Can we talk about parents buying their adult children luxury homes

[Anonymous]

I know it's not new for parents to help their adult kids out with their first home financially but the number of parents I know buying their adult kids luxury homes is astounding. Has this become a new trend? I recently reunited with a few old friends from high school (we are now all in our early 30s and yes we grew up in expensive homes in a HCOL area) and a number of them have managed to buy 800K plus homes with their parents co-signing the mortgage because they would never be approved for it on their own. These people include a lawyer who put out a shingle and ekes out 65k a year, a friend who went to dental school and has the loans to prove it but upon graduation got married and pregnant and never practiced while her husband is a middle school teacher and an HR assistant at a fortune 500 company making 55k a year. I get helping your kids but why buy them such expensive houses when there salary would never justify it?

[Anonymous]

I trust you are reading the news about the increasing gap between the haves and the have nots? This is what it looks like to build generational wealth.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is a "trend" per se, it's just parents giving their children what they can afford. In your instance, you are hanging out with people whose parents can afford to help with $800+ homes.

This is very common in other parts of the world. The childhood home I grew up in (not here) was given to my dad by his parents.
My DC are preschoolers now, but when the time comes, if I can afford to do it, I will absolutely help with housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a "trend" per se, it's just parents giving their children what they can afford. In your instance, you are hanging out with people whose parents can afford to help with $800+ homes.

This is very common in other parts of the world. The childhood home I grew up in (not here) was given to my dad by his parents.
My DC are preschoolers now, but when the time comes, if I can afford to do it, I will absolutely help with housing.

Sure, I think it's one thing to help with housing, it's another to put them in a home they would never get close to be able to afford. Forgetting even just the principle and interest on these mortgages the property taxes and maintenance alone on these houses would take a chunk out of their salary. There is also the matter of what others in their circle think or know of them. I feel like this is almost a face saving or vanity measure for the parents. Yeah my kid only makes 55K but if I put them in a 800K house nobody will think that, they'll think they're "winners" just like me.

[Anonymous]

800k is now a starter home cape

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a "trend" per se, it's just parents giving their children what they can afford. In your instance, you are hanging out with people whose parents can afford to help with $800+ homes.

This is very common in other parts of the world. The childhood home I grew up in (not here) was given to my dad by his parents.
My DC are preschoolers now, but when the time comes, if I can afford to do it, I will absolutely help with housing.

Sure, I think it's one thing to help with housing, it's another to put them in a home they would never get close to be able to afford. Forgetting even just the principle and interest on these mortgages the property taxes and maintenance alone on these houses would take a chunk out of their salary.
There is also the matter of what others in their circle think or know of them. I feel like this is almost a face saving or vanity measure for the parents. Yeah my kid only makes 55K but if I put them in a 800K house nobody will think that, they'll think they're "winners" just like me.

I don't see why that matters. DH and I received no financial help from our parents towards housing, but many of our friends did. I'm happy for them and don't judge them for living in a house they couldn't afford to live in without help.

[Anonymous]

This isn't new either. Its just more obvious to you now that you're paying attention to who is moving into what neighborhood and what their jobs are.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/678712.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a "trend" per se, it's just parents giving their children what they can afford. In your instance, you are hanging out with people whose parents can afford to help with $800+ homes.

This is very common in other parts of the world. The childhood home I grew up in (not here) was given to my dad by his parents.
My DC are preschoolers now, but when the time comes, if I can afford to do it, I will absolutely help with housing.

Sure, I think it's one thing to help with housing, it's another to put them in a home they would never get close to be able to afford. Forgetting even just the principle and interest on these mortgages the property taxes and maintenance alone on these houses would take a chunk out of their salary. There is also the matter of what others in their circle think or know of them. I feel like this is almost a face saving or vanity measure for the parents. Yeah my kid only makes 55K but if I put them in a 800K house nobody will think that, they'll think they're "winners" just like me.

I mean...a $800K in a HCOL area is a starter home anywhere else. You're looking at the price tag instead of the actual house, square footage, and amenities.

Would you prefer the parents let their $55K/year kid buy a trailer home and raise their grandchild there? Because that's what the income affords without intervention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a "trend" per se, it's just parents giving their children what they can afford. In your instance, you are hanging out with people whose parents can afford to help with $800+ homes.

This is very common in other parts of the world. The childhood home I grew up in (not here) was given to my dad by his parents.
My DC are preschoolers now, but when the time comes, if I can afford to do it, I will absolutely help with housing.

Sure, I think it's one thing to help with housing, it's another to put them in a home they would never get close to be able to afford. Forgetting even just the principle and interest on these mortgages the property taxes and maintenance alone on these houses would take a chunk out of their salary. There is also the matter of what others in their circle think or know of them. I feel like this is almost a face saving or vanity measure for the parents. Yeah my kid only makes 55K but if I put them in a 800K house nobody will think that, they'll think they're "winners" just like me.

I mean...a $800K in a HCOL area is a starter home anywhere else. You're looking at the price tag instead of the actual house, square footage, and amenities.

Would you prefer the parents let their $55K/year kid buy a trailer home and raise their grandchild there? Because that's what the income affords without intervention.

55K only gets you a trailer home in DC SF or NYC. You can buy a home or an apartment in another town that isn't HCOL after all even with the housing boom now the median home price is around 350K . They are also not necessarily buying them in HCOL areas, just stated it to make a point that the parents could afford to do this or that the children were accustomed to luxury housing. One of them bought in a suburb of Austin TX and at 800K they are living in 4500 sq ft new built Spanish style home with a private pool

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a "trend" per se, it's just parents giving their children what they can afford. In your instance, you are hanging out with people whose parents can afford to help with $800+ homes.

This is very common in other parts of the world. The childhood home I grew up in (not here) was given to my dad by his parents.
My DC are preschoolers now, but when the time comes, if I can afford to do it, I will absolutely help with housing.

Sure, I think it's one thing to help with housing, it's another to put them in a home they would never get close to be able to afford. Forgetting even just the principle and interest on these mortgages the property taxes and maintenance alone on these houses would take a chunk out of their salary. There is also the matter of what others in their circle think or know of them. I feel like this is almost a face saving or vanity measure for the parents. Yeah my kid only makes 55K but if I put them in a 800K house nobody will think that, they'll think they're "winners" just like me.

I mean...a $800K in a HCOL area is a starter home anywhere else. You're looking at the price tag instead of the actual house, square footage, and amenities.

Would you prefer the parents let their $55K/year kid buy a trailer home and raise their grandchild there? Because that's what the income affords without intervention.

55K only gets you a trailer home in DC SF or NYC. You can buy a home or an apartment in another town that isn't HCOL after all even with the housing boom now the median home price is around 350K . They are also not necessarily buying them in HCOL areas, just stated it to make a point that the parents could afford to do this or that the children were accustomed to luxury housing. One of them bought in a suburb of Austin TX and at 800K they are living in 4500 sq ft new built Spanish style home with a private pool

The suburbs of Austin have homes in the millions. If the parents want to get their kids a nice home, a place they'll visit and love, I don't see what the problem is.

In fact, as far as wealth transfers go, its a smart option.

[Anonymous]

Oh please.

My parents did this, and it helped us build equity in a good investment. After a while we sold our first home and bought our second without any additional help.

It’s not different than any other advantages the well off have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I trust you are reading the news about the increasing gap between the haves and the have nots? This is what it looks like to build generational wealth.

+1. Soon enough the ruling class will demand titles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a "trend" per se, it's just parents giving their children what they can afford. In your instance, you are hanging out with people whose parents can afford to help with $800+ homes.

This is very common in other parts of the world. The childhood home I grew up in (not here) was given to my dad by his parents.
My DC are preschoolers now, but when the time comes, if I can afford to do it, I will absolutely help with housing.

Sure, I think it's one thing to help with housing, it's another to put them in a home they would never get close to be able to afford. Forgetting even just the principle and interest on these mortgages the property taxes and maintenance alone on these houses would take a chunk out of their salary.
There is also the matter of what others in their circle think or know of them. I feel like this is almost a face saving or vanity measure for the parents. Yeah my kid only makes 55K but if I put them in a 800K house nobody will think that, they'll think they're "winners" just like me.

I don't see why that matters. DH and I received no financial help from our parents towards housing, but many of our friends did. I'm happy for them and don't judge them for living in a house they couldn't afford to live in without help.

Agree. Unfortunately, with Biden's inflation seems like we will all need to help our kids with housing at this rate.

[Anonymous]

Wait, a parent not paying for dental school, but willing to pay for a house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh please.

My parents did this, and it helped us build equity in a good investment. After a while we sold our first home and bought our second without any additional help.

It’s not different than any other advantages the well off have.

Did you pay your parents back the initial sum they gave you from the equity? I can’t imagine just keeping such a large sum of ‘help’ if I was able to pay it back. Dh and I did the normal scrimp and save for our first starter home and built our own equity. It’s much more satisfying knowing mommy and daddy didn’t do it for us.