Looking for a new home

Try leafleting areas or specific properties you like. Two family members have bought houses like this without them ever being put on the open market.

We spent many weeks looking for exactly what you’re looking for, and believe me we kissed a lot of frogs, but we finally found the perfect bungalow, the only downside is that it’s not in a particularly nice road. We both love it, and have got used to the road and our neighbours are lovely. So don’t give up, look at everything that is remotely feasible and you will end up with the right property eventually. Good luck, it’s a massively stressful time and I’d never do it again.

I think time of year is against you now. Daffodil time is the peak for viewing houses as daylight improves and people plan a move and be sorted by end of summer to have kids into new school and avoid the August 'lull' when solicitors are off on holidays. Good idea to do a direct leaflet drop. There will be people waiting for the right time to sell, perhaps waiting for probate to go thru on an inherited property? I had a Stannah put in to my mother's house .... there were 5 bends in the rail.... cost c 6k but she got 5 years use from it. The rail is not salvagable ... they may take back a chair ( we had a second hand one) but did charge 180£ to remove all. Now that it is gone, there is little evidence it was every there as rails are not attached to the walls but thru carpet into flooring.

Have you considered popping a note through the doors of bungalows you like the look of? You never know someone might be thinking of moving

I maybe worth looking around your area for something you like that isn’t on the market.
The bungalow next door to my bungalow was a holiday home and because of covid lockdowns they had not been using it (they did not rent it out). I told my friend who was looking for a bungalow about it and she contacted the owners directly, so she bought it without it ever going on the market.
We moved from a large house in England to a bungalow in Wales in February 2020 and we love it. To compensate for having no stairs we go on lots of walks for our exercise.

Register with estate agents and do a leaflet drop. I would check that your buyer is actually a cash buyer and establish the exact time frame they’re looking to move in. Not many ppl want to move during the winter months so you may well have to wait until spring to find a suitable property. If you really do need a confirmed sale look for a rental until you find your dream property. Happy house hunting.

I would have scoffed at the idea of a property finder a few years ago but when we move to Dorset in the Spring I’m hiring @heartfelthomes (not a plug) the reason? She gets to know houses before they even reach the market and then has superb negotiating skills. A house finder is essential in this market…. IMVHO

My elderly father needed to downsize last year after my mother died. The enormous family home sold immediately but the buyers were happy to wait. He searched daily, looked at dolls house bungalows, looked at houses out of the market town he wanted to stay in etc. Suddenly he got wind of a lovely house that fitted his needs. Was first to view, put in asking price (very expensive) and moved in at the end of March. All very very stressful but absolutely worth the wait. We couldn't imagine anything suitable coming up but new properties hit the market every day. Make friends with all the estate agents. It will happen

*harder

Its even harser as we need 3 bedrooms and social/council housing only seem to think everyone who needs a bungalow lives alone(!)?

I have been looking nearly a year for such a property, or at very least with a downstairs loo- & upstairs bathroom- but as i can only afford renting its even harder- we are getting very despondent to put it mildly and as im reliant on them accepting housing benefit too (even though ive got money waiting for rent/deposit) its like proper gold dust- diamond dust even! Cant see it happening before xmas for us- all i can suggest to you is buy something older with two reception rooms separate so you can use some money from your sale to convert one reception room later.Thats what I'd do if i had money to buy.?

I would happily live on one level as I have had osteoarthritis in my knees for many years but have yet to see a bungalow within my (generous) price range which is anything but a boring box in a road of similar boxes. And there are a lot in my area, being near the coast and sought after by retirees. OP would be spoilt for choice. The architects and builders seem to have zero imagination and there is no scope to do anything to make them any more appealing. And I would rather go upstairs on my backside than have a stair (or other) lift.

Make sure that your purchaser knows you are keen and are actively looking.

I'd be concerned that your purchaser could get fed up and find somewhere else, if your search lasts too long.
For myself, I'd be much happier to get the sale all done even if that meant moving into somewhere temporary until the 'perfect place' turned up.

(Assuming that English law allows people pull out at the stage your sale is at. Scottish law doesn't.)

Please don't wait to see bungalows on the market they go like hotcakes apart from those in bad conditions or bad areas.
Best thing is to contact all the estate agent and tell them you have a cash buyer and need a bungalow asap or you're sale might fall through, they will listen and do the foot work for you. As soon as someone asks for a selling price from them they will be onto it for you to get a deal.
Also as you know the areas you could mail drop to all the bungalows owners, that you are interested if they think of selling in the near future to contact you. Just leave an email address with them. It does work.
Good Luck.

Good luck in your search. I sold my home in June this year and still haven't found a bungalow I want to live in. 5 months renting, but there are hardly any bungalows coming onto the market, and those that do need a complete renovation. I am on my own now, and can't face any sort of project. I need a place that's ready to move into. Like others on here, I am now considering a flat or apartment, though I am worried about high maintenance fees. The estate agents are useless, I have told them all exactly what I'm looking for, but none of them contact me, I always have to do my own research. Hoping things improve in the New Year.

The last time we sold our house we moved into rented. It was quite and fairly relaxing as there were so few jobs to do. We put most of our furniture in storage which wasn't expensive. We were then in a fantastic position to pounce. This is exactly what we did and acquired a bungalow for £30,000 less than the asking price because we were cash buyers and could move straight away. I'd advise anyone to rent as, although you might think it's expensive, you can save so much on the next property.

Have you considered 'advertising' for the kind of property you need? The last time we moved we had leaflets printed detailing our requirements and budget and went door to door around our chosen area. A little legwork needed but it also gave us a greater insight into the area we were searching. It resulted in some interesting properties being revealed that were not yet on the market.

We decided against a newspaper ad as people read them then forget them, but they might keep a flyer if they're thinking about moving. We later noticed a couple of the homes we had leafleted suddenly appeared in the estate agents listings, so perhaps the owners just needed that little push.

It's early days for your search so don't get disheartened, as you say there will probably be a flourish of fresh properties appearing early next year. Good luck.

We sold our house in Scotland in February 2020. We have been in an unsuitable rental in Kent ever since.
We have looked at dozens of overpriced houses that need mega work to make them liveable in. We cannot give up, we have to find a home and experience the luxury of having pictures on the walls, carpets a wardrobe etc etc.
Most of our stuff is in storage, haven’t seen it for 2 years.
Hopefully the market will become more reasonable next year . . .

Could you move in with your family, declutter ruthlessly and put your remaining possessions into storage? I fear you might lose your buyer as my friend did - she also had a cash buyer who waited exactly four weeks before sneaking off to buy a retirement apartment.

I sold my house at auction so had to go into rented as normally it is a month to completion, but my horrible buyer asked for two months.

I completed in May 2020, then viewed houses also as a cash buyer, and found this bungalow in mid October. Unfortunately the vendor's solicitor had Covid without informing her, and the conveyancing took until March 2021.

Personally I don't like living in a bungalow as I miss going upstairs/being able to see the view, but know I have done the best with the money I had, and I have future proofed.

Good luck!

Coastal towns have lots of bungalows.

We found ourselves in the same position some years ago. Rather than settle for a compromise property we decided to rent a bungalow whilst still looking for the ideal new home. We found that we didn't really enjoy bungalow living, preferring to go upstairs to sleep. This might be an idea for you too. There are always stair, and vertical lift options for two storey properties. We also found the bungalow required more heating, for various reasons.

When I was looking for a bungalow it was very hard too. I ended up and bought a wreck of a place that sat for so long because of the work it needed doing to it. I'm 55 and on my own, but wanted to get somewhere now to do up that I can manage as I get older. I have done a lot of work myself, but it's been a nightmare because Covid hit and builders downed tools and then supplies were hard to come by. I've noticed a sale sign goes up here and in a couple of days a sold sign appears. Stick with it and hopefully something will come up and if you really want to sell yours now maybe go into rented until you find a suitable bungalow.

Would strongly advise against renting. We did this when we moved to the south from Scotland with DH’s work, and our money sat in the bank shrinking in value for over a year, as there was very little suitable housing for sale, and what there was went to those the estate agents showed it to before it was put in their windows (possibly by those who had paid them a fee, never thought of that).
Our DD’s downstairs neighbours put their flat on the market, sold in days, but they have had to pull out of the sale as they couldn’t find anything better than they had (they were hoping to upgrade to a house for bedrooms for children) in the area they needed.

We moved from our house to a bungalow 3 years ago. Our house sold in days like yours and we told the buyer who was in rented we needed to find. We went through about 3 months of searching, having made offers on a property which fell through. Then randomly I saw a bungalow on the internet and as we were desperate we viewed it. It was perfect and we immediately offered in November and moved in February. It had been re-decorated and new kitchen, ensuite and bathroom. We are really happy we kept looking and my best advice is this. View everything in person as you don't see everything via pictures, keep an open mind, ours was refurbished but we have made lots of changes as the colours etc. were not what we wanted. Sometimes it's best to get a property refurbished to get exactly what you want. Keep an open mind and keep looking. Good luck.

I’m going to try and stay in my own home which I love for as long as possible, hopefully forever. Heard that if you downsize to a bungalow you develop something doctors jokingly call ‘bungalow legs’ ie an inability to walk upstairs. Since I heard that I make a point of trying to run up my stairs every day (I’m only 69) and keep as physically active as possible. Of course, if I got a stroke or became immobile for some reason I’d have to move but I’m hoping, maybe optimistically, that that won’t happen. To assist my children though I’m trying to keep on top of accumulated ‘stuff’ and to sort through all papers etc in case a sudden move is needed or, in any event, at my death.