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Ten years ago, when a new home was built, the builder made sure there was a nook for the television set. Everyone wanted the built in look, with the television out of site. Now we are ten years later and the flat screen television is the showpiece. These televisions are designed to be placed on the wall for everyone to see and admire. So much so, that 10 million have been sold in the past year.

And now the builders are having to redesign all of the plans to incorporate this change.

But trends sometimes move more quickly than builders, said Gopal Ahluwalia, research economist with the National Assn. of Home Builders’ Research Center.

Flat-screen TVs are a touchy topic with Ahluwalia. They weren’t around five years ago, he said, and then two years ago they suddenly became ubiquitous. Who knew?

“They hit us in a big way,” he admitted, “once the prices of those TVs dropped, everyone wanted one.”

But builders responded with a vengeance, determined to be ahead of the next curve. And that curve, they’ve decided, is energy management systems, which are being built into new homes to help control energy waste and costs.

Builders, Ahluwalia said, listen to what consumers tell them. That’s why new garages are built 2 feet deeper than they used to be — to 22 feet — to accommodate minivans and SUVs.

So when you are looking for your next home, take a quick trip though the Circuit City store. Ask the sales representative what are the new technologies that will be coming out in the next couple of years. Then look for a house that will accommodate them,

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