Boomers, Millennials, and the McMansions No One Wants

As baby boomers look to downsize out of their suburban McMansions, a generational showdown is looming: Millennials might be coming into their own as the nation's biggest group of first-time home buyers, but they aren't exactly lining up with bids in hand for those large, expensive homes in the sleepier suburbs. Instead, they're looking for a different kind of home—the same ones, in fact, that the empty nesters are looking to buy.

It's a battle of the millennials vs. baby boomers playing out in the nation's suburban housing markets.

Your story sounds like ours.

We aren’t totally ancient, I’m 81 and my bride will be 80 soon.

5-6 years ago, we decided to stay here. Our odd job contractor had redone his parents home, and he had great suggestions. From tearing out the old bathtub for the master bath an having a walkin shower with a bench to sit on. He removed every toilet and replaced them with the high rise ones. We have one area with 4 steps, and he put hand rails on both sides. Interesting on that, we know 2 senior citizen guys who are master carpenters. They are installing ramps for “senior” friends at cost of material. Our contractor put in a great ramp from our car port to the back hallway.

A big thing was getting of the old water heater and replacing it with an automatic or demand heater. I set the timer for morning, noonish and evening meal. Our water bill dropped in half.

Our home is about 2700’, and our engineer/construction son determined that two ac/heaters would be best. We basically live in about 1300’. At The other area is basically only used when we have . So we only heat and cool where we live/eat and sleep. At first they told us to keep the non livein area, at 62-65. Since. then the ramp guys discovered 52 degrees works well. The area where we basically live is controlled by a Nest thermostat. The other area has a standard thermostat.

Our PG&E bill keeps dropping instead of going up, and our PG&E monthly printout shows that we are doing great and so does the monthly nest.

When we did the recent retro for the home, our roofer put in very high R factor roofing and 4 new skylights. He recently replaced one of our older ones and he will replace the final 2 old sky lights this summer. Often we can control our inside temp by opening or closing the skylights. Our current contractor suggested a screen door at the ramp site. It works great in warm afternoons and evenings. We hear our neighbors’s ac going and we are comfortable without them. A few times we need to use our stand up fan.

Some people I know are house sharing with one or two others. Great thing about McManisons is the many full baths en suite

Nice option with old friends.

We have a sibling on each side of our family, who would be great to share our home with. They have been told this and if winter/summer become too much of a challenge. Move out here permanently or to avoid winter and/or summer. Their cost would be increase in utility costs and food budget.

An example of why so many of us enjoy FR for the humor..

One of female friends at church had hip operation go bad.

She is recovering but her br in her condo was up stairs.

My wife, an RN, and other RN friend convinced her to put in one of the electric lifts. The lady is also a retired RN.

Her sister and a niece complained about her walker being on the lower level if she took the electric lift up stairs.

Finally, the two RN’s told her family to buy another walker for the upper level and quit bitching.

They did.

States that don’t have an income tax have to make up for it with higher property tax rates. In areas of Texas, for example, you can buy a palace for $1 mil (there’s one listed right now that’s 6000 sq ft on a third of an acre) but your property taxes are $22,526/ year. In Denver, where we have a 5% state income tax rate, the property taxes on a $1.1 mil house are about $5,000.

If you live in Illinois, you get to do both. 5% income tax and $20K+ property tax on a million dollar home.

All the young families at our church have between one and four children, and the parents are all about 30 I expect they will have at least another one or two each.

Likewise with ultra-Orthodox Jews, where 10 children are not uncommon.

I predict many of these "mansions," as well as rural & suburban areas and small towns, will be repopulated by religious people, who seek not only a cheaper cost of living but a more wholesome, insular environment. Cities are becoming decadent cesspools.

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