Millennials: the house you grew up in vs. your house now

[Anonymous]

Childhood: 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house (maybe 3k sq ft? Big) IB for best elementary school in the city. Huge yard, safe neighborhood, lots of kids. In a small, remote city.

Now: 2 bed, 2 bath row home, 1k sq ft, bad IB school (kid lotteried into good school), no yard, decent amount of crime.

BUT

In a city loaded with opportunities, filled with museums, with two educated and working parents. I sometimes miss having more space, and I do wish we had a little yard. But otherwise I’d still pick my current home over my childhood home, and I think it affords more learning opportunities and broader horizons fir DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Quality over quantity here. Considerably smaller, but in a much better location. I would not be able to live in the isolated, wooded cul-de-sac that I grew up on. Now we're smaller (townhouse) but can walk to everything. The quality of life is infinitely better.

+1. I grew up in a brand new 3,000 square foot house in Florida. Current house is 2,300 square feet. My kids walk to school, playgrounds, Starbucks, etc. You couldn’t pay me to move back home, which was walkable to nothing and I was dependent on my parents to drive me everywhere and anywhere I needed to go. My kids are having a much better childhood than I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do they compare? I am struggling coming to terms with the fact that our likely forever home is older, smaller by 1k sq ft (more for DH), and in a less desirable neighborhood than the home I grew up in. We make way more than either set of parents ever did and they were in this area as well, but of course housing prices have rapidly outpaced income so comparable homes to those we grew up in are hundreds of thousands out of reach for us. What about you?

Mine is similar in size but more upgrades and location is nicer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quality over quantity here. Considerably smaller, but in a much better location. I would not be able to live in the isolated, wooded cul-de-sac that I grew up on. Now we're smaller (townhouse) but can walk to everything. The quality of life is infinitely better.

+1. I grew up in a brand new 3,000 square foot house in Florida. Current house is 2,300 square feet. My kids walk to school, playgrounds, Starbucks, etc. You couldn’t pay me to move back home, which was walkable to nothing and I was dependent on my parents to drive me everywhere and anywhere I needed to go. My kids are having a much better childhood than I did.

Yup, nothing like a walkable Starbucks to improve your kids quality of life. The only thing kids care about being walkable is their friends' houses.

[Anonymous]

You are struggling coming to terms with less square footage? Geez OP, you need to volunteer at a homeless shelter.

[Anonymous]

Millennials have never grown up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Millennials have never grown up.

Yeah, it is becoming more and more apparent. Unfortunately now they're raising kids. Yikes. This is an accident that's happening before our very eyes.

[Anonymous]

childhood 3000sf house in Fairfax
Now 8000sf house in McLean

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Millennials have never grown up.

Yeah, it is becoming more and more apparent. Unfortunately now they're raising kids. Yikes. This is an accident that's happening before our very eyes.

Thank the boomers who raised us and are camped out in the nice family homes we can’t afford.

[Anonymous]

My SAHM sister just custom built her dream house. She’s 34 and hasn’t worked outside the home in 10 years.

A huge step up from our childhood but simply due to luck. And she lives in a midsized city, not DC.

[Anonymous]

Our house is smaller, but we have a family of 3 rather than 6. But both locations were ideal for raising kids. My yard is much smaller so we can’t have a pool so I’m guessing that’s the tipping point on my childhood home being ‘better’.

I’ve honestly never thought about this before.

[Anonymous]

Grew up in a fully- renovated 5BD and 3.5 BA house originally built the turn of the century. It was really something. But definitely in an undesirable area with bad schools (I went to private school).

Live in a 1950s 4bedroom 3bath house with outdated bathrooms and kitchen. But in a great area with great schools. But I am still thinking of sending my kid to private school so guess that’s less of a draw….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Millennials have never grown up.

Yeah, it is becoming more and more apparent. Unfortunately now they're raising kids. Yikes. This is an accident that's happening before our very eyes.

They have kids, daycare workers, teachers and grandparents are raising them

[Anonymous]

Still living in parents' basement.

Kidding. Gen X. Grew up in 1500 SF split on 1/4 acre way outside the beltway. Parents bought in 70s for under 40K. Live in 6000 SF new build on 3/4 acre. Bought for $1.3M, now worth over 1.5.

[Anonymous]

My house was marginally bigger but it was in a way less desirable part of the country.