect the Washington College campus more seamlessly to the downtown core via the Rail Trail and improved sidewalk networks.
In terms of real estate opportunities, some newer developments are high-profile examples of the trend of “right-sized” luxury where the focus shifts from larger estates to somewhat smaller dwellings that provide high-efficiency windows, options for energy-conscious heating, and open-concept layouts that maximize natural light, which is a core biophilic wellness tenet.
And with our many bay- and river-centric communities, environmental concerns are always top-of-mind, as seen in some new projects, particularly those by local leaders that are emphasizing the concept of “coastal resilience.” Towns, like Chestertown, Annapolis, and many others, have been working with design firms to create responsible, forward-looking development models and infrastructure upgrades (e.g. Annapolis’ City Dock stormwater resiliency project) to ensure that future development remains holistic, sustainable, robust, and cohesive.
This is reflected in higher elevations for new builds, the use of permeable surfaces, responsible stormwater managements systems, and/or replacing traditional bulkheads with living shorelines to manage the 17 percent increase in flood risk projected in 2026 data. Additionally, local land and river conservation groups can bridge homeowners to county/state/federal grant options to assist the funding of such remediation projects on a smaller scale.
Clearly, the significance of “trends” is weightier than the term itself, and the professionals in these sectors are keen to continue the discussions around these blinking indicators as part of a forward-looking, strategic, and thoughtful approach to the places people call home.
