3 ms·

> Do those really seem like stories restricted to the upper crust? Yes, most people can barely afford to maintain a single modest home, let alone 2 or 3.

Bartweiss 7y ago
And these people are each maintaining a single modest home or none at all. By my count, the story has four renters, three homeowners, and one unknown. One of the renters even sold his home to make this arrangement more viable. This is an age bracket with an 80% homeownership rate. (That's not the same as % owning homes, but most people mentioned were divorced or widowed, which shrinks the difference.) All of them appear to be either working or retired; no one here is a stay-at-home spouse whose partner bought them a second house for comfort. No couple here even has three houses, so I don't see where that enters in. If these people were single, or just starting a relationship, would we look at pairs of them as "owning two homes"? This is just a story about people who are staying 'dating' instead of remarrying and moving in together, which is viable for any demographic that isn't living with strangers to save money while single - and that includes most of the middle class.
- linuxftw 7y ago
  In the comments I replied to, there was no usage of the word 'sold' just 'left' their family home. So, that implies to me, they still have it, and now the couple have at least 3 homes across them. I realize journalists are exceptionally bad at being explicit, and editors were all fired because nobody can afford to pay them, but it doesn't excuse a basic ability to convey an idea with a minimum level of precision. > If these people were single, or just starting a relationship, would we look at pairs of them as "owning two homes"? Expand your circle. How many people do you know living completely singly vs having room mates? Most of the people living in the US can't afford to have their own place, and many couples in the US can't afford to have a place for both of them, let alone children. Life is much different outside the ivory towers.
  - Bartweiss 7y ago
    The article itself doesn't have anyone who left their home for a new house. The part I quoted references a single person who "moved from" his home into an apartment; that generally implies sold, but even if he is renting it out, he's in an apartment now, as is his partner. Each of the people in the article have 0-1 home. > Expand your circle. How many people do you know living completely singly vs having room mates? Most of the people living in the US can't afford to have their own place, and many couples in the US can't afford to have a place for both of them, let alone children. Life is much different outside the ivory towers. I promise you I'm not surrounded by rich young Harvard grads buying houses. Most of the people I know have roommates, a live-in partner, or both. But looking at high-cost cities is every bit as misleading as looking at rich people; most of the US spent decades subsidizing sprawl and single-family homeownership, with predictable results. Only 30% of American adults live with roommates (including family) outside romantic relationships. For the 55+ demographic in question, who largely grew up in an era of lower housing prices, that number is 10% (and skewed higher by those who need family care). Meanwhile, 65% of American households and 80% of over-55 households are owner-occupied, so the median American over 55 lives in a home that they or their partner own. 4/3 renters to 3/4 homeowners, none with roommates, is almost exactly what you'd expect for 7 Americans over 55. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/31/more-adults-now-share-their-living-space-driven-in-part-by-parents-living-with-their-adult-children/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/31/more-adults...

Bartweiss 7y ago

And these people are each maintaining a single modest home or none at all. By my count, the story has four renters, three homeowners, and one unknown. One of the renters even sold his home to make this arrangement more viable. This is an age bracket with an 80% homeownership rate. (That's not the same as % owning homes, but most people mentioned were divorced or widowed, which shrinks the difference.) All of them appear to be either working or retired; no one here is a stay-at-home spouse whose partner bought them a second house for comfort. No couple here even has three houses, so I don't see where that enters in. If these people were single, or just starting a relationship, would we look at pairs of them as "owning two homes"? This is just a story about people who are staying 'dating' instead of remarrying and moving in together, which is viable for any demographic that isn't living with strangers to save money while single - and that includes most of the middle class.

linuxftw 7y ago
In the comments I replied to, there was no usage of the word 'sold' just 'left' their family home. So, that implies to me, they still have it, and now the couple have at least 3 homes across them. I realize journalists are exceptionally bad at being explicit, and editors were all fired because nobody can afford to pay them, but it doesn't excuse a basic ability to convey an idea with a minimum level of precision. > If these people were single, or just starting a relationship, would we look at pairs of them as "owning two homes"? Expand your circle. How many people do you know living completely singly vs having room mates? Most of the people living in the US can't afford to have their own place, and many couples in the US can't afford to have a place for both of them, let alone children. Life is much different outside the ivory towers.
- Bartweiss 7y ago
  The article itself doesn't have anyone who left their home for a new house. The part I quoted references a single person who "moved from" his home into an apartment; that generally implies sold, but even if he is renting it out, he's in an apartment now, as is his partner. Each of the people in the article have 0-1 home. > Expand your circle. How many people do you know living completely singly vs having room mates? Most of the people living in the US can't afford to have their own place, and many couples in the US can't afford to have a place for both of them, let alone children. Life is much different outside the ivory towers. I promise you I'm not surrounded by rich young Harvard grads buying houses. Most of the people I know have roommates, a live-in partner, or both. But looking at high-cost cities is every bit as misleading as looking at rich people; most of the US spent decades subsidizing sprawl and single-family homeownership, with predictable results. Only 30% of American adults live with roommates (including family) outside romantic relationships. For the 55+ demographic in question, who largely grew up in an era of lower housing prices, that number is 10% (and skewed higher by those who need family care). Meanwhile, 65% of American households and 80% of over-55 households are owner-occupied, so the median American over 55 lives in a home that they or their partner own. 4/3 renters to 3/4 homeowners, none with roommates, is almost exactly what you'd expect for 7 Americans over 55. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/31/more-adults-now-share-their-living-space-driven-in-part-by-parents-living-with-their-adult-children/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/31/more-adults...