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Just today, I came across a 6,700 sf + home owned by the bank and listing states that negotiations begin on a certain date... for the following types of buyers: "non-profit/municipalities/NSP"
Don't these McMansions have HOAs too that prevents that kind of stuff?
Yes. There are all sorts of problems with this. Most commercial living facilities require strict adherence to fire safety and must have special fire abatement systems in place. These McMansions will not meet those code requirements nor will they meed ADA requirements.
A friend of mine is one of those types of attendants, although the parents of the two adult women she lives with rent their apartment. Both women are in their thirties, one works at a daycare center and the other at a local community center. My friend just has to be there to do help them prepare meals (one of them attempted to make popcorn in the microwave when she was home alone and burned up the microwave, so while they are somewhat functional, they cannot be left alone to do some simple tasks), help them with laundry, drive them to the store, grocery shop, etc., and be there overnight in case of an emergency. In return she lived rent-free and was able to hold a part-time job while she completed nursing school.
Sounds like a good arrangement. I used to work for a non profit to help folks with mental illness gain some job skills for possible part time employment and this kind of arrangement would work wonders. Sometimes the members had no family they could count on and having a support system would help them stay positive.
Yes. There are all sorts of problems with this. Most commercial living facilities require strict adherence to fire safety and must have special fire abatement systems in place. These McMansions will not meet those code requirements nor will they meed ADA requirements.
But here's the problem: What else can they do with all these properties?? Now that we know the majority of them aren't occupied by people who can't actually afford them, and as the few who can afford them grow old and don't want the upkeep issues, what else can you do with a 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom home?
What can you do with an entire nation's excess supply of them?
The simple fact is that a house that has one bathroom per bedroom is a match made in heaven for a group home.
The codes will change where they need to. Simply because senior citizens and special needs adults will have a much smaller impact on a surrounding neighborhood than huge extended families and/or rooming houses.
I take this very seriously and am cautious about buying in neighborhoods that have multiple McMansions in trouble. Who will my neighbors be in 15 years? What will the neighborhood look like? One or two group homes I can handle. But six? Ten?
Part of the caution comes from previously living across the street from a home that "remodeled" and added 9 bedrooms. The owners claimed they were going to live there forever. Until they didn't. These types of properties are self-selecting on who can own them. And since not everyone in America is a Vanderbilt....you do the math. 20 adults can handle the same mortgage payment a multi-millionaire can.
The tricky issue-- speaking from experience-- is whether local zoning ordinances can legally make distinctions on what kind of group home is permitted. In other words, if a house is zoned as a group home in 2010 for a seniors, can it be sold to another group home operator in 2015 who needs transitional housing for parolees?
But here's the problem: What else can they do with all these properties?? Now that we know the majority of them aren't occupied by people who can't actually afford them, and as the few who can afford them grow old and don't want the upkeep issues, what else can you do with a 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom home?
What can you do with an entire nation's excess supply of them?
The simple fact is that a house that has one bathroom per bedroom is a match made in heaven for a group home.
The codes will change where they need to. Simply because senior citizens and special needs adults will have a much smaller impact on a surrounding neighborhood than huge extended families and/or rooming houses.
I take this very seriously and am cautious about buying in neighborhoods that have multiple McMansions in trouble. Who will my neighbors be in 15 years? What will the neighborhood look like? One or two group homes I can handle. But six? Ten?
Part of the caution comes from previously living across the street from a home that "remodeled" and added 9 bedrooms. The owners claimed they were going to live there forever. Until they didn't. These types of properties are self-selecting on who can own them. And since not everyone in America is a Vanderbilt....you do the math. 20 adults can handle the same mortgage payment a multi-millionaire can.
The tricky issue-- speaking from experience-- is whether local zoning ordinances can legally make distinctions on what kind of group home is permitted. In other words, if a house is zoned as a group home in 2010 for a seniors, can it be sold to another group home operator in 2015 who needs transitional housing for parolees?
Cities need to get ahead of the curve on this issue and decide how they're going to manage these properties. In the meantime, caveat emptor.
I hope you are not suggesting that safety codes be relaxed just to fill these McMansions. History has taught us that doing so usually results in needless deaths. If a buyer is willing to go into these homes and install the required fire abatement systems and accessibility adaptations I see little other problem aside from zoning and HOA covenants.
IMO, in many areas, it would be better to bulldoze an abandoned McMansion than to turn it into a "group home" when it comes to maintaining the integrity of a neighborhood and housing values.
Perhaps it is the HOAs that should be getting ahead of the curve on how to manage these properties within their bounds and not the cities. Government solutions are rarely the best solution, IMO.
As far as the progression of a "group home" to a half-way house, yes it happens. There is one in my neighborhood and from time to time there has been a resident who is a perpetrator of crime/theft in the area.
I hope you are not suggesting that safety codes be relaxed just to fill these McMansions. History has taught us that doing so usually results in needless deaths. If a buyer is willing to go into these homes and install the required fire abatement systems and accessibility adaptations I see little other problem aside from zoning and HOA covenants.
The argument will be, How are four adults with learning disabilities living with an aide different from four children living with a parent? If the family doesn't require special abatement and accessibility modifications, the argument will be made that the group home doesn't need them either. Municipalities with too many vacant homes will be eager to let someone occupy them, so they may change codes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal
IMO, in many areas, it would be better to bulldoze an abandoned McMansion than to turn it into a "group home" when it comes to maintaining the integrity of a neighborhood and housing values.
I agree 100%. Here's the rub: No one benefits financially from bulldozing an abandoned McMansion. The current owner won't do it. A developer can't do it and make money with the new construction of a smaller home. Even in the unlikely event that the property is "donated" to the city, the city has to pay to tear it down and then maintain the site while drawing no tax revenue from it.
Not gonna happen.
This is a quagmire. The only thing we know for certain is that the kinds of people who originally occupied these homes bear no resemblance to the people who will be occupying them going forward.
Two major differences: 1. A few will look like the same people, but actually have money this time, or 2. There will be many more people and if they all chip in, they'll have just enough money to cover the cost of the house.
Folks have brought up some great points overall.
The thing I worry about is where will folks that need a group home type of situation live? Plenty of neighborhoods shun those who have mental disabilities and there are thousands if not millions of folks that need this type of living environment to live a more stable environment and avoid repeat visits to the already overburdened hospital system.
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