There are 5 new homes going up at the end of my block. It is always exciting when new homes are built in an older, established neighborhood. Everybody wants to know what they will look like, who is going to move in, etc. The thing that strikes me about these homes is that they are so BIG! Not mansion sized, mind you, but they are certainly larger than any of the neighboring homes.

Now I am not one to get upset about people building large homes, as long as they are tastefully done and fit in with the neighborhood, but it does puzzle me. After all, if you listen to the economists we are the brink of a social disaster as baby boomers begin to retire and there aren’t enough in the following generation to pay for their social security. If that is true, who is going to buy all the large, 2 story homes that are being built? It is pretty common for people who are retiring or downsizing as they become empty nesters to want a single story home. They realize this might be their last home and they are looking ahead to days when they may become less nimble than they are now. Certainly I have sold 2 story homes to people who had just retired and wanted to buy their dream home, only to have to sell that same home 10 years later when their health had deteriorated. It seems to me it isn’t the baby boomers who are buying these giant homes!

So, I wonder, are the economists wrong, or are the builders wrong? I sometimes think it must be the economists. It seems everybody is having babies these days. Almost all of my clients this year have sold their starter homes or condos and bought bigger because their families are expanding. School boards that 10 or 15 years ago closed down schools and sold off the land they sat on are now scrambling to open new schools. On our property flyers, we may list the local schools, but always with the caveat that the schools are not guaranteed and buyers must confirm with the local school if their child will be able to attend. Why? Because the schools are so crowded that there isn’t room for everybody!!

On the other hand, builders seem to be paying little if any attention to those of us who really are slowing down or at least realizing that our best days may be behind us, even though, when we do plan to move, you can bet we will be looking for a single story home or at least one with the master bedroom downstairs. How rare that is!! But maybe they builders are more “with it” than the economists and they realize there may be another baby boom taking place!! It is an interesting puzzle.

As for me, I know I won’t solve the puzzle, but like all the neighbors I am walking by the new homes every day, watching their progress, surmising what the interiors will look like, and hoping that we will be blessed with new neighbors that are as nice as the people already living here. We shall see!!