Multigenerational living in the US?

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gregh1

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How soon does multigenerational living in the US become the norm? It feels like our reasons will be more economical than some cultural shift, when will it be common enough that it's just excepted the way it's excepted culturally in so many other countries?

Older populations with zero savings are going to have trouble aging in place without their kid's help due to cost of elder-care and trouble affording nursing or retirement homes. Young people won't be able to afford to live on their own unless home prices plummet and rent prices retract/stallAND/OR wages rise significantly.

Food and healthcare aren't going to get much cheaper. And savings from being cheap on public transpo or entertainment aren't enough to move the needle for many people.

In 1971 (with help of Social Security and Medicare and other economic factors), the share of older Americans living in multigenerational households was down to 9%. I think that has doubled. And since the late 60's the number of people 18-29 yr old living back at home has almost doubled from 25% to nearly 50.

But living at home as a young person still isn't viewed as "ideal" or "normal". And I know plenty of people who don't want their in-laws or parents living with them. I think we're just a decade or two away.
 
Before my neighbor's house burned down, there were four generations of a single family living in it. I firmly believe that multigenerational living is already the norm in many communities - particularly those living below the poverty-line in both urban and rural settings.
 
My dad and I have been discussing what he wants done when he passes. His current wishes are that I get everything and he has discussed the possibility of me buying his house before he dies to insure my sister has no claim to it. (that's a long story)

I'm pretty sure that we would just move in with him if he and my wife could coexist. But he smokes and we just can't live like that. It's already going to take a monumental effort on our part to clean that place when he dies.

I said all that to say... multigenerational living is becoming more and more common. I have no desire to "make" my step son move out. He's 19, in college and he works. His money is his own. But when I was 19 it was damn near considered a sin to stay with your parents any time past your 18th birthday. I remember how hard I had it... I don't want him going through that.
 
It is already the way for so many of our Latin American immigrants. I've lived with several families in Guatemala over the years and all those households were multigenerational. I suspect that many of them will continue that custom when possible moving forward. Another reason why we ought to normalize migration and immigration.
 
gregh1 said:
How soon does multigenerational living in the US become the norm? It feels like our reasons will be more economical than some cultural shift, when will it be common enough that it's just excepted the way it's excepted culturally in so many other countries?
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Preferably AFTER my in-laws are no longer alive.
 
donbosco said:
It is already the way for so many of our Latin American immigrants. I've lived with several families in Guatemala over the years and all those households were multigenerational. I suspect that many of them will continue that custom when possible moving forward. Another reason why we ought to normalize migration and immigration.
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We'd certainly have a healthier demand for housing if culturally everyone excepted the norms of many immigrants. Japan apparently has a high rate of multi-gen due to respect for elders.
 
Moving due to job mobility could be an interesting factor unrelated to affordability. If remote work becomes more common-place that could slowly impact general feasibility for people that aren't only doing it for cost-savings.
 
I took care of my mom in my own house (when I was single) for close to five years, then had live in (Hispanic, probably undocumented, wonderful human being) help for her in a rental unit beside where I lived with a then girlfriend. My wife (different person), her son and I moved into her mother's house and lived with her for a couple of years before she had to be moved to assisted living. My wife sold her house in order to move into her mother's house, I sold the house I had when my mother finally passed away. My wife, her son, and I now live in the deceased MILs house.

Both of these were privileged choices I/we could and did make, but both made so much financial sense as well as mostly happily fulfilling familial obligations. My experience with my Mom was ONLY predicated on finding help that my mother's retirement cashflow could afford. After a year at a shitty rest home my mother would have been broke. Using immigrant help allowed my mother to live in my house while I worked and had a reasonable life and then to be in a rental house (my mom and live in immigrant help).

My wife's experience was based around familial decisions as her mother had fantastic assisted living insurance (and we thank her every day for allowing us to have choices around her support). But even with fantastic, completely covered assisted living insurance we were unhappy with the end months of her mother's life once we had moved her to assisted living.

All that to say that I lucked out financially in taking care of my mom and it took extraordinarily good insurance to cover my MILs last year of life. It seems to me more and more people (within normal means) will continue to pile into multi-generational living.
 
I will not, if at all possible, become a financial burden on my wife or my stepson. If I have learned anything, it is to prepare accordingly and even...have significant direction over end of life choices (including when end of life occurs).
 
dukeman92 said:
My dad and I have been discussing what he wants done when he passes. His current wishes are that I get everything and he has discussed the possibility of me buying his house before he dies to insure my sister has no claim to it. (that's a long story)

I'm pretty sure that we would just move in with him if he and my wife could coexist. But he smokes and we just can't live like that. It's already going to take a monumental effort on our part to clean that place when he dies.

I said all that to say... multigenerational living is becoming more and more common. I have no desire to "make" my step son move out. He's 19, in college and he works. His money is his own. But when I was 19 it was damn near considered a sin to stay with your parents any time past your 18th birthday. I remember how hard I had it... I don't want him going through that.
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We're very similar.

My wife's dad had already made arrangements for her to get his house, not her brother. My mom is the same, I'll get her house, if she doesn't have to sell it and enter an assisted living home, and she doesn't currently even talk with my brother.

We tried having my mom here, the coexisting wasn't working, maybe in the future when the basement is done we could try again, if needed. That's also a possibility with her dad.

I moved out at 18 and yes it was hard. I feel the same way, I don't want my kids to have to struggle like that. My youngest is 20 and still lives with us, my middle is 27 but she is welcome to move home if needed. My oldest owns a house and is more independent and makes great money.

My wife and I have talked about this, we believe it is going to become the norm. There's no way that housing prices decrease enough or incomes increase enough to put this current generation in a good place to own a home young.
 
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