Boomers are not moving out of their big homes, here’s why | CNN Business
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After 33 years and four children, Baby Boomers Marta and Octavian Dragos say they feel trapped in what was once their dream home in El Cerrito, California.

After 33 years and four children, Baby Boomers Marta and Octavian Dragos say they feel trapped in what was once their dream home in El Cerrito, California.

Both over 70, the Dragos are empty nesters, and like many of their generation, they’re trying to figure out how to downsize from their 3,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home.

“We are here in a huge house with no family nearby, trying to make a wise decision, both financially and for our well-being,” said Dragos, a retired teacher.

But selling and downsizing isn’t easy, appealing or even financially advantageous for many homeowners like the Dragos family.

Many Boomers whose homes have surged in value now face massive capital gains tax bills when they sell. This is a kind of tax on the profit you make when selling an investment or an asset, like a home, that has increased in value.

Plus, smaller homes or apartments in the neighborhoods they’ve come to love are rare. And with current prices and mortgage rates so high, there is often a negligible cost difference between their current home and a smaller one.

  • AlteredStateBlob@kbin.social
    21·
    4 months ago

    I appreciate the “all sides of the conversation” approach, but their gripe is with having to pay taxes on completely bonkers returns. That’s not a surprise for anyone.

    • Neato@ttrpg.networkEnglish
      3·
      4 months ago

      That’s not what the article says.

      Sure, they’d make a lot of money selling their house. But if it’s your only residence, you can’t just sell your house unless you’re willing to move away from your home, potentially any remaining family, etc. Places a lot of people have lived for generations.

      Because you have to buy another home. And the article states that mortgage rates are ridiculous, house prices are very high for all homes, they simply can’t find smaller homes in a lot of cases because builders are primary building huge houses, and the capital gains tax is impacting single-family houses in a way it wasn’t designed for. They are essentially trying to downsize and coming out worse or the same as if they stayed in too large of a house.

      This is bad for everyone: people can’t downsize, people who want/need larger homes can’t find any on the market, builders continue to think big houses are what people want and keep only building them, people can’t move into/out of neighborhoods causing them to stagnate, etc.