Anyone moved home in their mid 60s? What did you get right? And wrong?

I sold family house and moved when I was 62 years old. Stayed in same area, but smaller house. At that time, I would have hated to live in a flat. I Loved this house and lavished work on it each year as I continued to work. When I moved In the I thought it would be my final home. But as the year passed I realised this could not be the case. What was wonderful in my sixties, became harder as I approached my eighties. By then, the staircase I happily ran up and down when I first moved in, became like climbing Everest each evening. I dislike stair lifts, and they really have limited use if only person in the property (Cannot end up heavy items on them unless one person at each end). The small garden which easily sorted in those ealry years had to be looked after by a regular gardener. Even those extra bedrooms (one of my first big jobs when I moved in, was to have one in the loft for grandchildren),, were unused as I found it hard work to have anyone staying with me.

At 79 I sold this and successfully moved 150 miles away to a flat in a sea -side town. NOT a retirement flat, but one which is central in the town, with buses stopping outside. Two bedrooms, large, airy Living/Dining room, en-suite (really an essential as we age), guest bathroom, kitchen, wide hallway, storage, and good sized enclose dbalcony, garage (even when I got rid of my car, this is so useful for mobility scooter and storage). I was then of an age when single storey living was/is wonderful.

Think it is difficult to totally 'future proof' in your sixties, usually your requirements then are totally different to what they will be should you live into your eighties and older.

We moved into a 1950's bungalow in our late 60's.
It was the best thing we ever did, it had previously been remodelled, updated and insulated.

We added a sunroom, replaced roof tiles and had a new patio laid.

It's quiet, on a nice sized plot and close to all amenities.

Moved in my late 50s. Town living near shops, walking distance from doctors' surgery, train station and a good bus service. There's a hospital in town, and a good vets. Bought the upstairs of a house conversation. Small outside space is a big balcony built on the extension of downstairs flat.
I may have to put a stairlift in

I was 64 when we moved here. We were both as fit as fiddles and you don’t consider that one day you won’t be. Future proofing was the last thing on our minds. We just loved the house, the neighbours are great, the area is everything we wanted. Now, I am on my own and struggling with my fitness so that the garden, which is on two levels, is a chore and has steps that are set to become a hazard, and I just don’t need all this space. The upside is that, although I still drive, this area has the best public transport links anywhere in the city, and there is a large supermarket ten minutes walk down the road. Doctor and dentist are both in the nearby village. I know I will have to move again at some point and that will really be a headache.

I sold my house and then rented at first to give me a chance to see if I liked the area I’d chosen. It also gave me an advantage when buying as I could be a cash buyer. I also put lots of my stuff in storage. It was very liberating. I discovered I didn’t need half the things I had. The downside was I thought I could do without a garden or outdoor space and learned I couldn’t. I need to be able to go outside and breathe and potter about. I now live with my partner but if I had to buy again I know I couldn’t have a flat/apartment. It would have to be a house.
Good luck. I’m sure you’ll be happy once you’ve found your new place.

I did not look enough to future years . Perhaps I should have bought a bungalow instead of a two storey house. On the other hand, I did consider it a good thing the two storey house had a downstairs wet room.