Advice on moving in (later) retirement

I live on my own and moved 4 years ago from a 3 bed house to a 1 bed flat near to my daughters. I moved 130 miles so I would have liked a second bedroom but it was a more expensive area so am in a spacious 1 bed which is really nice.

I have a large balcony and although I drive now I have a good bus service and am near a doctors , dentist , and shops if I need to stop . Try and think what is important to you . Being so close to my children compensates for having only one bedroom.

As others have said - location is important. Do not go anywhere that is too cut off - you may be happy driving a car now, but what will happen if there comes a time you cannot do so. Buses, train, Doctors, Dentists, shops within easy reach. And, then whatever else suits you. Find out if there is an active U3A in the area - can provide so many interesting people to meet and things to do.

Then the actual property itself. Only you can decide what is important in that to you. If you are keen gardeners then you may want somewhere with a small manageable garden, but if not, you may prefer a nice balcony and a communal garden or local park.

Flats or bungalows are pretty much better than a house, stairlifts are okay, but are not the best answer. How many bedrooms do you requre, how many loos and bathrooms? Do you need a large kitchen, only you can make these decisions.

I live by myself and moved at the age of 62 years from the large Edwardian family house to a 1930's terrace. Had a lovely time over the next few years getting that just right for me. spent quite a lot of money - thought it was future proof. However, a bad fall, and ageing and I realised that I needed to go into an easy to run flat.

So moved again at the age of 78 yrs. Not a good time to go through the trauma of selling and buying - finally managed it -and am so very happy that I did so. Love my flat. Had two tick lists when looking for where to buy - the first was WHAT I HAD TO HAVE and the second was WHAT I WOULD PREFER.

My town I was moving to was determined by other factors. Thank goodness, I moved last autumn, cannot imagine how I would have coped in that house in London during this period.

You must be close to transport, shops, doctor, dentist and the local hospital must also be reasonably close.

A friend of mine moved 5 years ago and the nearest hospital is over 100 miles away. Not exactly a taxi journey.

Are you close to all amenities now?

We moved out of our large 4 bed house 3 years ago into a large brand new 3 bed apartment. We are in the top floor but there is a lift. We have a large balcony and communal gardens. We picked this apartment as we can walk to the shops,station, bus stop and park in 5 minutes. Love the fact that everything is new and modern and easy to maintain. So glad we did it when we did. Hardest thing was clearing out the house after living there for 25 years. Took ages.

Ngaio before moving, can you look at how your current cottage could be adapted? Could you have a shower room and a loo downstairs with a bedroom?
It might be cheaper to adapt than move, if you love it and are near the facilities you need.
Even a stairlift so that you can continue to use the upstairs is cheaper than moving, maybe a shower room rather than a bath, still cheaper than moving.

PS my stipulation was that we needed to be public transport, doctor, dentist and easy enough for me to reach the shops using my (as yet unnecessary) Zimmer frame. As house for our dotage...

We moved a lot in our early marriage due to DH's job. However, we were in our last house for 25 years.
Having seen any number of old people being pushed to move due to circumstances And being devastated, I managed to persuade Himself we ought to do it before we were too old and threatened to leave him if we hadn’t moved by the time he was 70.
I can’t pretend it was emotionally easy, although we sold before even putting the house on the market, so we’re spared that ordeal.
8 years later, although still very well, we have agreed that it was the best decision. We’ve had time to settle in, to adapt, etc.
Go for it!

Ngaio1- like you we are beginning to think of moving to a more accessible house. The one we have occupied for 50 years has a steep drive and 12 steps up to the front door. Our main priority is to be near bus stops so we can get out and about. Make sure you are in the catchment area for a decent hospital ( friends of ours discovered after they rehomed, that the nearest ambulance station was an hour a way, never mind the hospital). What do you like to do with your time? Make sure that is available too.

I moved from my lovely large house to a modern purpose-built bungalow for elderly/disabled people about 4-5 years ago. I miss the period features and sheer quirkiness of the house, but I've great memories of living there and the parties we threw. It was only when I was clearing out the attic that I came across a postcard showing my road with a lady standing outside my house, wearing a long ground-length skirt,blouse and cinched-in waist, pushing a pram, w.ith a young son wearing a hat(!) standing by her side, dated 1902..
Now, tho,as I've become disabled, I'm SO pleased that I moved when I did before disability kicked in, and this bungalow is perfect for me. My 2nd bedroom is now my study, light switches and power points are at waist height (so no bending down!), I've an attached garage,easy to maintain garden to the front, balcony large enough to hold tubs, sun loungers and a table and chairs at the back...you get the picture...
I hope that you find something as equally suitable to your needs too,OP. Happy hunting! and don't forget to take lots of photos before you leave!

I lost the start of the message -- should read "When it is considered ……….……………… Thank you.