Almost a third of homeowners expect their grown children or aging
parents to eventually move in with them, according to a survey by one of
the nation's largest home builders.
About one in seven say they
already have a "boomerang kid" - an adult child who moves back home - or
elderly parent living under their roof.
The survey out Wednesday
of more than 1,000 homeowners by PulteGroup, builder of everything from
starter homes to upscale residences and Del Webb adult communities,
shows that the rise in multi-generational households may continue.
"It's
an enormous change," says Stephen Melman, director of economic services
at the National Association of Home Builders. "I remember when I was in
college, no one wanted to be near their parents."
A Pew Research
report earlier this year showed that the share of Americans living in
multi-generational households is at its highest since the 1950s. Young
adults ages 25 to 34 are most likely to return to the nest. Almost 22%
of young adults were living at home in 2010, up from 16% in 2000 and
rising the most since the recession that began in 2007 and technically
ended in 2009.
Average family size has gone up more than 3% since
2000, largely a result of tough economic times. The rise in immigrants
from countries accustomed to several generations living together also
pushed the number.
These demographic shifts are altering the needs
of home buyers and prompting home builders to create new floor plans.
We're looking at housing now for usable space," says Deborah Wahl Meyer,
PulteGroup's chief marketing officer. "How do we make it practical?"
Pulte's
online survey shows that finances often drive these household
arrangements. It also found many households where parents moved back in
to strengthen family bonds.
Pulte is testing different features to
appeal to the "new" American family of Mom, Dad, adult child and older
parent and sometimes grandchildren.
Out: Showy and dramatic living rooms and fancy dining rooms that are rarely used, Meyer says. In:
More than one master suite to accommodate adult relatives - often one upstairs and one downstairs.
An open family-office space off the kitchen where the kids do homework or parents pay bills online.
Connie Kirby and husband Evon, a retired New York City detective,
bought a Pulte home in Mesa, Ariz., a year ago. They live with their
three children (ages 16, 14, 11), his father and a nephew, 21, in a
six-bedroom, 4,400-square-foot home.
"It was easier and more
economical to move in together," says Connie, 44, a travel agent. "Our
neighbor has three generations in their house." She expects her kids to
stay when they're adults or leave and come back.
USA Today