Boomerang Kids,

Boomerang Parents
By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau
When your kid decides to move back
in with you and you end up returning
your home ofce to a bedroom, know
that youre not alone!
"t turns out that you have #$ million
other %mericans or &'!& percent of the
population in the same boat! (hats
according to a recent study
http)**www!pewsocialtrends!org*+,&-*
,$*&$*in-post-recession-era-young-
adults-drive-continuing-rise-in-multi-
generational-living* by .ew /esearch!
Between&0', and +,&+ the number of
people living in multi-generational
households doubled!
1omebuilders have recogni2ed the
trend and now are o3ering houses
suited to the uni4ue needs of multiple
generations living under one roof!
%mong the builders are 5ennar
6http)**ne7tgen!lennar!com8, (oll
Brothers
6http)**tolltalks!tollbrothers!com*+,&-*
,9*&+*home-designs-for-the-multi-
generational-family*8, and :oung4uist
6http)**www!young4uisthomes!com*;ul
tiGenerational!html8!
Upsize. Dont downsize
Gregg <antak, =/E=> knows
multigenerational living well, both as a
real estate practitioner and because
he lives in a multi-generational
household! <antak, a practitioner with
/ealty ?irect in 5argo, ;d!, and
;c5ean, @a!, shares a house with
several family members, including his
',-something parents, his &,,-year
old grandma, a daughter, and a tween
grandchild!
1is living arrangement came about
when the ##-year-old was planning
ahead and thinking about downsi2ing
from a multi-level townhouse to a
single-story property!
%t the same time his parents were
downsi2ing, his grandmother in Alorida
had lost her husband and wanted to
move closer to family, and other
family members had felt the sting of
the economic downturn!
Upsi2ing and having everyone live
together seemed like a great solution
to <antak! 1is family agreed! =o they
all bunk together in a B,9,,-s4uare
foot house on &, acres in southern
;aryland!
Financial, emotional advantages
(he arrangement comes with beneCts
for everyone, particularly for the
seniors! <antaks grandma, for
e7ample, is being taken care of by
loved ones and she can save money
Consumer Newsletter cto!er "#$%
By Elyse Umlauf-Garneau
www!sres!org
for a time when she may need skilled
in-home nursing care! 1is parents
sold o3 their house and socked away
the sale proceeds for their future and
theyre now able to travel a couple
weeks each month!
<antak, whose family members get
along e7tremely well, sees it as an
ideal arrangement! Dn the economic
front, he says, E"ts ridiculous that we
all have e7penses and struggle when
we could pool our money and have
that combined wealth working for
each other! We could all get a better
4uality of life together!F
Before they all moved in together,
<antak suggested a two-week
staycation during which everyone
lived together and did daily living
activities G laundry, grocery shopping,
going to the movies, and cooking
dinner! EWe wanted to see what
Hnormal could be! (he test-drive
worked well,F recalls <antak!
%nd it turned out that dividing up daily
chores wasnt a chore at all! Dne
person liked doing laundry, another
enIoyed meal prep, and another didnt
mind cleaning up the kitchen!
;ultiple communal gathering spaces,
including a living room and two family
rooms, provide enough rela7ation
spots for everyone! (he arrangement
also solves troublesome aging-in-place
4uestions! Aor instance, two Crst-Joor
master suites with their own sitting
rooms address the seniors living
needs! <antak e7pects that one day
hell occupy one of those spaces!
Unseen !ene&ts, !ridging
generations
(he other beneCts of the lifestyle have
nothing to do with money!
Aor one, multiple generations living
together minimi2es some of the
intensive scheduling associated with
caregiving because theres always
someone around to help <antaks
grandma!
%nd rather than being at odds with
one another because of a huge
generation gap, <antaks grandmother
and her great-grandson learn from one
another! =he imparts history especially
well, according to <antak, and he
brings her insight into the modern
world and a view of technology
innovations!
E"ts also a wonderful way to instill in
younger people that this G ageing G is
our future and its not to be feared,
especially when you have this
arrangement and know that someone
you know and love, not a stranger, is
caring for you,F <antak says!
' (ips )or Creating *our wn
+odern Famil,
"f your family is considering a move to
a multi-generational house, here are
Cve considerations!
&! -egal implications. ;eet with
elder lawyers and estate
planners to discuss how a house
will be titled, how to minimi2e
ta7 conse4uences when a
family member dies, and the
e3ect the living arrangement
has on estate planning!
+! Financial o!ligations. 1ave a
realistic discussion about
Cnances! 1ow much money can
each person contributeK What
are everyones big and small G
prescription drugs, tuition, cars,
hobbies, and so forth -- monthly
e7pensesK 1ow will those
e7penses shrink or growK Aor
instance, will an elderly family
member need in-home, skilled
nursing careK 1ow much can
you a3ord to spend on a houseK
E;ake realistic choices so that
no one person is fully
supporting the other,F
comments <antak!
9! .pace considerations. 1ave
open discussion about
everyones needs and daily
living e7pectations! What does
privacy mean to each personK
1ow do they want to spend
their timeK 1ow do they rela7K
What kind of home spaces and
amenities are important to each
personK ?ont set yourself up
for failure by, for e7ample,
buying a house with one
bathroom! Be certain theres
appropriate space for
everyones comfort, privacy,
rela7ation, communal
gatherings, and meals!
-! Universal design. Be certain
the house has ageing-in-place
features or that it can be
retroCtted to include a bedroom
or master suite on the Crst Joor,
9B-inch-wide doorways, walk-in
showers and other universal
design elements critical to
ageing safely!
#! Dail, c/ores. ?ecide how
household duties be divided!
Aor <antaks family, it was an
easy, organic process that was
accomplished with open
discussions! (hus, in his house,
theres no rigid agreement
about day-to-day duties! But
some families may prefer a
more formal arrangement to
minimi2e friction! ?ecide what
works best for your family!
%dditional reading and listening)
http)**www!npr!org*+,&+*,-*&$*
&#,9B#&#'*one-roof-three-
generations-many-decisions
http)**www!allinthefamilybook!u
s

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