Want to move house but ....

Lots of gentle hugssss~~~

I think given your husband's stroke you need to just get on with making a move.
He does not comprehend how difficult it is for you and how anxious you are.

Lots of excellent advice above. Good luck~~~

The residential market is slow at the moment as interest rates are putting off younger people from borrowing. Get 3 reputable estates round to give you an opinion on value and their commission rates and whether they will do accompanied viewings as that is helpful and less stressful for you.. They nearly all use Rightmove to advertise the property. Ask each agent about what is available to suit your needs and you desired location. I wouldn't worry about any updating as many buyers would prefer to renovate themselves if the price reflects a bit of work
Be prepared for the sale to take a while, but start looking at properties that are suitable for you so you know what your options are.

Yes Chardy, life suddenly begins to rush furiously forward as one gets older. Don't leave it too late, it's all such an effort when your knacked & grumpy too! 🤔

Is there a charity related to your husband's illness that might help?
Please move soon - it will only get harder to move in future.
And this is a wake-up call to younger couples who will be in a similar predicament in a few years. (My opinion is move at time of retirement)

As skydancer says, contact a couple of reputable estate agents. Not only will they value your home but also have contacts with maintenance and repair companies, they use for letting. They will be able to tell you what you need doing and may do the work. As for your husband, just go ahead because you're worried. Hope all goes well x
Good luck

As others have said, don't decorate or do anything other than have a good clear-out and tidy. Anyone who buys your house will see the work that needs doing and base their offer accordingly.

There are certain Real Estate Agents that specialize with Seniors,can guide you re-getting rid of stuff,movers etc. Make lists of what you want to keep & get rid of & slowly try to unload what you won’t use,really feel for you,good luck.

Good Luck
We have recently moved and one godsend was paying the removal company to pack everything for us - yes, it costs a bit more but was so worth it.
They also unpack into your new property if you want them to (we didn't, we did it ourselves) but should we ever move again I'd have no hesitation in both them packing & unpacking.

Contact local estate agents who will hopefully give you ideas on what people would be looking for in your house eg freshen up paint, declutter, garden tidy up. Usually give an idea of the price with and without any work. Also, have you considered telling GP about your situation and how you are concerned. There may well be some help out there.

Hi there NonGrannyMoll, lots of good advice given but I'm just going to send you a big, massive hug & say a little prayer for you, as I have nothing original to add 😌

NotGrannyMoll. I think there are newbuild companies who would take your house in P/EX for a new one. We almost did this and my nephew is doing it now. Cant be 100Pct but i believe retirement properties do this. Maybe worth a look
Good Luck!!

tanith - don’t put it off any longer….. i downsized 15 years ago when I was younger and stronger. I couldn’t do it now. You must bite the bullet. Btw I too am on my own. You can do it. It was a wrench at first, but I’m so glad I moved to a smaller, much more manageable house. Good luck

I’m 76 and I feel like you it’s now or never to make the move. I’m gradually getting rid of stuff my garage needs to be cleared as I really don’t want another garage that I can then fill with more stuff😂. I know roughly where I want to go but keep putting off getting a valuation as it makes it real then.
I’m on my own it must make it harder when you have a husband who wants different things. Do as has been suggested and consult an estate agent.

We moved house in September. I’m 64 and DH 67. I have Lupus and arthritis and found the actual moving excruciatingly exhausting. But we’re in now and have no regrets.

I was talking to the moving company, and they do packing (obviously at a price). Our mover said she’d just spent 3 days packing and sorting a house. So that’s a possibility for when you’re ready to move. If I ever moved again (which I refuse to do!) I would take advantage of that. Good luck!

OP a possibility would be that Housing could move you. Please write to your councils Director of Housing and ask them. I don’t mean you need a council house, not that, it’s that you are elderly, own your home, don’t have the physical capacity, and need to downsize for your ongoing health and welfare.

Your local housing department can also make changes or large repairs for elderly homeowners and then put a charge on the property to enable the elderly homeowner to continue to safely live it.

If you don’t find the Director of Housings address, ring your council for the secretary’s extension.

Failure to succeed at that, email or write to the Leader of the Council.

Good luck NonGrannyMoll.

I feel for you! I too am thinking about moving in next few years. Garden getting too big for me now, house needing work done, minute I can't drive anymore Im stuck as nearest bus is 1ml away down/back uphill.. Im scared to buy anything in case I can't sell prior to buying. Get in touch with an estate agent your situation is more immediate. Good luck

We were prudent in deciding to downsize a couple of years prior to retirement from a 4 bed detached house to a 3 bed semidetached bungalow (in truth in our case the bungalow cost us £15k more than we got for the house but it is in a more expensive area than the house)
It took us a year to sell our house and we were seriously considering selling to We buy any house.com
uk.webuyanyhome.com I’ve no idea what they are like to deal with as we didn’t approach them in the end, so this isn’t a recommendation for them. You will get less than the market value of your house from them but there would not be any estate agents fees so you’d save on those to counter that to an extent
I hope you manage to convince your husband of the benefits of moving, it will be worth it

pen50

You could sell your house at auction. They actually attract quite high prices nowadays, bidders get carried away by the prospect of a bargain.

You can only do this if you can find somewhere to live whilst you sort out a new home. Normally you would need to complete the sale pretty quickly and it's unlikely that you could get an offer accepted on your new home before the old one is actually sold.

Luckygirl3

Do not underestimate the stress of a house move. It might seem a good solution, but takes its toll.

Yes, it is stressful and tiring, even if you pay for as much help as you can. However better to do it now rather than wait until you don't have it in you to do it.
We moved four years ago and life is so much easier in a smaller place with a management company and planned maintenance.

You could sell your house at auction. They actually attract quite high prices nowadays, bidders get carried away by the prospect of a bargain.

Speak to social services. You may be eligible for an extra care apartment.

I moved in July. From a 3 bedroom house to a small 1 bedroom gf apartment. Early 60s, health issues. Best thing I've ever done. Retirement complex.

We are moving, DH is in his seventies and in ill health, I am in late sixties and have certain health probs, the way I see it is best to do it whilst we can, if we leave it any longer it will just get too difficult. Like you our house is much too big for us now.
Ring a couple of local estate agents, they will be only too glad to come and give you a valuation, this doesn't bind you to anything and is free, they should also lay out what to expect when you put it on the market, and what their fee will be.
None of this is a commitment to sell so just ask your DH to do this much and let him hear the estate agents out. This could persuade him. If it doesn't try your best to put it to him without rancour that you both really need to sell and get somewhere smaller and easier/cheaper to heat, is not really practical or logical to stay where you are. Why not look at some nice little properties on Rightmove within your price range in a location you both like and let him see what is available. Hopefully he will be attracted by some of them.
Doing jobs to the house to make it ready for sale isn't strictly necessary unless it is a complete wreck, just get rid of clutter - stuff it in cupboards etc. or get a charity to pick it up if you want to get rid of it - just do a good old tidy up, perhaps invest in a professional cleaner to do a deep clean top and bottom, look someone up on google and check the reviews, you could also ask a local trades person to give a lick of paint here and there, we used someone off this site
www.myjobquote.co.uk/
but there are sites like 'checkatrader'.
Hoping you manage to navigate all this and do ask if you need any more advice.
Take care
xx

I feel fir you, its easy to just keep plodding as many do, including me. Get a few free valuations for your property, I am also West Midlands and that is what I would do. Then you will know how much money you will have to get another property and what your money will buy you. Another idea if you have no family, is a retirement property to rent, you could buy a cheap one as people with families may avoid because of the amount in fees you have to pay on your death.
Good luck, find out your options then you can present your husband with the facts.

I would get 3 valuations from estate agents and find a good solicitor.. Get a cleaner in to give a thorough clean.. and be prepared to wait for an offer before looking seriously at other properties.. Just do some research on rightmove or similar so that you know roughly where you'd like to move and the sort of property you wish to move to..
When it comes to the actual move find movers who are prepared to pack everything for you.. It does not have to be stressful if you take it a step at a time.. You'll probably have to take a lower realistic offer but much better to prepare for your future now..
and I would say don't bother to do any repairs.. goodluck