Homeowners choose to stay in their homes

Any discussion about the future of housing in the state has to include aging Granite Staters.

Nearly a third of New Hampshire residents are at least 60 years old. Almost 20% are older than 65. And most live in single-family residences they aren’t keen to give up anytime soon, one of a variety of contributing factors as to why there’s a shortage of available homes for sale in the state.

“Having older Granite Staters stay in their homes is within our Yankee heritage,” said Matt Mayberry, chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Home Builders Association. “We want to be independent and self-reliant. The interest rates are what is hurting the market. No one wants to walk away from a 3% mortgage. You may be able to sell your present home at a great profit, but those funds will be chewed up with higher interest rates and equally expensive homes.”

Instead, according to Mayberry, some of New Hampshire’s senior homeowners are looking at the equity in their home and using a refinance to fund a renovation that helps them age in place. At the same time, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) give them even more options for staying in place, said Mayberry.

A 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey by AARP shows 75% of Americans age 50 and older want to live in their homes for as long as possible. “The desire to stay put is even stronger among adults aged 65-plus and those living in small towns or rural areas,” the survey said.

This reflects the sentiment among older Granite Staters, according to Christina FitzPatrick, state director of AARP New Hampshire.

“Like older adults across the country, people in New Hampshire want to age in their homes or in their communities for as long as their health allows them to,” she said.

But, according to the AARP, hope doesn’t always align with reality. Its survey showed that 44% of those aged 50-plus expect to relocate at some point. The reasons are mostly financial — 71% cite the cost of rent or mortgage; 60% want to lower the costs of housing and maintenance; and 55% say the high cost of property taxes is the reason for moving.

A recent study from Seniorly, an online platform and marketplace that helps seniors and their families find suitable senior living communities, ranks New Hampshire as the 18th worst state for aging in place.

Ten factors — ranging from cost of living to housing prices to access to health care to even the weather — were measured as part of the nationwide Seniorly study.

Among its findings: In New Hampshire 32.4% of homeowners ages 65-plus spend more than 30% of their income on housing (No. 47), there are 35 seniors per home health aide (No. 45) and the state gets 40.5 inches of precipitation per year (No. 31).

According to Seniorly, aging in place offers the comfort of home, and is becoming even more appealing as healthcare technology and telehealth services continue to advance. But there are risks, including delayed medical response during emergencies and increased susceptibility to loneliness and isolation.

AARP NH published its own assessment of issues that impact New Hampshire adults 45 and older in December 2023, and many of those issues related to housing. Among the chief findings:

• Most (84%) New Hampshire residents age 45 and older are homeowners and only 15% are renters.

• Similarly, most (81%) of the New Hampshire residents aged 45-plus currently live in a single-family house. Only a small portion (8%) of the them live in an apartment.

• The majority (83%) of New Hampshire residents aged 45-plus think housing affordability is a problem in their area.

• About two-thirds (64%) of New Hampshire residents aged 45-plus think that housing affordability is a serious problem where they live, with more than another quarter rating it as a fairly serious problem.

• The majority of New Hampshire residents age 45-plus think that it is extremely or very important for them to be able to stay in their own home as they get older (85%), and to be able to get to places independently (84%).

• About 6 in 10 (63%) New Hampshire residents age 45-plus are extremely or very concerned about being able to afford to remain in their home as they age.

• About two-thirds (68%) of New Hampshire residents aged 45-plus think they will not need major repairs, modifications or changes to their homes to enable them to stay in their current residence as long as possible.

Mayberry said his Home Builders Association members see accessory housing units and their possible expanded use in New Hampshire as a game changer for older Granite Staters.

Currently, attached ADUs are allowed by right in the state of New Hampshire as long as certain local zoning conditions are met. Legislation in the form of HB 577 from this current session gives homeowners the right to build a detached accessory dwelling unit, not just an attached unit. This bill also increases the maximum square footage of an ADU. It has passed the House and Senate and would need the governor’s signature to become law.

“As long as you have the space available on your property, a town cannot deny you the creation of an accessory dwelling unit, so we may see a lot more multigenerational living coming through this,” Mayberry said.

ADUs offer property owners a couple of options, particularly for an older individual or couple. The ADU can be built initially as a rental unit as a source of income, according to Mayberry. Then, when the time comes, the older couple could move into the ADU as their primary residence, giving the original house to a family member (son or daughter with children of their own, for instance).

“There’s quite a bit of that dynamic, because it’s also helping with health care, highly important to seniors, and also child care, which is good for working adults,” Mayberry said. “We think the ADU will help allow the providing of housing for some folks, it may take some of the pressure off.”

When it comes to aging in place, there are inside the house and outside of the house factors to consider, according to FitzPatrick.

Internal to the home, she said, there are issues such as stairs (can the home be converted into one level of living), access that might need wheelchair accommodation such as wider doors; grab bars in the bathroom, shower and other locations; eliminating tripping hazards; and making food and other essentials more easily reachable with lower or adjustable shelves.

“Then externally, people want to have easy access to their doctors, to the grocery store and things like that,” she said. “If they can drive, they would like those things to be close, and if they can’t drive, they need transportation, and maybe they have friends and family who can help them with that.” One limiting factor in New Hampshire, she added, is the lack of public transportation, particularly in rural areas.

On the issue of ADUs, “AARP strongly supports the ability of people to build accessory dwelling units, and that’s for a number of different reasons,” FitzPatrick said. One is the rental income it might provide to an older homeowner. Another is that it could provide the housing for a caretaker an individual or couple might need. Or the multigenerational situation where the parents live in the ADU and the children and grandchildren live in the house, each helping each other, according to FitzPatrick.

For those thinking about renovations or enhancements to create better aging-in-place residences, local home builders often have advice in the form of website postings.

For instance, Oxland Builders in Stratham, owned by former Home Builders Association president Brad Sawler, has published blog posts on aging-in-place bathrooms Among the ideas from Oxland:

• A microwave drawer or an under-counter microwave placement can reduce lifting and manipulating hot food risks.

• Replacing traditional twist knobs with lever-style faucets can significantly enhance a kitchen’s accessibility.

• Lower cabinets should be designed with drawers rather than shelves. Pull-out spice drawers and other pull-outs enhance visibility and accessibility, minimizing bending and reaching.

• A zero-entry or curbless shower is crucial for age-in-place bathroom design.

• A handheld showerhead offers the convenience of directing the water exactly where it’s needed, providing an ideal solution for those needing to shower while seated or having difficulty reaching overhead.

• Grab bars are one of the simplest, yet most impactful modifications in an age-in-place bathroom design.