Well, I?EUR??,,????'???m not sure that is going to happen. The Fed has raised the rates for the 13th time but is threatening to keep it stable over the next year. This means that fixed rate home loans will stay at, or around 6 percent, which is definitely low enough to allow for continued demand in the residential markets.

I know I?EUR??,,????'???ve been saying it for some time now, but population growth is the real key to the expansion of the market. With the U.S. being the only first world country to expect population growth over the next 20 years, people will need to be housed and fed and supplied with goods and services. In other words, the bubble is filled with 8-10 million new Americans every year and if there is any bursting to happen I think it will be bursting at the seams . . .

So, while the residential market, being built at record levels, may slow from the record pace, it will continue to be strong for years ahead.

That is good for you, good for me, good for the entire U.S. economy . . . And . . . it is especially good for those Landscape Architects who put ink to the paper and the design to the landscape around these homes of the future.

This January ?EUR??,,????'??Custom Residential?EUR??,,????'?? issue has become one of my favorites . . . No, it doesn?EUR??,,????'???t sell a lot of ads, but the freedom of design in custom residential work is just too cool . . .

There are few profit/loss concerns with single-family residential design?EUR??,,????'??+just meet the needs and wants of the owner. The bottom line is desire and pride. The restraints are imagination. While there is usually a budget, there are also the onsite wanna?EUR??,,????'???s and whatif?EUR??,,????'???s that, more often than not, add the finishing touches that only a soft budget can allow.

Unlike corporate design driven by profit, community development driven by resale ability, or public design driven by popular vote and taxes, residential design is driven by the deep pocket and by neighborhood prestige.

It is no wonder so many of you have a residence of pride in your portfolio and so many of you fill our coffers with feature article potential.

If only we could publish every design we see . . . What a magazine that would make . . . But alas . . . We had to narrow it down to these few. I hope you enjoy this issue and I hope you enjoy the year ahead . . . 2006 is gonna be a great year . . .