Retirees buying 4,000 sq ft houses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I’m not in DC.

Not on a golf course. A nice neighborhood but the area itself isn’t competitive.

It’s nice, move in ready, $760,000, 4000 sq ft, 3 levels. Up and coming area, for families I’d think…not desirable for retirees (not like Williamsburg or something).

4000 square feet for 760k is a low cost of living area. There is probably only 1-2 nice areas and the smaller houses are in less desirable neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a small house 1,300 when kids little. Three kids and lived there 18 years. I now have a big house. I need the big house more now.

My three kids will be visiting with spouses and grandkids. They need a place to stay over.

Kids today are not taking over holidays. My neighbor has a 7,000 sf and five grown kids 20-33. None are married. Only one lives at home. Every holiday there are 7-9 cars in driveway as they all come

How many holidays are there in a year? There's two, possibly three times out of the year when you'd be hosting holiday gatherings. I find it amusing people want to rattle around great big barns for the sake of a few holidays a year.

Xmas
Thanksgiving
Easter
New years
8 birthdays
4th of July
Baby showers
Bridal showers
Christenings
1st communion
Confirmation
Graduations
Sunday dinner every other week
Super Bowl party
Get together just because

[Anonymous]

My big house is gas heat and all brick with new water bodies.

I am not in a HOA and property taxes are around 15k and insurance 3k. Around $1,500
a month.

$1,500 a month gets even get me a one bedroom illegal basement apt in my town.

When I have holidays my kids are still single they stay in three bedrooms. Last holiday my MIL, SIL and aunt came and they had their own bedrooms. I have 7 bedrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a small house 1,300 when kids little. Three kids and lived there 18 years. I now have a big house. I need the big house more now.

My three kids will be visiting with spouses and grandkids. They need a place to stay over.

Kids today are not taking over holidays. My neighbor has a 7,000 sf and five grown kids 20-33. None are married. Only one lives at home. Every holiday there are 7-9 cars in driveway as they all come

How many holidays are there in a year? There's two, possibly three times out of the year when you'd be hosting holiday gatherings. I find it amusing people want to rattle around great big barns for the sake of a few holidays a year.

Xmas
Thanksgiving
Easter
New years
8 birthdays
4th of July
Baby showers
Bridal showers
Christenings
1st communion
Confirmation
Graduations
Sunday dinner every other week
Super Bowl party
Get together just because

new poster here
Why do you assuming that things like Christenings, 1st communions, confirmations, and graduations will be celebrated at YOUR house instead of the house of the child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There aren’t any updated one story, 4,000 sq ft four bedroom homes.

Signed,
Looking for the holy grail

There are in other places, but not here.

I live in one in Arizona. They're all over the place here. Two-story houses are not nearly as common as one-level houses.

[Anonymous]

My best friend and his wife were in their 50s when they bought a large house on a large lot. They were DINKS for life as they married later in life, but they both had good careers and a lot of disposable income. The large lot was important because one of her pastimes was gardening. He built large terraces out of railway ties and created large beds. They have separate flower and vegetable beds, they do some experimental crop farming (herbs and fruits). And so on. They have both embraced the gardening, especially as they are nearing the end of their work careers. For the large house, they have a number of pastimes and really appreciate having areas set up for those hobbies without having to take things down. For example, they renovated a large portion of their basement into a fish farm. She is very active in a fish farming and breeding club. She breeds and sells novelty fish, some of which are rather expensive to sell. They set up a glass-blowing room in the basement with a mini-kiln that they create custom glass artwork. They have begun selling their glasswork at local craft fairs and festivals. They have a wine cellar and enjoy hosting wine clubs. They host at least two annual big parties for family and friends and they love it. They have various rooms devoted to specific crafts that they love. And they love just walking into a room to do what they want without having to move crafting supplies or other things to work on something different.

They have the disposable income to enjoy their older years (not yet really into their golden years, but soon) and so they bought the house that let them enjoy their lives. What's so wrong with that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a small house 1,300 when kids little. Three kids and lived there 18 years. I now have a big house. I need the big house more now.

My three kids will be visiting with spouses and grandkids. They need a place to stay over.

Kids today are not taking over holidays. My neighbor has a 7,000 sf and five grown kids 20-33. None are married. Only one lives at home. Every holiday there are 7-9 cars in driveway as they all come

How many holidays are there in a year? There's two, possibly three times out of the year when you'd be hosting holiday gatherings. I find it amusing people want to rattle around great big barns for the sake of a few holidays a year.

Xmas
Thanksgiving
Easter
New years
8 birthdays
4th of July
Baby showers
Bridal showers
Christenings
1st communion
Confirmation
Graduations
Sunday dinner every other week
Super Bowl party
Get together just because

new poster here
Why do you assuming that things like Christenings, 1st communions, confirmations, and graduations will be celebrated at YOUR house instead of the house of the child?

Boomer Main Character Syndrome

And their kids are stuck with the grandkids in $1m shacks and townhouses, so they can’t host events like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a small house 1,300 when kids little. Three kids and lived there 18 years. I now have a big house. I need the big house more now.

My three kids will be visiting with spouses and grandkids. They need a place to stay over.

Kids today are not taking over holidays. My neighbor has a 7,000 sf and five grown kids 20-33. None are married. Only one lives at home. Every holiday there are 7-9 cars in driveway as they all come

+1. I raised my 2 kids in 1500 sf, but now that our kids are in their 20s, it's too small. One of our bedrooms is 7x9, so it can only hold a twin bed, which is a problem when both kids are home with their partners. Never mind if any grandchildren come along. We also don't have any space big enough for more than 4 adults to watch a game or a movie. And the dining room is a very tight squeeze for 8 and my kitchen is small. I want at least 3 good sized bedrooms (4 would be better so I can have a dedicated sewing room), a big family room, a large dining room, and a bigger kitchen (doesn't need to be huge). Would also like a mudroom and a half bath on the main level. (Master on ther main level would be great, too.)

[Anonymous]

No longer the appropriate time of life to be hosting family events, not on a regular basis. Pass the baton, and the control, to the next generation. They should be living in the bigger houses. If they have a family, they need the bigger homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No longer the appropriate time of life to be hosting family events, not on a regular basis. Pass the baton, and the control, to the next generation. They should be living in the bigger houses. If they have a family, they need the bigger homes.

I have no idea why anyone thinks that millennials are entitled. Crazy.

My friend, if you want to be the one to host, buy the big house and offer to host. What, you can’t afford it? Then perhaps you should be grateful that mommy and daddy are offering to do the hosting.

I know you think you “should” have the bigger house because you “need” it, but you get what you work for in this life, sunshine. Whining about how you deserve more ain’t gonna get you nowhere.

[Anonymous]

My GenX friend who still has another 10 to 15 years to work just built a $2.5M home in Arlington for his wife and 2 year old child. The house is 6,000 sq ft, so that's 2,000 sq ft per person.

I'm also GenX, but single with no kids. I just upgraded from a 1BR 500 sq ft rental to a 2BR 2BA 1,000 sq ft condo. I'm single, so I feel that 1,000 sq ft is luxurious for one person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a small house 1,300 when kids little. Three kids and lived there 18 years. I now have a big house. I need the big house more now.

My three kids will be visiting with spouses and grandkids. They need a place to stay over.

Kids today are not taking over holidays. My neighbor has a 7,000 sf and five grown kids 20-33. None are married. Only one lives at home. Every holiday there are 7-9 cars in driveway as they all come

How many holidays are there in a year? There's two, possibly three times out of the year when you'd be hosting holiday gatherings. I find it amusing people want to rattle around great big barns for the sake of a few holidays a year.

Xmas
Thanksgiving
Easter
New years
8 birthdays
4th of July
Baby showers
Bridal showers
Christenings
1st communion
Confirmation
Graduations
Sunday dinner every other week
Super Bowl party
Get together just because

new poster here
Why do you assuming that things like Christenings, 1st communions, confirmations, and graduations will be celebrated at YOUR house instead of the house of the child?

Boomer Main Character Syndrome

And their kids are stuck with the grandkids in $1m shacks and townhouses, so they can’t host events like that.

Hosting big parties is a lot of work. I’m happy to go to someone else’s big home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No longer the appropriate time of life to be hosting family events, not on a regular basis. Pass the baton, and the control, to the next generation. They should be living in the bigger houses. If they have a family, they need the bigger homes.

I have no idea why anyone thinks that millennials are entitled. Crazy.

My friend, if you want to be the one to host, buy the big house and offer to host. What, you can’t afford it? Then perhaps you should be grateful that mommy and daddy are offering to do the hosting.

I know you think you “should” have the bigger house because you “need” it, but you get what you work for in this life, sunshine. Whining about how you deserve more ain’t gonna get you nowhere.

It's not that Millennials are entitled. It's that Boomers had it a lot easier and had a lot more than Gen X, Millennials, or Gen Z at every life milestone. And the worst part? Boomers can't even be a little bit humble about it or pay it forward - e.g., "why do I have to pay full freight property taxes? I don't even use the schools anymore!"

So yeah, you get to host the f#cking dinner. You have the assets and the space, while your grown kids pay $5-6K per month for childcare. And if you have opinions about whether Isabelle should attend K-12 private school, please tell us where to find $35K per year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No longer the appropriate time of life to be hosting family events, not on a regular basis. Pass the baton, and the control, to the next generation. They should be living in the bigger houses. If they have a family, they need the bigger homes.

I have no idea why anyone thinks that millennials are entitled. Crazy.

My friend, if you want to be the one to host, buy the big house and offer to host. What, you can’t afford it? Then perhaps you should be grateful that mommy and daddy are offering to do the hosting.

I know you think you “should” have the bigger house because you “need” it, but you get what you work for in this life, sunshine. Whining about how you deserve more ain’t gonna get you nowhere.

It's not that Millennials are entitled. It's that Boomers had it a lot easier and had a lot more than Gen X, Millennials, or Gen Z at every life milestone. And the worst part? Boomers can't even be a little bit humble about it or pay it forward - e.g., "why do I have to pay full freight property taxes? I don't even use the schools anymore!"

So yeah, you get to host the f#cking dinner. You have the assets and the space, while your grown kids pay $5-6K per month for childcare. And if you have opinions about whether Isabelle should attend K-12 private school, please tell us where to find $35K per year.

Sorry you had boomer parents who fit your description and made you feel less than. I don't know anyone like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No longer the appropriate time of life to be hosting family events, not on a regular basis. Pass the baton, and the control, to the next generation. They should be living in the bigger houses. If they have a family, they need the bigger homes.

Please find your partner, get married or not, have our grandchildren and take the baton. I'd be thrilled and help you with all of it. Sadly, no wedding or grandkids in sight with our millennials.