Published in The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Something remarkable is happening in U.S. housing.
According to a recent National Association of REALTORS® report, one of the top reasons Americans are buying homes today – across all age groups – is to be closer to friends and family. That marks a quiet revolution in how we think about households, community and the structure of daily life.
Consider this: 17% of home purchases in 2024 were for multiple generations to live under the same roof – a record-high level. This shift in multigenerational housing decisions reflects intentional choices.
Job location, once a primary driver of housing decisions, now influences only 37% of movers who spend any time in an office. Instead, buyers are following their loved ones by choosing homes with in-law suites and extra living space.
Of course, cost is a factor in this transformation – 36% of multigenerational households cite savings as their motivation. But 25% want to care for aging parents and 21% wish to accommodate adult children.
For decades, moving out of your parents' house marked the passage to adulthood. Many of today's homebuyers are showing that independence and interdependence aren't mutually exclusive.
Over the long term, the shift in demand will require cities to rethink housing policy. We need 1) zoning reforms that make it easier to build and remodel homes for multiple generations; 2) incentives for developers to create more flexible designs; and 3) re-examining regulations preventing families from creating their desired living arrangements.
Some communities are leading the way, relaxing restrictions on ADUs and allowing more flexible use of single-family homes. New York City, America's densest metropolis, is paving the way to legally create 20,000 new ADUs over the next 15years – from "tiny homes" on the property to converted basements and attics. It's time for such innovations to become standard.
The potential payoff extends beyond housing itself. For some families, childcare becomes more manageable when grandparents are close by. Combining family resources can solve affordability challenges. Even the loneliness epidemic might find a remedy.
This trend may be the future of housing: more connected, flexible, and focused on our nearest and dearest. The great American family reunion is underway.
Otto Catrina has been a real estate agent who's a REALTOR® in Castro Valley, Calif. since 2002.
