Forget Empty Nesters, We Now Have Full-Nest Syndrome

Remember when parents packed the kids off to college and misted up over becoming empty nesters? Relax, Moms, the recession has fueled a generation of boomerang kids, and you can pretty much bet that yours will be moving back home even as they clutch a university diploma in their hands.

While college graduates are not returning home at the stunning and oft-repeated rate of 85 percent (chalk that one up to misinformation spread by an Internet wildfire), at least 41 percent are returning home after graduation. Many more are not leaving in the first place, opting instead to delay college or commute to the local community college.

And the impact can be felt mightily on the housing market.