Extended families are moving back under one roof

The 1950s ideal of the small, isolated nuclear family is fading as nearly one in five Gen X buyers now chooses a home designed for multiple generations. This shift mirrors the pre-industrial era, when roughly 40% of the population lived in extended households. Today, the move is driven by the practicalities of elder care and the rising cost of living, which can drop by 25% per person when utilities and groceries are shared.