The ongoing pandemic has led to disruptions in the lives of many people, from shifts in work spaces and educations plans to even more pressing existential questions. For some, the pandemic has led to evictions and homelessness. Others have wrangled with a very different set of decisions — one with slightly lower stakes. While some Americans are grappling with a lack of anywhere to live, another, more affluent group is working to figure out how best to navigate their second homes becoming their primary residences.
Writing at The New York Times, Julie Satow explored this particular residency trend. The people who spoke to Satow include restaurant owners, venture fund managers and publicists; all have ventured outside of New York City with their families to live for the foreseeable future.
As Satow notes, the families dealing with a shift in their lives aren’t the only people affected buy these moves:
Then there are the inherent tensions between second-home owners and year-round residents, who initially feared the spread of Covid-19 and who were resentful of the weekenders who arrived in the off-season and never left.
Those concerns aren’t just based around class; they also alarm long-term residents worried about there not being enough resources to go around in the event of a full-on crisis.
The Times article also notes that some part-time residents of towns outside of the city are now looking to expand or renovate their homes there, prompting local governments to increase the materials they have online related to renovations. It’s far from the most harrowing way the pandemic is affecting housing, but it does offer some interesting glimpses into how families and governments are managing.
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