[floren]

> and then you live in an out-of-the-way town with few ways to resell

Why do we always buy/update our house for the next owner?

[Dylan16807]

Designing to resell at a high price is overrated, but wanting the ability to resell at all isn't a bad idea.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

Options, options, options. Knowing that resale will take 1-6 months rather than 1-6 years, maybe longer, means that if your life circumstances change (as happens to many people), you will be in a much better position to respond to them.

[watwut]

Ability to move away, whether because you found better job or better location matter. And second house in place you don't care about is costing money on taxes and maintenance.

[romanovcode]

Yeah. What happened to passing the house in the family?

[MattGaiser]

By the time you end up dying nowadays, your kids have long owned a home and potentially your grandkids as well.

[ghaff]

People are also often mobile and have different wants/needs in a house. There's a good chance that the family home isn't what they want need.

[redisman]

I’ve also seen many older people sell the old big house and use the proceeds to buy a conveniently located condo and use the rest as their retirement fund

[LanceH]

I've just been discussing this with my wife. We're thinking of just buying a bigger enough lot that we could build more than one house.

[bradlys]

A privilege that few are offered.

Most families have to sell the house before the parents die because the parents can’t even use the house anymore. Maybe it’s more common but it seems most parents die in a facility or some other special housing for end of life. They have to use that money they got from the house sale to pay for the end of life care.

Basically, end of life care siphons off any chances of generational wealth unless exceptionally well off.