lisa

Housing

Combining Households as a Practical Matter

Visited my in-laws this past weekend in NJ and we were discussing how they and their friends are managing - financially, emotionally and physically. They and their friends are upper middle class and in their late 70s/early 80s. Several friends who are widowed and doing ok now are starting to seriously talk about selling their homes and moving in together if the economy gets worse. They are debating and discussing whose house is best for accommodating such an arrangement and which local market will result in the best sale prices. They are all lucky in that they all own their own homes outright (so they are not having trouble paying a mortgage!), have health insurance, pensions and investments but of course have been very effected by the drastic changes in the economy. Fear is a dominant motivator but so is a sense that they want companionship and a larger and closer social network as life gets more difficult. A practical approach that nonetheless seems sad and scary.

Wykoff, NJ