Westport’s demographics are changing.
Since the pandemic, we’ve welcomed scores of young families: men and women in their 30s, with elementary school children, toddlers and infants. Every one of them came from Manhattan or Brooklyn, I think.
New apartments are home to singles, as young as their 20s. Affordable housing units are rented to working men and women previously priced out of the market.
But another group is changing Westport too. Older folks are joining their children and grandchildren — either in the same house, in an accessory dwelling unit on the property, or in their own home or condo close by.
The reasons are many. A desire to be part of grandchildren’s lives — or to help care for them. The healthcare need of elderly parents. Companionship. Loneliness.
Accessory dwelling units are now legal in Westport. They’re an attractive alternative for grandparents who want to live near their children and grandchildren — but not in the same house.
(Of course, it’s not always older parents coming here. Sometimes, children who grew up here return, to be close to their parents. Or because moving back into their parents’ home makes financial sense.)
Our friends at KMS Team at Compass are tracking the trend, which they say is noticeable.
Local statistics are not available. But nationally, the number of multiple generations living in one household — including adults and children over the age of 25, or grandparents living with grandchildren — has quadrupled.
COVID accelerated the moves. Zoom calls with grandchildren did not do the trick, for grandparents. They wanted physical proximity. Sometimes, living in the same house made sense. (The other scenario: buying a home very close by.)
In Westport, one recent sale was to a couple who left 70 years in Michigan behind. When both daughters moved here, they quickly followed suit.
They miss their friends and family back home. But they say, “we can be part of every holiday and birthday celebration. We go to our grandkids’ soccer games and ballet recitals. We comfort bruised feelings and scraped knees. Pulling up roots was hard, but definitely the right move for us.
Builders have noticed the trend. Bedrooms with separate exterior access may include kitchenettes. Multiple primary suites are placed on different levels of the home. Back staircases from the main living area lead to secondary quarters. Main floor bedroom suites can include private outdoor space.
Multiple kitchens, or a kitchenette in a grandparents’ wing, are nice — though many families enjoy the shared experience of cooking and eating together. In those cases, multiple prep surfaces come in hand, as do islands that offer some seating.
Our forefathers and foremothers — the men and women who lived here many years ago — would not recognize modern-day homes.
But they would sure feel at “home” with more than 2 generations under one roof.
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Meanwhile, KMS Team at Compass say, statistics show that Westport sales are down in 2024 compared to 2023 — 253, down 12.% — yet median prices continue to climb. At $2.1 million, it’s up 2.8%.
62.5% of inventory is priced over $3 million. There are only 3 properties now active in the under-$1.4 million category.
Weston shows similar trends. The number of sales is down year over year, but there’s an even greater rise in the median sales price: 7.2% to $1.37 million.
The most expensive property currently on sale in Westport is 120-122 Beachside Avenue. The 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 11,450-square foot home, on 6.56 acres with 400 feet of direct waterfront, is listed for $27.5 million. The annual tax is $220,050.
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