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Comment by wollsmoth | Hacker News Reader

boomers are going to start downsizing or moving to retirement communities eventually. I'm holding back part because of what you said, and part because I can't really make up my mind about where I want to live long term. Happy to rent and collect index funds in the mean time.

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boomers are going to start...

Whatever the Boomers are going to start doing, the majority of them have probably already done it. I'm the last of the Boomers, depending how you measure, and typical retirement age is single digit years away for me. The first of them started whatever they were going to start doing close to fifteen years ago.

maybe, my parents are in the middle and they'll probably stay in their house for another 5-10 years I guess.

Then the next major milestone for the early ones then will be assisted living and death, both of which will free up homes and other assets.

The big trick is that a lot of systems right now for older folk are built around taking over legal custody of their home, as payment for end of life care or for living money because boomers didn't save for retirement. I don't think we are going to see boomer housing turnover to younger generations. The boomers broke basically every system and process designed to let the next generation get on their feet.

maybe not via inheritance, but in most cases these homes will be sold on the market or the land will be redeveloped into other housing.

But if they are sold to people who then rent it out, instead of selling it as a home, it has reduced the stock of housing. The game being played is to try and force as much of the US as possible to be renters instead of owners.

75% of my neighborhood is old people slowly dying, or moving to retirement facilities.

When I took my two year old trick or treating last week, I got a lot of comments on how nice it was to see kids in the neighborhood again.

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