Have you/ are you planning to ‘downsize’

Seven months ago we moved from a big 5 bed house to 3 bed bungalow. Stairs were going to become a problem for DH soon. Saw this bungalow the Sunday before first lockdown in March last year, and unbelievably it was exactly what we had been looking for over the last year, and moved in 12 weeks later. On regular bus route if you don’t want to take the car, quiet, local shops, plenty of walks for our dogs, good neighbourhood, also central to our family. We have made a few minor improvements and now have it exactly as we want it. I must admit it was a big step to take but now it couldn’t be better. I would just say don’t leave it too late it is a very big upheaval and without enormous help from our family I don’t know if we would have coped.

We actually moved 7 years ago to a house of roughly the same size, but with a much smaller garden and with easy access to bus routes, shops, medical centres etc. It has been wonderful, and we have had the room to accommodate family, including increasing numbers of grandchildren, and friends pre-virus. People wondered why we wanted 5 bedrooms, but it's been great - and during lockdown we have had plenty of space to pursue our own interests and not feel cramped. It was a new build, so superb insulation and much cheaper to run than an older, draughty house. Very easy to keep clean too. The move itself meant a 'pruning' of excess stuff, but we managed to keep most of our furniture and 'treasures'.

We will be downsizing in few years, but love our big house,would like to go from a 4 bed detached to a 3 bed detached with much smaller garden and in a cheaper area, I think though when you are very used to a lot of space in your house it must feel a bit strange moving to one with less space, still want two bathrooms though, lots to think about but in no rush at all,

The worst thing from my point of view is the pool which my husband looks after. It is too complicated for me,chemistry was never a strong point. It is very big so would cost more than we could afford to fill in. We use it only about 2 months of the year though the grandchildren like it. It has been wonderful over the years of course but the kids who live the nearest have got their own so they are not bothered now. It takes up half the back garden.

There is no point in rushing but you do have to make up your mind if you are going to move to something more practical for you in years to come. My son says my move last January (2020) was an overnight decision made over five years. He's not wrong; I did at least five years research and preparation. When this flat came on the market I moved very quickly but by then I like to think I had exhausted all other possibilities both for me as a person and for my budget. I cannot imagine what the last year would have been like had I not moved it seemed so easy once I was here.

Last time we moved we looked for a bungalow because it seemed sensible but fell in love with this house which is far too big for two people but we love it.

As a surveyor friend pointed out to us when we said we could convert to a bedroom downstairs if we needed to, stairlifts these days are easy to install and also you can pay for an awful lot of help in the home and garden for the cost of moving.

Stairs are very good for the knees and we use our for exercise.

Of course if the cost of keeping a bigger house is an issue then it makes sense to downsize but if not then it is good to have the extra space. Smaller houses have smaller rooms.

We have rooms we only use when people come to stay so we simply turn the heating down and keep the doors closed.

Doesn't matter how many loos or bathrooms you have, you only need to clean what you use.

We've started looking but although there are some lovely places on the market, there are certain things we would miss. Originally, we were looking at apartments but I think I would really miss not having a garden. I just need a smaller one.

The OH wants to live watching the ships on the Solent but those properties tend to be apartments or in areas that don't appeal to me. Most importantly, they are in the wrong area for our local excellent hospital and are in the area of a gigantic hospital where the care just isn't the same.

We are going to write a list of "must haves," "would like," and definite "no's." However, the last 2 properties we have bought have been the total opposite to what I would have said we were looking at so, who knows!

In February I moved from an 8 bedroomed 4 storey Victorian townhouse in Plymouth to a small 2 bedroomed detached bungalow by the sea in Wales.
The townhouse was also a guesthouse that DH and I had ran for nearly 13 years. The house was a money pit that constantly needed maintenance and expensive scaffolding anytime outside works needed completing. I was also struggling with the stairs and the work due to my health.
Even though we lost a lot of money on the sale of the guesthouse we love our new home and have spent lockdown improving and decorating it. It is just a shame we haven’t seen a lot of our new area or made many friends due to staying home.
It was a nightmare leaving the guesthouse though as the new owner wanted it completely emptied and there was so much stuff to get rid of.

Think carefully if it is 'size' that is the problem. We moved to 'same size' in measurements. BUT - new house so, beautifully warm, rooms arranged in a way that we actually use most of them. Our previous one was draughty and very hard/impossible to heat (and afford), had 4th room in the loft (even colder, steep stairs, weird access), had to go through the lounge to the dining area - so rarely used it, only one loo - etc. Being at home more, less space is not always a good idea - where do you have a bit of solitude or do your unsociable hobby (music practice)?

I believe that everyone should live in an appropriate space, no more no less. If you are staying where you are to house 'stuff' then there is an issue. I am not suggesting anyone on here is guilty of my next gripe, but I have seen grandparent couples living in houses with spare bedrooms and even spare reception rooms while their children and grandchildren live in much more cramped conditions because of the ridiculous situation with house prices etc. Why wouldn't you downsize just to distribute the resources to where they are most needed?

@Lillie we have done something similar, moving "sideways" to a lovely listed house away from our previous expensive area before we were 60. We've just moved again, 15 years later, downsizing drastically this time. We used the profit to buy a sensible property back in our urban area which is nearer to three of our children and suits us better at our current stage of life.
Now we have reduced our possessions, we could move again if we need to.
We'll always remember and love our last beautiful, spacious house - but our new maisonette has different things to love and we have no regrets at all.

I moved back from a large bungalow with small (by French standards !) garden of only about half an acre ......got a gardner in as it was taking me hours to do it ....loved the bungalow, the French neighbours and way of life but after my husband died I intended to stay there and then move into a retirement village by the sea ...HALF the price of those in the UK ...a little bungalow, a little garden, swimming pool, club house, activities and I would keep a small car. THEN Brexit came and so I felt obliged to return to the UK ...here, for the same money as in France, all I was able to purchase was an (expensive ! high charges and ground rent) retirement flat ....I can't pretend to like it, and would have bought a bungalow but for the fact I wanted, being on my own, security and, as I HAD booked lots of holidays and planned to travel for a few years until dotage set in, the security of knowing there was always someone around so as not to bother anyone else tolook after a property for weeks on end whilst I was not there .......I do love the location (one minute from the beach), the countryside, the City, an airport, ferry terminal, high speed trains, the Metro, busses, cheap taxis ...since I cannot drive here as I would have to take a test (ha ha ...been driving for over 50 years but exchanged my licence for firstly a Spanish one when we lived there, and then a French one....I can drive in France (but can;t get there at the moment !) but even the French licence specifies no driving in the UK after the age of 70...so I haven't bothered ...been in Europe for over 21 years so not used to the roads in the UK ,,,French autoroutes are very fast, but I think I would drive on the wrong side of the road here .....however, all that apart I would think very carefully ....old age does hit us all even if we are fit and well at the moment, and we may need shops, doctors, hospitals, transport, etc and out in the country these things are sparse ...why not rent a bungalow for a month in somewhere you would like to live ? or a retirement flat ...some have schemes where you can rent before you buy .....BUT the newer ones are extortionately expensive, and the charges very high ...I couldn't afford one where I came from in Suffolk as the cost was around about £400,000 ...........and every penny would have been tied up so I would not have been able (not that I am now !) to travel ................good luck with your choice !

When DH retired we downsized from a large old four bed house to a modern two bed flat. It was great to lock up and leave when we could travel and we thought we could spend the rest of our lives here. Over the past year we have become more aware of neighbours. Most are very considerate but there are those who think the will do what they want even if it inconveniences others. Perhaps we will feel differently after things are back to normal but we have decided to start thinking about other options but don't want to rush into anything for at least two years.

I live alone and downsized two years ago when I was 60. I'm fit and fairly healthy but was rattling around in a large four bedroom house, three bathrooms, utility room etc with a big garden. I knew a family who wanted to buy it so it made sense to move. My daughter was pregnant and wanted me to move closer to her too. I chose a three bedroom bungalow with a smaller garden ten minutes from her. It was the correct decision. I got rid of lots of stuff that was weighing me down and am ruthless about keeping the house simple.

Am longing to de-clutter and - eventually - downsize but DH won’t entertain the idea. I fear we may miss the boat

I, originally, downsized from the large family house, to a 3 bedroom terrace, just a mile away. Almost immediately, I had to have the roof space made into a large room to give me plenty of bedroom space for g.children.

I was in my early 60's when I did this, and really loved this house, open plan on ground floor - meant that I used all of the space. Small bedroom upstairs turned into home office, very spacious spare double bedroom, and roof space. When I retired I treated myself to having an en-suite installed. There was a small downstairs loo. I looked at flats at the time and felt that I needed to keep stairs for some exercise for future and was also concerned about maintenance charges.

Amazing how much we change in 15/16 years - the stairs far from being good exercise, became something like Everest each night. If I was unwell, I felt isolated upstairs, not able to make myself something to eat or drink without so much effort. Needed to get a gardener for the small garden. Worried about roof, drains, gutters, fences every time there was any bad weather. Looked into stair lift - expensive and intrusive.

I finally managed to move to a lovely 2-bed, 2 bathroom flat. My Living/ Dining Room actually gives me more space than the through lounge I had in the house. Wide hallway, big storage cupboard for all cleaning materials and machines. Big balcony/terrace - where I am able to have pots which I can manage happily myself. On the first floor, so can still use stairs if I wish and am not carrying anything large or heavy - lift for other occasions. Garage on road level, and it is right in the centre of the town so close for me to trundle (on mobility scooter) to park, shops, cinema, theatre, beach, etc. Maintenance costs are less than I was having to pay out most years for such things for the house.

I feel so safe and secure here, do not even have to worry if I leave windows open when I pop out. There are no downsides at all -one of the best decisions I have ever made.

We’ve lived in our house for 35 years. The plan was always to downsize when the kids left home. We’ve got a 4 bedroom, 3 story Victorian terrace. High ceilings, costs a fortune to heat. But two of our ac still live with us, plus gs. Add into the mix Dh had dementia. So for the life of me, I can’t see us moving anytime soon.

I have been reading all your experiences with great interest.
Although nanna8 I did a double take when I read that both you and your DC have swimming pools!
I appreciate buylocal's take on the situation too.
I live in the family home we bought 40 years ago and have always filled with people but now, due to bereavement and to lockdown, I am here on my own and for the first time am aware of how hard it is to heat and I tend to live in one room.
I will need to think about it soon but everyone tells me to give it at least a year.

The upheaval would be enormous and I love the position and being in a community where I know half the folk I see every time I leave the house.

Your talk of eco friendly, easy care dwellings is very tempting.
Whoever buys this house, would turn it into flats so I think maybe I should be the one to do that and keep one for myself?

My MIL moved from a vast 7 bedroom Victorian last Friday. She’s gone into a modern 4 bedroom house. Even having spent the last year clearing out she’s completely surrounded by boxes of stuff. You must be ruthless.

I downsized 6 years ago from a house that we built ourselves with a wonderful garden designed by a Chelsea gold medal winner! Of course I was devastated at the time but with a husband with dementia and both in our 70’s it was the best thing ever and I have never regretted it for a moment. We are now near the family for help and support! I think that you will know when it’s the best time for you!

@Jennyluck we still had three adult children living with us before our first move. Our sale freed up cash to help them all get first homes. Now, 14 years later they've all got enough equity in their homes to move up the property ladder if they need to.
Hopefully they could all help you with the sorting and moving - they must all be well aware of how much you need to move.

I downsized when my youngest left for uni years ago.
My advice is a loo on each floor, and walking distance from everything you'll need in the future. In other words, imagine one of your parents living there.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Moving to a smallish house has meant that we have divested ourselves of a lot of stuff. It’s very liberating to declutter and to only keep things, that ares useful, or a few I consider really beautiful, such as paintings.

I’m lucky in that I don’t have emotional attachments to inanimate objects, but I know some do and find it hard to let go of things.

As someone said upthread our treasures are often someone else’s junk.

Franbern I like the sound of your flat. Where are you based? Although I’m in a small 2 bed bungalow I’m seriously thinking of moving to a flat. There’s so much that needs doing here and ongoing maintenance costs