Boomers can’t downsize

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of boomers aging in place in these 2 story 3500 square foot homes and it doesn’t seem very economical to me—Paying taxes on, cooling, heating, and cleaning all that? Some rooms even sit empty.

My mom is one of those. She is willing to downsize but only if it’s a newish, SFH with a yard large enough for a garden. No shared walls. And it can’t be too big.

Houses new enough to require less maintenance than her current house either aren’t SFH or they are bigger than her current 3000 sq ft house but crammed onto a 5000 sq ft lot with neighbors 5’ away and barely any yard. She has deemed that unacceptable, and also refuses the idea of a condo, apartment, or row house because she says she should not have to listen to neighbors after 50 years of sfh living.

People aren’t really building cute new cottages on medium-size lots these days so she’s stuck.

55+ communities that have little sfh. Lots of those communities popping up, so they are new builds.

I can't be the only Gen Xer who abhors those types of place. We are just a few years from being eligible, and there's no way. They are at the absolute bottom of the housing list.

I absolutely agree. I also feel like the developers of those neighborhoods aren't really considering the upcoming demographics. Gen X is the smallest generation in existence. Not only will a majority of us hate such communities, but there won't be enough of any of us to fill them. I keep seeing Gen X sites talking about turning old malls into housing, complete with Orange Julius and Pizza Huts. I'd be much more game for that rather than some old gray-haired place to hide us.

Also, I must comment that I love the irony of this thread. Boomers complaining while THEIR OWN CHILDREN, the Millennials, screech at them about being selfish and gobbling up housing. It's pretty entertaining from afar.

55+ communities are usually full of 75+ people. And that's fine. At that point, you aren't looking to be as active.

I actually like the mall idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP my last one is leaving for college soon. My house big. But close in, no HOA fee and I have landscaping.

I am not from DC so I have zero relatives and only work friends. So retiring elsewhere is east.

However, doing bath with wife she is like why not just buy a small one bedroom in an older condo with no amenities and low common charges by beach and just snowbird.

My friends 825k house the HOA mixed in a few small condo units for “working class” when built but low snow birds are buying.

So if I and other boomers do this now we are taking up two homes.

They really need to RTO everyone to get remote people out of Florida etc so retirees can move there again.

Haha, that's hysterical! You want to FORCE people to return to the office to free up more housing in Florida for retirees? what is wrong with you? everything isn't always about you. It's fine that mom now has a long commute and doesn't get to see her kids, cuz Grandma needs her condo. Huh?

Talking like the heartless boomers that they are. There won’t be enough carers to care for them in old age and it doesn’t bother me one bit. They’ve been the most selfish hoggers, turning the world upside down consuming everything that crosses their path.

Kids today consume so much more than boomer kids did. We had one car, no a/c, rode our bikes everywhere, hardly ever got a ride, ate out maybe 10 times a year, no cable, no WiFi, no smart phones. Used exponentially less energy or fossil fuels.

This generation uses so much more than they produce.

They are following example that you set. Why don’t you give up your Wi-Fi, cell phone, etc first?

I love the people who deride younger people for consuming things they didn’t even have decades ago.

“We didn’t have smartphones!”

Well, Karen, judging by your constant over sharing on Facebook, my guess is if you had them, you’d have been addicted to them like everyone else. So stop acting imperious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of boomers aging in place in these 2 story 3500 square foot homes and it doesn’t seem very economical to me—Paying taxes on, cooling, heating, and cleaning all that? Some rooms even sit empty.

My mom is one of those. She is willing to downsize but only if it’s a newish, SFH with a yard large enough for a garden. No shared walls. And it can’t be too big.

Houses new enough to require less maintenance than her current house either aren’t SFH or they are bigger than her current 3000 sq ft house but crammed onto a 5000 sq ft lot with neighbors 5’ away and barely any yard. She has deemed that unacceptable, and also refuses the idea of a condo, apartment, or row house because she says she should not have to listen to neighbors after 50 years of sfh living.

People aren’t really building cute new cottages on medium-size lots these days so she’s stuck.

55+ communities that have little sfh. Lots of those communities popping up, so they are new builds.

I can't be the only Gen Xer who abhors those types of place. We are just a few years from being eligible, and there's no way. They are at the absolute bottom of the housing list.

I absolutely agree. I also feel like the developers of those neighborhoods aren't really considering the upcoming demographics. Gen X is the smallest generation in existence. Not only will a majority of us hate such communities, but there won't be enough of any of us to fill them. I keep seeing Gen X sites talking about turning old malls into housing, complete with Orange Julius and Pizza Huts. I'd be much more game for that rather than some old gray-haired place to hide us.

Also, I must comment that I love the irony of this thread. Boomers complaining while THEIR OWN CHILDREN, the Millennials, screech at them about being selfish and gobbling up housing. It's pretty entertaining from afar.

55+ communities are usually full of 75+ people. And that's fine. At that point, you aren't looking to be as active.

I actually like the mall idea.

While they’re married and in good health, no.

However, after my grandma died, my grandfather was lonely. He became so much happier when he moved to a very nice assisted living facility. He ate lunch every day with friends in the cafeteria, played card games, etc

[Anonymous]

That’s why I’m buying where I want to retire now. Will rent/keep for future and then sell primary home and move there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of boomers aging in place in these 2 story 3500 square foot homes and it doesn’t seem very economical to me—Paying taxes on, cooling, heating, and cleaning all that? Some rooms even sit empty.

My mom is one of those. She is willing to downsize but only if it’s a newish, SFH with a yard large enough for a garden. No shared walls. And it can’t be too big.

Houses new enough to require less maintenance than her current house either aren’t SFH or they are bigger than her current 3000 sq ft house but crammed onto a 5000 sq ft lot with neighbors 5’ away and barely any yard. She has deemed that unacceptable, and also refuses the idea of a condo, apartment, or row house because she says she should not have to listen to neighbors after 50 years of sfh living.

People aren’t really building cute new cottages on medium-size lots these days so she’s stuck.

55+ communities that have little sfh. Lots of those communities popping up, so they are new builds.

I can't be the only Gen Xer who abhors those types of place. We are just a few years from being eligible, and there's no way. They are at the absolute bottom of the housing list.

I absolutely agree. I also feel like the developers of those neighborhoods aren't really considering the upcoming demographics. Gen X is the smallest generation in existence. Not only will a majority of us hate such communities, but there won't be enough of any of us to fill them. I keep seeing Gen X sites talking about turning old malls into housing, complete with Orange Julius and Pizza Huts. I'd be much more game for that rather than some old gray-haired place to hide us.

Also, I must comment that I love the irony of this thread. Boomers complaining while THEIR OWN CHILDREN, the Millennials, screech at them about being selfish and gobbling up housing. It's pretty entertaining from afar.

55+ communities are usually full of 75+ people. And that's fine. At that point, you aren't looking to be as active.

I actually like the mall idea.

While they’re married and in good health, no.

However, after my grandma died, my grandfather was lonely. He became so much happier when he moved to a very nice assisted living facility. He ate lunch every day with friends in the cafeteria, played card games, etc

Sounds truly miserably awful. A cafeteria? Dear God, I hope I die before then.

[Anonymous]

My side of family

Great grandparents raised 8 kids lived in a small unheated loft above barn, no water, heat, electric
Grandparents raised 5 kids in a small two bedroom house no heat electric or water
Me raised 3 kids in 1,300 sf house with heat, water, electric

My kids want 5,000 sf to raise their 1.5 kids plus a beach house

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My side of family

Great grandparents raised 8 kids lived in a small unheated loft above barn, no water, heat, electric
Grandparents raised 5 kids in a small two bedroom house no heat electric or water
Me raised 3 kids in 1,300 sf house with heat, water, electric

My kids want 5,000 sf to raise their 1.5 kids plus a beach house

Off-topic but curious about the loft. It sounds like traditional homes in the Alps. I’m imagining the illustrations from my childhood copy of “Heidi”. Was it in the US?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My side of family

Great grandparents raised 8 kids lived in a small unheated loft above barn, no water, heat, electric
Grandparents raised 5 kids in a small two bedroom house no heat electric or water
Me raised 3 kids in 1,300 sf house with heat, water, electric

My kids want 5,000 sf to raise their 1.5 kids plus a beach house

You're blaming the people that you raised for unrealistic expectations? JFC, buy a mirror and a clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of boomers aging in place in these 2 story 3500 square foot homes and it doesn’t seem very economical to me—Paying taxes on, cooling, heating, and cleaning all that? Some rooms even sit empty.

My mom is one of those. She is willing to downsize but only if it’s a newish, SFH with a yard large enough for a garden. No shared walls. And it can’t be too big.

Houses new enough to require less maintenance than her current house either aren’t SFH or they are bigger than her current 3000 sq ft house but crammed onto a 5000 sq ft lot with neighbors 5’ away and barely any yard. She has deemed that unacceptable, and also refuses the idea of a condo, apartment, or row house because she says she should not have to listen to neighbors after 50 years of sfh living.

People aren’t really building cute new cottages on medium-size lots these days so she’s stuck.

55+ communities that have little sfh. Lots of those communities popping up, so they are new builds.

I can't be the only Gen Xer who abhors those types of place. We are just a few years from being eligible, and there's no way. They are at the absolute bottom of the housing list.

I absolutely agree. I also feel like the developers of those neighborhoods aren't really considering the upcoming demographics. Gen X is the smallest generation in existence. Not only will a majority of us hate such communities, but there won't be enough of any of us to fill them. I keep seeing Gen X sites talking about turning old malls into housing, complete with Orange Julius and Pizza Huts. I'd be much more game for that rather than some old gray-haired place to hide us.

Also, I must comment that I love the irony of this thread. Boomers complaining while THEIR OWN CHILDREN, the Millennials, screech at them about being selfish and gobbling up housing. It's pretty entertaining from afar.

What's funniest is the millennials will be coming into a massive amount of wealth transferred to them, for nothing more than existing, from their hated boomer parents.

Hopefully the currency will collapse and they get nothing but paper. Then they will be forced to produce whatever they consume or maybe get government cheese for life.

Oh don't worry, most will spend down their assests on end of life care and transfer very little to their kids.

[Anonymous]

No interest in selling our house, our DC condo, or beach house. Those are for my children to inherit. That's how generational wealth works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a lot of boomers aging in place in these 2 story 3500 square foot homes and it doesn’t seem very economical to me—Paying taxes on, cooling, heating, and cleaning all that? Some rooms even sit empty.

My mom is one of those. She is willing to downsize but only if it’s a newish, SFH with a yard large enough for a garden. No shared walls. And it can’t be too big.

Houses new enough to require less maintenance than her current house either aren’t SFH or they are bigger than her current 3000 sq ft house but crammed onto a 5000 sq ft lot with neighbors 5’ away and barely any yard. She has deemed that unacceptable, and also refuses the idea of a condo, apartment, or row house because she says she should not have to listen to neighbors after 50 years of sfh living.

People aren’t really building cute new cottages on medium-size lots these days so she’s stuck.

55+ communities that have little sfh. Lots of those communities popping up, so they are new builds.

I can't be the only Gen Xer who abhors those types of place. We are just a few years from being eligible, and there's no way. They are at the absolute bottom of the housing list.

I absolutely agree. I also feel like the developers of those neighborhoods aren't really considering the upcoming demographics. Gen X is the smallest generation in existence. Not only will a majority of us hate such communities, but there won't be enough of any of us to fill them. I keep seeing Gen X sites talking about turning old malls into housing, complete with Orange Julius and Pizza Huts. I'd be much more game for that rather than some old gray-haired place to hide us.

Also, I must comment that I love the irony of this thread. Boomers complaining while THEIR OWN CHILDREN, the Millennials, screech at them about being selfish and gobbling up housing. It's pretty entertaining from afar.

What's funniest is the millennials will be coming into a massive amount of wealth transferred to them, for nothing more than existing, from their hated boomer parents.

Boomers parents who are rich enough to actually leave anything (1.) will live a long time so those "Millennial kids" won't inherit until their mid 50s (so maybe will help pay for college for the kids of Millennials) and (2) will be severely dwindled by end-of-life care for Boomers. Not sure if you've noticed, but there's a real shortage of medical and nursing labor in this country - it's going to suck up a big portion of those inheritances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s why I’m buying where I want to retire now. Will rent/keep for future and then sell primary home and move there.

That's what we did. Bought in Delaware five years ago with a low interest rate. In our mid-50s now. Will retire there and in the interim will work from there as we can.

[Anonymous]

We would downsize from our 3000sf house in a close-in MoCo suburb, but there's very little to downsize *to*. If we bought e.g. a townhouse or a condo then by the time you factored in the costs of selling and buying and moving, we wouldn't save anything at all. So what is the point?

[Anonymous]

My boomers are not moving - my dad said he doesn’t want to take on the unknown risk of a smaller house he isn’t familiar with.

He watched our childhood home be built, he finished the basement himself, he’s maintained and replaced everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We would downsize from our 3000sf house in a close-in MoCo suburb, but there's very little to downsize *to*. If we bought e.g. a townhouse or a condo then by the time you factored in the costs of selling and buying and moving, we wouldn't save anything at all. So what is the point?

We're planning the same thing, and for us, the point is very much to get out of the boring burbs and live in a walkable, vibrant neighborhood again. We moved for the schools, and when the kids are done, there's no reason to stay here.