In something of a throwback to the 1920s, a new minimalist trend, in which less is more, may soon be taking hold in new-home design. At the same time, some builders will be heading deeper into urban and close-in suburban spots where location will be the primary amenity.

These two possible trends, predicted at the recent National Association of Home Builders convention in Las Vegas, are not likely to change the face of new-home construction. But if they are on the money, at least some builders will be simplifying their designs to capture buyers suffering from sensory overload, while others will build smaller houses on smaller lots in an effort to bag young buyers who are paying in rent what they could pay to own.

The minimalist trend is “in its very early stages,” according to Renee Labbe, director of foresight strategy at Broadside Studios in Los Angeles. But in that it stems from the need to provide a respite from buyers’ overstimulated modern lives, it can’t arrive quick enough.

“We are all subjected to an exceptional amount of technology, social media, visual messaging, infomercials and the like, and that has caused people to lose focus,” Labbe says. “Our brains have become so busy that we need to reduce friction.”

For home design, that means a reduction to simpler floor plans, and to modestly pitched roofs with minimal overhangs and reduced ornamentation -- or none at all, says Labbe, who calls the shift “design reduction.”

In a sense, it will be a return to a style of architecture popular nearly a century ago, when houses were sheathed in just one material, including the roof, and in just one color.

“It will be somewhat similar to a simple barn house,” Labbe explains. “The trend offers consumers a ‘visual ease’ wherein the details that comprise the total aesthetic are reduced for the express purpose of greater overall unity. Detail will exist, but it won’t detract from the whole.”

At the same time, Labbe sees the boundaries between architecture and nature blurring, so there will be less noticeable difference between the two. Landscaping will become less showy and more relaxing, she says -- less manicured, more primitive and raw.

And in another predicted trend, which the foresight strategist labels “priva-see,” she says the focus will be on achieving a balance between providing a sense of freedom -- a feeling of being outside -- while increasing privacy between the house and the world beyond.

Meanwhile, John Hunt of MarketNSight, a feasibility assessment firm, points out that if builders want to recapture the share of the market they have lost to the resale sector -- 35 percent all of buyers used to purchase new units, and now just 8 percent do -- they have to build closer in, not farther out.

Hunt believes millennials are willing to buy and live in small spaces, as long as the homes are in their target areas. “For many of today’s potential new-home buyers,” he says, “experiences and location trump square footage.” And they are not alone: Boomers are vying for the same houses.

Builders and developers aren’t currently building the homes that first-time buyers and retirees want, or where they want them, he said.

“We’re still building the same houses we built 40 years ago,” he said. “We need to build something different.”

Not every buyer wants to “drive until they can buy,” he points out. Many want to live in trendy locations where they can walk to food and entertainment options. Their major concern isn’t schools; it’s convenience to work and nightlife, or where they can grab an Uber or Lyft.

Right now, this “potentially huge” market is being served by apartment builders. But Hunt says builders can offer more space for the same price -- and make a higher profit, to boot: “We have seen small product garnering as much as $450 a square foot.”

He’s talking townhouses, for sure, but also condominiums, and even “micro homes” of 500 square feet or less. Hunt says millennials are willing to pay higher prices for smaller spaces, as long as they are in their preferred locations.

As he sees it, it’s not the lack of demand that is keeping builders in the ‘burbs; it’s the fear of not being able to obtain the right price. But he has case study after case study that shows builders can make their price points, or even more.

In one hot Atlanta neighborhood, for example, one builder is hoping to build stacked flats that will start at $180,000 for 400 square feet. The mortgage on the smallest unit would run $750 a month, which compares favorably to $1,600 a month in rent for a 560 square-foot apartment across the street.

“The apartment market has shown us the way, if we are willing to listen,” says Hunt, a 30-year veteran of the housing wars. “We can compete with them.”

If you’ve ever smashed your thumb with a hammer while doing a home improvement project, there’s no need to feel foolish. Fully 6 percent of everyone answering a survey on do-it-yourself projects has injured themselves on the job.

To add insult to injury, no pun intended: One in 12 respondents to the survey by ImproveNet -- a website that connects consumers with contractors and other pros -- has also damaged his or her home in the process.

These aren’t necessarily mistake-prone amateurs, either. The 2,000 people who responded to the poll reported having undertaken an average of eight DIY projects. Sixty-three percent of them regret having done at least one of those jobs, and 1 in 3 has hired a professional to redo the work.

Failures don’t necessarily come from winging it, either: Respondents put in an average of six hours of research before starting their projects. Sources included YouTube videos (65 percent), home improvement websites (51 percent), friends or family members (45 percent), store clerks (20 percent), books or magazines (16 percent) and television shows (14 percent).

Why do so many homeowners go to all this trouble?

Whether we’re “just up for a challenge” or “don’t have the budget to hire a pro,” says ImproveNet, “we share the glorious pastime of DIY home improvement projects. But they don’t all turn out well ... Many of them fail, and some become legendary disasters.”

Based in Evanston, Illinois, ImproveNet claims to have helped 867,000 homeowners with their home improvements since 1996. The site features a handy grading chart of which kind of tasks are particularly daunting, all the way down to the tasks that are so easy they seem to do themselves.

The most regretted? Installing floor tiles, followed by replacing ceilings and refinishing hardwood floors. The easiest to get done? Installing lighting, adding trees and shrubs, and installing trim and moldings.

Interior painting is the most popular job among the do-it-yourselfers, with 40 percent reporting they’d tried it. The second-most popular task, also rated the second-easiest, is adding trees or shrubs, which 20 percent of the respondents tried.

The third most popular job is interesting, because it is also the most regretted: installing floor tiles. Twenty percent of these home improvers have given this a go.

The least popular jobs are also the most difficult. Just 2 percent had tried to install a fireplace, while only 3 percent have taken a crack at repairing foundations or adding or expanding a room.

The most problematic areas in a home to improve, according to survey respondents, are what you might expect: floors (40 percent), adding or expanding rooms (35 percent), and walls and ceilings (31 percent).

Why DIY? To save money, naturally. Fifty-six percent wanted to keep more in their wallets and fork over less to contractors. “On average, people hope to save at least 60 percent of what they would have to pay a professional,” according to the company.

But the really hardcore DIYers said they wanted to do it themselves because it was fun (14 percent). And some were looking for a challenge (20 percent).

What went wrong? In addition to injuring themselves or damaging their homes, the survey says 55 percent found the job took longer than expected, half found it too much of a physical challenge, 48 percent found it technically harder than anticipated, and 17 percent thought it just cost too much.

“On average, when DIY projects run over budget, people spend nearly two times what they projected,” according to ImproveNet. “On average, when DIY projects run long, people spend 22 hours more than they expected.”

The top reasons why home improvers were disappointed in their own handiwork were: It didn’t look good (55 percent), it didn’t function well (24 percent) and it didn’t hold up well over time (21 percent).

Enjoyable experience or not, the home improvement field remains a big market. In 2017, 1.1 million prospective borrowers applied for a home improvement loan, with about half of those getting approved, according to data from the LendingPatterns application of ComplianceTech, a Virginia software vendor. About $80 million in home improvement financing was granted by lenders in 2017, with an average loan of $6,900.

If you are doing a project, be safe. The most likely ones you will be injured on are installing fireplaces, installing windows and foundation work.

In the meantime, remember: Measure twice, cut once.

-- Freelance writer Mark Fogarty contributed to this report.

Do you know who your real estate agent represents?

If you are a seller, you can be certain the agent who listed your house works for you. But if you are a buyer, are you sure the agent who drives you from house to house is on your side?

Unless he or she is what’s known as a buyer broker, “your” agent may actually be working on behalf of the seller, or may not speak for either side in the transaction. And unless he or she practices the art of working only for buyers, never sellers, even a self-identified buyer broker may not be doing you justice.

True buyer brokers maintain that agents cannot work both sides of the fence. They say the practice of representing buyers can’t be turned on and off at will.

But according to a new report from the Consumer Federation of America, an association of nearly 300 nonprofit consumer organizations, many buyers and sellers have no clue who their agents truly work for. And given the amount of money involved in the typical real estate deal, that’s important to know, says CFA’s former executive director, Stephen Brobeck.

Why? Because when you think the agent is working on your behalf, you’re likely to disclose information that would hurt your bargaining position -- say, how much you can afford as a buyer, or your bottom line as a seller -- if the other side knew it. Or the agent might take you only to houses he listed, where he stands to rake in the entire commission rather than sharing it with a buyer’s agent.

This isn’t the first time the CFA has taken on the issue of agency: It issued its first report in the mid-1990s. And with the help of the National Association of Realtors, the principal trade group of agents and brokers, important changes in disclosure laws were put in place.

Back then, subagency was dominant. With this form of representation, an agent works with the buyer, but owes their fiduciary responsibility to the seller. That means they can’t bargain on the buyer’s behalf, point out flaws in the property or even suggest hiring an independent inspector to examine the place.

Subagency is still practiced in some places. In Wisconsin, for example, all agents work for the seller unless a buyer-agency agreement permits them to work for the buyer. But in most places, multiple-role agency has become most prominent.

That takes several forms. One is a designated agent who is recruited by the seller’s agent to work with, and for, the buyer. Another is a dual agent, who supposedly represents the interest of both sides in the same transaction. And a third is a transactional agent, who works with both parties to facilitate the sale, but has no fiduciary responsibility to either side.

Unfortunately, according to the results of a CFA poll of 1,000 people, the majority of consumers (55 percent) don’t understand these terms and their implications.

In most states, agents have a legal and ethical obligation to divulge their relationship to buyers and sellers. But this information is often revealed with little, if any, explanation on a piece of paper the consumer is asked to sign, but rarely reads or questions.

In some places, disclosure is only required orally, not in writing, or not at all until the buyer reaches the closing table. Indeed, a CFA mystery shopper survey found that 75 percent of agents they spoke to made no effort to mention the issues involved with dual agency.

Complicating the problem further is the fact that state real estate commissions have been ineffective in enforcing disclosure laws. “Violations usually only come to light when agent practices are so egregious that they lead to litigation,” the CFA report says.

In a response to my question during a press briefing, Brobeck said that “agency has become very complicated. There’s still a lot of room for improvement. I would call it a mess right now.”

Still, Brobeck believes agency disclosure is “better than it was” in the ‘90s.

The CFA is calling for new reforms, including the prohibition of dual agency, which is already illegal in eight states, and full disclosure of agency at the first substantive contact with the client.

In a survey of 1,000 people who said they would be selling within a year, Clever Real Estate, which connects buyers and sellers with agents, found that nearly 4 out of 5 respondents would consider using a dual agent, or were unsure whether they would or not.

“This arrangement is inherently problematic, in that a dual agent is under no legal obligation to represent the interests of either party as a fiduciary,” said Thomas O’Shaughnessy, an analyst with Clever.

Until these CFA recommendations and other improvements are enacted -- if they ever are -- it’s up to consumers to protect themselves. Here’s how:

At the outset, ask agents to disclose their relationships throughout the entire sales process. If they won’t work solely as your fiduciary, ask them to slice their commission: by 1 percentage point if another agent is involved, the CFA suggests, or 2 points if they’re a dual agent working for both parties.

Also, consider hiring an attorney who will look out for your interests.

And again: Don’t give any information that can be used against you when the time comes for haggling to someone who is not completely on your side.