NY Times: As Gen X and Boomers age they confront living alone (no paywall)

[Victor_c3]

10. I'm only 42, but this is something I have thought about.

I’ve been divorced for nearly 5 years now and I have no desire to ever be married again. Chances are, I will be living solo later in life.

I’d love to one day build my dream house in the woods. One bedroom is really all I’d ever need, but I’d probably end up with a 3-4 bedroom house out of the desire to have room for when my kids (and maybe grandkids) visit and, planning ahead, making the house easier to sell. After reading that article, perhaps fear of not being able to sell a smaller house shouldn’t be a factor? Also, realistically, how much time would I potentially have my kids/grandkids staying with me? 1-2 weeks a year for about a dozen years? Is it really worth the cost/hassle of a larger house?

My out-laws (they’re my in-laws, but I’m not married to their daughter anymore) are quickly approaching 80. They bought a nicer house in The Villages, Florida a few years back. For those not in the know, The Villages is a giant and sprawling retirement community filled with people 55+. Every house in my out-law’s neighborhood is at least 3-4 bedrooms and sell for $800,000+. I don’t know what most of these people are thinking about when they get a house of that size at their age. They’ve got the money to maintain them, but why?