A move that offered surprising changes
As a native Washingtonian, when my husband moved our family to Texas in 1995, and then worse yet, to rural Texas in 2002, I was speechless. I was opposed to both moves, but we and our children ended up on what looked like the edge of the world on 26 acres outside a town of 1,000, an hour from Dallas. With six children to homeschool, I prepared myself for boredom, loneliness and despair.... READ MORE
Most Americans have too little insurance
In October, I took my family on a trip to Europe. While waiting for our return flight from Paris to Detroit, I received a frantic call from our housekeeper. “I just walked into your house,” she said, “and there’s a river running through it.” The pipe providing water to our refrigerator broke. Located in the ceiling above our kitchen, it had run unabated for the entire... READ MORE
This D.C. building is a haven for residents
In the middle of gentrified Columbia Heights in Northwest D.C., Samuel Kelsey Apartments stands as a safe haven for older adults and people with disabilities. It’s one of the only apartment complexes in Columbia Heights that refuses to hike up the rent. At first glance, Samuel Kelsey Apartments, located a block from the Columbia Heights Metro station and Target, seems to be just... READ MORE
Home prices expected to rise with aging
Becoming a homeowner is likely to get more costly and competitive over the next decade as millions more Americans enter the age range where people typically seek to buy their first home. Nearly 45 million Americans will enter their mid-30s over the next 10 years, or 3.1 million more than in the last decade, according to an analysis by real estate information company Zillow. That... READ MORE
What’s your retirement housing strategy?
One of the most important aspects of retirement planning is making housing plans. You will need a place to live in retirement, and there are a lot of different options. Even if you decide to just keep the status quo and “age in place,” there are a lot of factors to consider. Your home is often your largest asset, with the median wealth in homes for a 65-year-old couple at $192,552,... READ MORE
Selling your stuff? Consider tax effects
[Editor’s note: In our last Housing & Homecare section, appearing in the April Beacon, we wrote about ways to declutter and downsize. In this issue, we address the tax implications of selling some of the more or less valuable items you choose to let go.] The anti-clutter mantras of Marie Kondo and others are convincing thousands of people to empty their attics of the stuff... READ MORE
Lessons learned from a D.C. empty nest
It’s a tale with everything you’d need for a soap opera: star-crossed lovers, a stable relationship threatened by younger suitors, pregnancy and loss, and a hungry raccoon. Washingtonians, along with a global community of eagle-watchers, have been transfixed this winter by Liberty and Justice — two bald eagles who’ve nested and raised eaglets together for 14 years on the grounds... READ MORE
Memory care staff become ‘best friends’
A memory care facility in Illinois uses a “best friends” approach to build relationships with residents — and to help their families. “Basically being a ‘best friend’ with Alzheimer’s patients is just that. It’s getting to know that person, their past,” said Robyn Johnson, director of nursing at Adams Pointe in Quincy, Ill. The process, outlined in The Best Friends... READ MORE
D.C. expands intergenerational housing
On a typical day in the first “grandfamily” apartment building in Washington, D.C., grandmothers are cooking comfort food, staffers are helping haul furniture, and children of different ages are fingerpainting or taking a college readiness class. “It’s always all hands on deck. We help each other here,” said Jamarl Clark, program manager at Plaza West. The new apartment... READ MORE
D.C. Housing Notes – April 2019
New “resort-style” apartments available in Gaithersburg, Md. Renovations are expected to be complete mid-summer at Hillside Senior Apartments in Gaithersburg, Md., a resort-style community for active adults ages 62 and older. The property was previously the Hyatt House Hotel. Hillside Senior Apartments intends to bridge the gap “between high-end luxury living and Class-C... READ MORE
