Letters to the Editor — Boomers and housing, Scott Burns, college sports

Where would boomers go?

Re: “Stop hogging the houses, boomers — Millennials don’t stand a chance against empty nesters controlling a third of the market,” by Dallas Cothrum, Sunday Opinion.

Cothrum is on target about boomers hogging housing, but he doesn’t go far enough. We are an active, retired couple, with two dogs, living in a large, four-bedroom, four-bath home with a pool and large yard. Our location is fabulous, near a creek with walking trails, near shopping, near the library, in a safe neighborhood and with easy freeway access to theater and symphony.

Our neighborhood is stable with few rentals. The school district is excellent and our home would be great for a family. That is why we bought it many years ago. However, we aren’t moving. Our home is paid for and our taxes are ridiculously low, so it costs us very little, except for upkeep and homeowners insurance.

We would love to downsize into a smaller property that is easier to manage. But we cannot find anything smaller that has a similarly wonderful location. Build us smaller housing alternatives with great locations, near shopping and entertainment, in safe neighborhoods, where most of the properties are owner-owned, where we can have dogs, and we will move in a heartbeat. The demand is there, but real estate planners have not kept up with the wants and needs of active, retired boomers.

Georgia Serfling, Plano

Can’t afford to move

Cothrum’s opinion piece was highly critical of boomers hanging on to empty nester houses and not letting the younger generations buy them. Here’s some insight from a boomer who owns an empty nester house outright — we haven’t moved into a smaller house because we can’t afford it.

New houses being built seem to be nothing but McMansions. There seem to be no new smaller houses. Why? Because developers want more money so they build bigger? Because land is so expensive that they build nothing but two-story homes very close to the lot line?

I would love to be able to have the wealth of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk and be able to build houses like Fox & Jacobs used to build or other smaller homes that are one story and one to three bedrooms. That would allow first-time homebuyers to get in a smaller first home and then move up to larger ones as their family grows.

It would also allow older home owners to downsize without having to settle for some multimillion-dollar homes, be able to stay in the area where they work, have access to higher levels of medical facilities and not leave an enormous debt for their children.

Sheila Swenholt, East Plano

Happy trails to Burns

Re: “For an 83-year-old, a million steps and a big goal in Spain,” by Scott Burns, Sunday Business column.

Buen Camino, Scott. Ultreia!

Keith Jones, Dallas/Knox-Henderson

There’s more to one name

Re: “Tale of street names a long and winding road,” Sunday news story.

The street name “Bong” may not refer to marijuana as implied by the story. That slang usage probably did not start until the 1960s. Maybe the name commemorates Maj. Richard Bong, the leading World War II American fighter pilot ace and Medal of Honor recipient.

Peter Haskel, Lewes, Del.

NFL, NBA need minor leagues

Re: “College sports have jumped the shark — Transient players have transient coaches at schools in transient conferences,” by Robert Hall, Saturday Opinion.

I agree with most of what Hall says, and I think I have a solution: the National Football League and the National Basketball Association should create minor leagues. This would siphon off those players who prefer to be just athletes rather than student-athletes.

Right now, high school football players with aspirations for a professional career have no other option than to sign with a college. If there was a minor league (similar to AAA in baseball and AHL in hockey) that player could get good coaching and game experience and be elevated to the NFL when talent and experience merited. The dedicated student would still have the option for college ball. Similarly in basketball.

As more high-end players chose a fully professional, paid position on a team rather than the semi-pro college team, the importance that the college game has in American sports would lessen and the types of problems Hall mentions could dissipate.

Paul Bradburn, Dallas

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