Finding houses for the sandwich generation…

I’m working with a few buyers right now who are a part of the so-called “sandwich generation”. These are mostly baby boomers that find themselves in a position where they still have children of their own to care for at home and now they have become caretakers for their parents. They are “sandwiched” between the younger and older generations in their families.

Many of these people have the means to buy a second house in which to place their parents, which is where I come in most of the time. Some are trying to find bigger homes with built-in in-laws quarters and I can help with that, too. One of the things that has happened already in my market is that the low hanging fruit is already gone. Lots of early retirees or pre-boomer retirees have already bought up most of the available ranch homes as they downsized.

The obvious candidate houses, which would meet the needs of the elderly, are ranch-style homes, likely built in the 1990’s or beyond. I say that because they usually have open floor plans with larger master suites and larger kitchens that are desired. There are lots of 1950’s and 1960’s ranch homes in the area, but most have tiny bedrooms, only one bath and narrow hallways and doors. That’s just how they were built back in those decades.

I’m also recommending that my clients look at modern Cape Cod homes, which became all the rage in this area in the late 1990’s. At least in our area they were usually built with everything for the owners on the first floor. Usually there are a couple of bedrooms and a bath upstairs in that style house, too; which would be OK for the occasional guests. Most have large master bedrooms with a master bath that has both a shower and tub, plus a walk-in closet. Many of the houses that we might look at have finished basements, too; but that doesn’t mean a lot to someone confined to a wheelchair or using a walker to get around.

Other things that I look for to meet the needs and desires of the elderly include nice Florida rooms or three-season porches; wide doorways (or the room to expand existing doorways); wide halls; a first floor laundry, an open, walk-in shower with seat; an open kitchen with room to maneuver a wheelchair; a low entrance or one which would accommodate the installation of a ramp; and a low- or no-maintenance exterior which hopefully has been landscaped with perennials. Family caregivers have enough to worry about without having to take care of a high maintenance second house, too. I always recommend that they look at condos, if they can convince the parent(s) involved to do live in a condo (a high percentage still want the appearance of independence that regular house brings, so I also recommend detached condos).

It is also possible to find homes that were designed and built to accommodate an in-laws suite. Well-designed in-laws suite have their own entrances and everything that the resident needs contained within the suite. The same rules about halls and door and other features that will accommodate an elderly resident apply to these homes. Many times owners will have redesigned their walkout basements into these guest or in-laws suites. That might work, but it is much less accommodating to the resident who must still find a way to get upstairs to visit with family, unless an elevator was also built in with the remodeling.

So, I’m out looking for those perfect houses for the sandwich generation to buy for their parents. At least they’re doing something other than shipping them off to a managed-care home somewhere.