The Changing Face of First Time Home Buyers
Unmarried, Asian and Hispanic are three groups who are entering into the first time home buyer market more than in the past. Median age is around 34 which is only about 2 years older than their first time homebuyer counterparts 20 years ago, but are more diverse (inline with mainstream demographic shifts).
But with many delaying marriage and having children, first time homebuyers are now more often single at the time of purchase and/or establishing households with the purchase of their first home. If you are in real estate or following the first time homebuyer trends / in the market for your first home, there are some really good stats in this article.
Things to consider, demographic trends and understanding the “why’s” behind positive and negative shifts. If people are buying a home “before” settling down, how might their interests be different than in the past AND how might their openness to “handyman specials” or fixer uppers be different than in the past where many of us started out in our first homes? And more…. They don’t give the why’s in here, but that will be the next step in understanding how tastes are changing towards ownership.
Two Income Families - Some Considerations About Financial Stress
I heard on a podcast today that while we all benefit from two incomes financially, that we also still frequently build our lifestyles around total income rather than more “what if” scenarios that might suggest living on “1” income might be best. So I looked up Financial Stresses for Dual Income Families and this article popped up in the search.
It’s from the CBN, and written by Steven G Scalici. In the article he brings up an important quote: “In The Four Laws of Debt Free Prosperity, the author Blaine Harris makes this statement: “Your level of expenses will always rise to your level of income unless you protest to the contrary.” That’s simply a fancy way of saying, “You spend what you make.”
I may be inclined to think that some of the article seems like blunt force trauma, but the concept of it is valuable. Perhaps not the skew that the stress is only on the mother / female of the household, but that the idea of living down to one income is certainly the best overall practice to be safe in the event of some sort of emergency (I.e., loss of employment, etc.). He also brings up some good basic financial tips to consider towards the end of the article.
Finances are one of the biggest stresses to impact a relationship between married couples or life partners. Thinking through that and planning around that earlier in the relationship, could help to reduce the stresses that will inevitably come when things “change” in the future.
Emergency Preparedness Tips for Alzheimer’s Patients
This article in the Chicago Defender, calls out some helpful tips that one can take when caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or other type of dementia in an emergency situation like hurricane, fire, tornado, etc. They have 4 sections in the article with helpful checklists in each. Even if you aren’t taking care of someone with dementia, these checklists likely apply to you and/or a loved one you might know. Whenever emergencies “pop up”, and they always do, the more you can rely on an established plan, the more likely you will be to weather the emergency more efficiently.
Consider the following: If you have someone who has a condition that needs regular treatments or doctor’s visits, how would you make sure they still got the care they needed when a hurricane was in the forecast? What documents might you need to have with you in order to make sure your loved one gets the care they need when emergency rooms or other evacuation centers are in “emergency mode”?
4 Section Headers for Checklists:
Plan ahead
During an evacuation
Help Is Available
Prepare an emergency kit
On the Lighter Side
On a less serious note, here’s a list of 75 short and easy to remember jokes published on the Reader’s Digest site. Perhaps it’s not something that will solve a life challenge, but it may help you pass the time in an elevator…
One joke I liked [because I now have dad humor]:
“Helvetica and Times New Roman walk into a bar. “Get out of here!” shouts the bartender. “We don’t serve your type.””
Read more at the link below.
