T
hese are tough times for empty-nesters. In the past, couples could downsize and be footloose and fancy free. These days, empty-nesters are trapped between struggling to heat and maintain big old houses and a desire to have enough space for boomerang children who are priced out of the housing market.
“It’s a dilemma for a lot of our age group,” says Frances, who is in her early sixties and works in film and television production. “I see it everywhere. Friends saying, ‘How do we downsize because the kids might need to come back?’ You want to find a place where it’s just the two of you, where you’re not going to be rattling around and spending a fortune on upkeep, but it’s big and flexible
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