We live in an era where markets of all the countries are interconnected. Strong global forces are capable of bringing change in the global economy. A global trend can have a positive, as well as a negative effect on the global markets. Some of the examples of the current global trends are the rise of emerging economies like India and China, rapidly increasing digital technologies, etc. Changing global trends open the gates of new opportunities for countries, businesses, and individuals. But, countries and businesses go fail to chance with the changing trends lay far behind their competitors.

What are the global trends?

Any change in the ongoing situation that affects countries all around the world is known as global trends. These trends play a very important role in deciding the fate of an industry. Real estate is no more an exception. Real estate is known to be the backbone of several countries. As we are stepping into the year 2020, it is time to analyze the ongoing and upcoming trends that might influence the property market.

The year 2019 has shown numerous global events that had directly affected the markets all over the world. Though the economy of China and the US continue growing, the trade war between these countries does leave its mark. Their trade war has resulted in imposing a high tariff on numerous imports, including steel, aluminum, etc. These tariffs have negative effects on the economy, which can further effects the real estate markets all over the world.

Every year some countries move towards prosperity, whereas some struggle to fight ongoing crises. Below we have shared some upcoming and ongoing global trends that would affect the real estate industry in the year 2020.

Global Trends 2020 and their effects on real estate

Technology advancement

Markets in the 21st century are ruled by technology. Technology has been one of the major trends that have changed the phase of the real estate industry drastically. Technology advancement is an ongoing process. In the past few years, technology has been one of the major reasons for the growth of this sector that too, on the global level. It has changed the way property business used to be done. Be it construction, marketing, sales, or customer service, technology has made things quite easy for buyers as well as sellers.

It has helped in increasing the construction quality while decreasing the construction time simultaneously. Last week, China built a hospital within10 days to accommodate coronavirus patients.

In 2019, we saw an increasing demand for augmented and virtual reality concepts. This trend is going to be seen in the year 2020 also. This technology allows a person sitting in one country to see and feel the property while sitting in the comfort of their house in another country. Hence, the country which would be able to imbibe the existing or can be ahead of others in terms of technological advancements would be able to ripe more profits as compared to other countries. On the other hand, countries that fail to adapt to these upcoming technological changes would lag at the global level.

U.S. house prices increase

The year 2019 has proved to be quite good for the U.S. economy. An increase in employment and a decrease in interest rates have resulted in a good YoY in several parts of the nation. However, the year 2018 has laid the foundation for this growth. The real estate industry was booming at that time.

However, the year 2020 might not give the same results. As per the Congressional Budget Office this year, the GBP is expected to slow to approximately 2 percent. Also, the Federal Reserve has indicated that the rate of interest will be increased at least twice this year. By the end of 2019, there was not much increase in the personal income; any increase in interest rate can be troublesome news for the U.S. real estate industry. It’s been some time that the interest rates were towards the lower side, so any increase would be no less than a shock for the real estate market.

Many of the major tech cities like New York and San Francisco have already shown a decline in their house prices. Any decline in tech jobs in these cities or in case the real estate market in these areas becomes a housing bubble than be ready to get surprised in the year 2020.

The higher U.S. interest rate would affect the real estate market on a global level.

We all are well aware of what power the $ hold on the world economy. Every time the U.S. brings any change in its financial policies, it not only affects the U.S. citizens, but its effect can be seen in all other countries as well. Many people compare their currency with the dollar to know about the status of their currency in the global markets. Numerous “forex software tools” are available in the market to know the currency exchange rates.

The reason behind this is that many countries around the world have either use the U.S. dollar or they peg their currency to the dollar. For example, there is a country that uses the dollar as a base; hence, if the U.S. increases its interest rate, then the same change would be seen in that country also. As a result, the homeowners will end paying more money as their mortgage repayments. The home loan interest rate plays a vital role in the growth of the real estate industry. Higher the rate of interest, lesser people would be interested in purchasing the property.

The economy of all countries is interconnected. Hence, any change debt or rate of interest in a powerful country like the U.S. has a global effect.

Increasing demand for sustainable properties

Nowadays, because of awareness, people are more interested in buying sustainable and environment-friendly houses. Studies have shown that millennials are more eager to buy sustainable products. The rise in the demand for organic products is a proof for the same. You might not believe it, but the truth is they are even ready to pay extra for these environment-friendly organic products.

The same trend can be seen in the real estate industry. Hence, landlords, property investors, or construction companies have to find ways to meet the demand for sustainable houses.

For sustainable houses, real estate companies need to use eco-friendly construction material. In addition to this, they need to focus more on the use of renewable energy sources like solar heaters, etc. One very simple change that construction companies and landlords are making nowadays to increase their property demand is that they provide an electric car charging point in the garage of their property. This way, they attract a tenant who owns electric cars.

Huge Urban Expansion

More and more people prefer living in urban cities to enjoy the lifestyle and the facilities provided by them. As a result, the builders have to bring changes in their construction so that they can meet the demand of the increasing population in the urban cities. Hence, the availability of amenities like gym, parking space, club, swimming pool, park, security, etc. is becoming a major point of consideration among the buyers.

Besides this, more and more families are interested in buying or renting a property near to their workplace to save time in commuting. Hence, the construction companies also have to build residential areas near or around these urban cities to meet the buyers, or tenants, residential demand.

The fashion industry is one of a kind. It is full of creativity, artistry, good taste, and beauty. It is one of the livelier industries due to the fact that it is ever-changing. Over the past years, there were plenty of different trends and styles that made the whole fashion world even more interesting than it usually is. Since the trends really are changing often, here are a couple of things you can expect to see more in 2020.

Recycling and upcycling

Even though the recycling process has been long present in the fashion industry, what’s new is upcycling. Even though the upcycling is still new, it is still gaining popularity rather quickly. Recycling and upcycling are two pretty similar processes. They do share a feature. Namely, they both deal with reusing old things or materials. However, they differ in that upcycling is actually a narrower term than recycling. Recycling means reusing old things and upcycling means turning the waste into something of a higher quality.

Photo by Keagan Henman on Unsplash

Since both of these present forms of sustainability, it’s no wonder they are so popular today. Since more and more people are starting to practice sustainability, they are going to be even more popular tomorrow. What’s so great about these is that they minimize and, sometimes even completely reduce the waste. All of the fabric is used which means that the environment benefits from this as well. One of the particular things that the companies are trying to do is reduce their use of single-use plastic since that is everything but good for the environment. Besides that, brands are cutting down on the waste associated with denim too.

Re-wearing

Speaking of trying to make the world a better place, re-wearing should be mentioned too. Even if the connection between the two may not seem obvious, it’s definitely there. Since re-wearing is becoming a huge thing, as a result of that, people will create less waste. They will do so every time they decide to get one thing of high quality and not to get three things of lower quality. Such things of lower quality tend to be made of some not so great fabrics and materials.

Since women no longer want to put up with any kind of pressure in the fashion world, they are deciding to re-wear their clothes as much as they can. No one is under any kind of obligation to wear a different outfit for every occasion. It seems much wiser to get a couple of high-quality items, like the ones at Style State fashion, than piling up things just for diversity rather than actual quality. Women are finally re-wearing things with pride and they are just going to practice it more. With a wardrobe like this, women will lead a greener life while still being at the top of their fashion game.

Personalization

One of the leading trends for clothing business nowadays is, of course, personalization. Personalized promotions and recommendations are what make almost half of the online purchases. A large percentage of consumers choose brands that allow personalizing features such as messaging, offers, and experiences. Since people are getting more and more interested in personalization, this is a growing market.

Photo by Cam Morin on Unsplash

What is great with personalization is that the customer base and its behavior can easily be followed. For instance, it can be tracked what your customers like and later recommend similar items. The recommendations can be easily based on previous viewing choices. Once the recommendations resemble the previous searches and purchases, customers can spend more time on getting the items they like and less time looking for them.

Increased Transparency

Another highly popular fashion trend for 2020 is increased transparency. The business is all about love, respect, and trust between brands and customers. People like to do business with the companies they like and trust. Because of that, it doesn’t come as a surprise to the popularity of this trend. No matter the industry, trust is always important. Trust creates connections and builds relationships. Trust is key to a successful business.

Customers may have become a bit untrustworthy of the fashion industry and it’s up to the industry to prove them wrong. To do so, many companies opted for transparency. The companies became transparent both in their design and in their production process. This may seem like some kind of trouble, but the outcome is what matters the most. Every successful business has to spare some time for creating bonds with its customers and that is what makes the business, not only survive, but also make it shine.

Conclusion

The fashion industry is always full of beautiful things. Not just the clothes, the interest in sustainability is also one of the things that have made the fashion industry so appealing. Transparency and personalization are also things that help the fashion industry evolve and keep getting better.

Alcoholism is a global concern as millions of people around the world are suffering from this condition. It is a severe form of alcohol abuse, and it takes an individual to a dark phase, finding a way out of which is close to impossible. It is a condition that can negatively impact an affected individual’s performance in professional, social, as well as personal life. However, an effective way to cope with alcoholism and take a step forward towards recovery is to look for inspiration. There are innumerable examples in the world where people were able to come out of the dark phase and return to their lives.

Jane Zarse, the author of “Love and Compassion, is My Religion,” and “Sober and Pissed Off,” was a victim of alcoholism. She was in the dark phase and spent most of her life as a drunk individual. As she began to realize that her life was turning into a mess, she became a part of Alcoholics Anonymous and set out on a journey of recovery. In her books, she explains how spirituality and her faith helped her find her way back to life and escape the horrors of alcoholism.

Roots from a Well-Off and Privileged Family

Alcoholism hunts without discrimination. Whether it’s an individual stuck in poverty or a privileged teenager, suffering from isolation, alcoholism can find its roots anywhere. Daughter of a successful member of the Chicago Board of Trade, Jane Zarse, was born and raised in Lake Forest, Illinois. Her family was well-off, and she was privileged enough to receive a quality education. Her family resided in a ninety-two-hundred-square-foot lakefront estate. Even in her school, she was a very popular student as she was one of the top performers. Moreover, she graduated from Boston University on the Dean’s List.

It was during high-school that she began to consume alcohol and stepped into her life’s dark phase. At the start, drinking was occasional and mostly when she went out with her friends. According to Jane, drinking alcohol helped her get comfortable in her skin and gave her a sense of security. Starting as a social drinker, Jane slowly and gradually proceeded further to troubled drinking, and finally to merry-go-round drinking. The signs begin to appear when her academic performance deteriorated, and her aims started to fade away.

Stepping into the Dark World of Alcoholism

According to Jane, the most common reason which leads a person deeper into alcoholism is temporary escapism. People drink because it provides them relief by cutting them off from the world temporarily. It helps them forget about their problems while allowing them to live in the moment. People fail to realize that alcohol brings relief by taking away all the good things in life one after the other. Before attacking the physical existence, alcohol takes away the things one cares about and loves.

Excessive alcohol consumption was making her feel hopeless and helpless. Things were getting worse with every passing day.  When things got out of hand she finally decided to join Alcoholics Anonymous. It is the place where she understood the true meaning of God’s existence and realized the importance of spirituality. It was the starting of her journey toward a better life. Faith, spirituality, and God became her saviors in the dark world of alcoholism.

Finding God and Working on Spiritual Existence

When Jane first stepped into the meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, she saw a wall with the word “God” on it. As soon as she came across that wall, thoughts of negativity came rushing to her mind. She was skeptical about joining the group and when she realized that she has to deal with religious beings, her motivation levels drained. Jane did, she did not give up on the group. By regularly attending the meetings, her concepts about God and spirituality began to change. It was at this time that she began to hope that things would get better for her. The group was using spiritual healing and was disregarding logical actions.

Jane Zarse believes alcohol to be the most powerful thing to exist in the universe, and the group helped her find an entity greater than alcohol and all worldly things – God. Her belief in the Higher Power helped her realize that alcoholism was more of a mental state than a physical obsession. Having a negative mindset and living as a pessimist are the most crucial factors that take one deeper into alcoholism. When she finally began to accept that there was a Higher Power, things got easy for her. The feeling that God is always there for His people can help men overcome any obstacle in life. The feeling of isolation and loneliness make situations worse for an alcoholic. The love for God helps to understand that they are not alone. God is always there and looks upon the people when they feel alone and neglected.

Drinking cuts off one’s relation with God, and this disconnection is what eliminates all chances of recovery. When an individual gets deeper into spirituality and realizes about their relationship with God, it takes half of their pain away and encourages them to quit the wrong deeds to get closer to the Higher Power. The first phase of recovery is acceptance. Acceptance does not necessarily mean approval. One has to start accepting their situation before they can find a way out. Without acceptance, one can never realize that they have a problem. Spiritual rejuvenation is a way people learn to stop surrendering to alcohol and submit to God’s will.

Divine intervention is the only way out of the dark phase, and the entire world’s collaboration has not resulted in a proper cure or treatment for recovery from alcoholism. To feel loved and to know that there is someone always looking out for one is effective in the process of quitting drinking. With a love of God, one can develop courage and even strengthen their will power.

The victims of alcoholism need to understand that their mindset and pessimistic personality are the two most crucial elements that make it difficult for them to step out of the dark phase. Along with logical treatments, people need to work on their spiritual existence. Rejuvenation of one’s soul is only possible if they have a clear understanding of their relationship with God. It is during the journey of spiritual realization that one gets a chance to beat alcoholism and step out of its horrors.