Playing Pinochle and Other Lost Things + A Real Estate Review

When my wife, Jen, and I moved into our house, she was pregnant with Claire. It was an exciting time, but also one that made me reflect on how much has changed since I was a kid. When I was little there were 25 kids on just one side of our street, all of us played outside all day and on summer nights we would catch lightning bugs. The street Jen and I moved to was in a different phase, and while the neighbors were (and still are) wonderful, there were only a few kids on the street, and they were all much older than Claire.

One of the benefits of this was that Claire’s Halloween was awesome. Since there weren’t many trick-or-treaters, our neighbors gave her full-size candy bars and other items. It was a small, sweet tradition that reminded me of the kind of close-knit neighborhood I grew up in where people knew each other, and where neighbors looked out for one another, and where adults gathered.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how drastically times have changed and how things seem to be disappearing that were once a central part of our daily lives. One of those is the card game Pinochle. I remember being fascinated as a kid watching my parents and their friends play Pinochle. After dinner, they’d gather around the table, shuffling cards, laughing, arguing over bids, and knocking on the table at the end of a hand. It was a ritual. It wasn’t just about the game; it was about the time spent together.

Pinochle was a social experience, a reason for people to come together, talk, and laugh.

My father learned the game from his parents. My grandfather, an immigrant from Germany and a chef by trade, would play for money at the union hall between lunch and dinner shifts. It was part of his routine, part of his community, and even though my parents tried to teach me the game, poker ended up being more my speed. Pinochle was a constant presence, a symbol of an era where people spent more time together in person rather than through electronic devices.

Somewhere along the way, games like Pinochle and Bridge have faded. It’s easy to blame technology, but I think there’s more to it. A survey I heard about recently stated that in the last 20 years, the amount of time American adults spend socializing in person has dropped by nearly 30%. Among people aged 15 to 24, that number is closer to 70%. Also, according to the Surgeon General, more Americans than ever report having no close friends at all. The share has jumped from 3% to 12% in just three decades.

I look at those numbers, and I can’t help but wonder, with all the tools we have - Facebook, texting, video calls…etc…why aren’t we connecting more? Why do so many people feel lonely? Technology has given us the ability to stay in touch, but maybe it’s also made our interactions less meaningful. We can message someone instantly, but that doesn’t replace spending time with a friend, playing a game, or sharing stories.

Pinochle was a glue that held friendships together. It was an excuse to spend time with people, a reason to sit down laugh and engage in conversation. It wasn’t just about the game, it was about the comfort of being with people who knew you well. I don’t know if games like Pinochle will ever come back, it faded with my parents' generation, and maybe it’s gone for good, but I can’t help but feel that future generations will miss out on something special. Not just the game itself, but the deeper sense of connection that came with it. The kind of friendships built around shared experiences, not just shared posts.

Maybe it’s nostalgia talking, or maybe it’s just the reality of time marching forward, but I know one thing for sure; whenever I think back to those nights of cards being shuffled, of laughter filling the room, of my father knocking on the table at the end of a hand, I can’t help but smile.

I hope, somehow, we find ways to bring that kind of togetherness back.

Finding my own ways to connect

Before we had kids, we had couples’ poker nights that would include dinner and an evening of poker with two other couples. In the last few years, as a way to maintain some connection, my wife and a few neighbors started what we call Front Yard Friday. Normally, once a month in the summertime, we gather in the front yard of a neighbor who volunteers to host. We all bring own beverages and snacks to share. We send an invitation to the entire street, about 75 houses, but typically only around nine or ten homes are represented. It’s too bad because we have a great time. Sometimes it feels easier to stop inviting everyone, but I hold out hope that a lot more will show up.

My brother Tom said something a long time ago that has stuck with me, "The old neighborhood died when builders stopped putting on front porches and started adding backyard patios." That thought made sense to me, so I decided to do some research. I read an Associated Press article from 2015 called "The Evolution of the American Front Porch." It stated that what started as a symbol of status evolved into a functional design that ultimately became a catalyst for the ideal American town. Gathering on front porches fostered a sense of community and family.

“In the evenings, as the outdoor air provided a cool alternative to the stuffy indoor temperatures, the entire family would move to the front porch,” Reynolds Price wrote in Out on the Porch. “The children might play in the front yard or the friendly confines of the neighborhood, while the parents rocked in their chairs, dismissing the arduous labors and tasks of the day into relaxation and comfort. Stories might be told, advice garnered, or songs sung.”

Though porches remained popular nationwide for nearly 100 years, modern innovations led to their decline. So maybe Tom is right.

Regardless, I am very grateful for my neighbors and glad they are a part of mine and my family’s lives. While traditional card games like Pinochle may not make a full comeback, perhaps there are ways to bring back that sense of connection in other forms. Maybe it’s a monthly neighborhood dinner, a weekly game night with friends, or simply making the effort to have face-to-face conversations rather than relying on digital messages.

People complain about time, so maybe AI will free up our time and robots like Rosie from the Jetsons will mow the lawn and clean the house, allowing us the time to spend. I don’t think it’s time, I think it’s a decision and it always was a decision. The key is intentionality, choosing to make time for real human interactions. It might not be as easy or as automatic as it once was, but it’s worth it. Future generations may not grow up playing Pinochle, but they can still learn the importance of community, tradition, and meaningful connections, and maybe, just maybe, we can all start knocking on the table again, in our own way.

Real Estate Review: New Rules and Shifting Trends

As you all know, 2024 was a wild ride in real estate shaken up by a landmark commission lawsuit that changed the game. According to the National Association of Realtors, the year set a mix of records, both good and bad. While household formation starts at 26, many aren’t buying until age 38, a trend affecting over 63 million potential buyers nationwide. First-time buyers have grown older too, moving from an average age of 35 in 2023 to 38 in 2024, and their share of home purchases fell to an all-time low of 24%. The median home buyer age also hit a record high at 56, up from 49 the previous year.

In other trends, 26% of transactions were all-cash deals, and 17% of buyers opted for multi-generational homes. On average, buyers viewed about 7 homes, with 2 of those visits conducted exclusively online. A surprising insight from Inman Connect New York revealed that 71% of real estate agents didn’t close a single sale last year.

Looking ahead, 2025 is expected to bring some relief. Despite ongoing inventory challenges, we’re forecasting a 7% to 12% year-over-year increase in home sales, stable interest rates around 6%, and a modest 2% rise in sale prices, bringing us back to a more typical appreciation rate. Employment gains of 2 million for 2025 and 2026 also promise to inject new energy into the market, setting the stage for a continuing seller’s market.

Thanks --Dennis Rath

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