Jordan Olivier and her younger sister, Kaden, shared a room (and clothes), while they were growing up in suburban Maryland. They attended the same K-12 schools, but went to different colleges, a situation that caused Kaden a certain degree of angst.
“I had some separation anxiety,” said Kaden, 22, who recently moved to New York for a job in H.R. at an investment bank. “I knew I wanted Jordan around.”
Jordan is around all right. She and her sister Kaden have apartments in the same building.
For the easily amused, it sounds like the premise of a sitcom. For skeptics, it sounds like a recipe for disaster. But for some, like the Oliviers, who have a long, happy history of togetherness but still value their privacy, living in the same apartment building as a family member is an ideal setup.
“It takes the big city out of the big city,” said Kathy Braddock, co-owner of Braddock and Purcell, a residential real estate consulting firm. “You have independence, but you have someone nearby whom you trust. And if you want to get together for dinner you don’t have to get on the subway to do it.
“This is obviously not for everybody,” Ms. Braddock added. “But if you have a tight-knit connection with a family member, how nice.”
