Downsizing

Location.
Family
Future prooofing

I would consider all those. In that order.

Depending on your age, rural could be a bad choice. As fancythat said, future proofing is important. Look at places with easy access to public transport, shops, doctors etc. I moved relatively close to my DD and Dsil and do two days a week childcare but that's not necessarily what you want to do. We discussed it before my grandsons appeared on the scene. Communication is key as is expectations.
Like you, I was rattling about in a 4 bedroom house and decided to downsize to a bungalow. I'm glad I did. I took three to four months to clear my house if unwanted stuff. The dump and charity shops saw a lot of me!
I would suggest you spend time deciding where you want to live and research house prices and amenities there before you make any decisions

We are in the process of downsizing. We move into our downsizer in 2 weeks time. We have moved from a large 4 bedroomed house with a large garden in a village well served by public transport, but where supermarkets, trains, doctors, dentists etc were all 5 miles away to a 3 bedroomed house with a small garden and off street parking close to the centre of a small town.

Bungalows tend to be mainly in the suburbs, and personally I prefer to sleep upstairs. if you buy a house, make sure the stairs could take a stairlift, if required.

The things that governed our decision was firstly to be somewhere where as much as possible of our future likely needs could be met without getting into a car and secondly somewhere more convenient for our children. They lived 100 & 200 miles away, but linked by the same motorway.

We also checked the town out for the presence of activities we could get involved in that we would enjoy. There is no point moving somewhere new, wanting to build a social life and finding there is nothing going on that interests you. We excluded several locations because of this.

All of the above, plus at least 2 toilets, preferably 2 bathrooms !

We put our house on the market in April and were sold STC and had agreed to buy a new place in early May. Since then we’re waiting for a long chain to pull together, one party further down the chain is still looking as though they could pull out. It’s very stressful, so be prepared.

Downsizing means different things to different people. We will still have 4 bedrooms, but the rooms and garden are much smaller than we have now. The person buying ours is downsizing from a very large house advertised at twice the asking price of ours.

We’re moving to be closer to family, and to be within walking distance of the facilities in a small market town for when we no longer want to drive. The new place is future proof, it’s not as nice as our current home but it is much more practical long term. It’s a long way from our current home, so we will miss our friends here and will need to be proactive in joining things to make new friends

We’ve moved a lot in our lifetime for work, so we’re used to it, but it definitely gets harder as you get older

Yes, two loos! Very important that.Go for a bungalow if you can find one there are lots of two bedroom ones and choose a small garden not a large one.You can always add a conservatory if you need a second sitting room.Check where the bus stops/routes are to take you into town and check the general area.Good luck🍀

A decent bungalow tends to cost more than a largish house, at least in our area (Worcestershire). They are in short supply and are snapped up.

There was one nearer a town and it had been "done up", it wasn't particularly large and was marketed for £750k whereas our quite large house and garden would probably sell for £595k.

We had a conversation about what we'd do if one of us died and we both said move nearer our daughter so we said well let's move now!
We downsized to somewhere more expensive! Slightly smaller and with the bathroom down stairs.
This has proved to be useful as we get older.
It also proved to be a good investment
We are now within walking distance of the doctors, 2 underground stations and a good bus network.

Lots of good advice here, but from my own experience make sure the parking is adequate and off road. Constant struggles to find a parking space outside my otherwise perfect downsizer has been a major contributor to my decision to sell my car.

we downsized from 4 bed 2 bath 2 reception, wonderful views, large garden on a sma ll island, to 2 bed 2bath I large reception, all on level, groundfloor, mainland; DR, dentist, library, hospital ,family, cinemas and theatre. smkts, all within minutes drive. Pharmacy hairdresser corner shop in walking distance, and on a bus route. Edge of town, wonderful open views from windows, wildlife in very very large communal garden all garden work done by contractor.

Maintenance minimal, heating bills far smaller, housework fast and easy. IF we ever need paid carer there is plenty available nearby. Climate drier and less windy, no power cuts.

No regrets at all.

I'm also trying to downsize but so far things are moving very slowly. So slow that I am having to take in lodgers again to help pay the bills.

Meanwhile I am trying to declutter and sell, give away or throw out more than half the contents of the huge family home of 45 years.

I have a potential buyer but he can't raise the money quickly. I also want to build a smaller house for myself on my land, but I have been waiting to hear if I have planning permission for nearly 8 months.

So another year here probably.

My next house will be on one floor, 2 beds, 2 bathrooms, a large living/kitchen and a craft room/ bedroom 3.

I am not expecting to be near to family as they are so scattered but my present location is perfect, just impractical to future proof with 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, 4 public rooms plus a pottery studio and showroom. It's on 4 floors plus a cellar. I am on my own. I would like to be able to free up some money to help DD onto the housing ladder and to reduce money worries.

If the sale falls through and I have to put the house on the open market and if I don't get permission to build, then I'll be looking for something in the vicinity but whatever comes on the market.

I don't think I fancy living in a bungalow on a housing estate but I may have to.

You have had excellent advice Janice. Good luck to you!

Thank you everyone for your excellent replies/advice, all really helpful. We’ll be looking for a 2/3 bed detached house (we like to go up to bed at night, we also sleep with windows open). We’ll keep in mind all your replies, hopefully it won’t take too long… thanks again.

Houses are great for the sake of a little exercise. Just going up and down stairs is so underrated as we age. This simple act helps so much with keeping us mobile. Anyone heard of bungalow legs ?

Useful information GN's. We are thinking of down sizing. Our house is too big now, especially for just 2 of us. This is house that needs a family in it, but the thought of decanting it, fills me with dread.

I downsized earlier this year from 4 bedrooms to a 2 bed semi bungalow and I’m very happy and settled. 3 miles from my daughter and family. Health centre, library, sports centre, major supermarkets and train station all within a mile.

I previously had a downstairs loo and upstairs bathroom and shower. I had my son, Dil and 2 GC to stay for a few days last week. We all fitted in nicely. Bunk beds and a single bed in 2nd bedroom.

I didn’t find the lack of a second bathroom to be as big an inconvenience as I anticipated. I was happy to wait till the end of the queue for a shower and they were all considerate enough to ask each time “anyone want to use the loo before I go in the shower?

In the process of downsizing the biggest mistake I made was to underestimate how much time I’d need to sort and dispose of nearly 40 years of accumulated “stuff”. I tried to do it in 4 weeks and I was utterly frazzled by the end of it. I made daily trips to the charity shops and the local dump and I thought I’d never make the deadline.

I’m very happily settled here now and glad that I plucked up the courage to make the move. I did find the prospect rather daunting and dithered over it for a couple of years. I was beginning to struggle on the stairs and I thought it’s now or never.

Good luck with your move 😊

Location.
Orientation for light.
Yes, 2 or more toilets.
Etc.

We are currently downsizing in order to move to a cottagy-type bungalow in a nice area with all the facilities we need near-by & good transport links too.
However, it's taking flipping ages & I just want to eat cake and read a nice book. Mr MrIlovedogs is a secret stubborn hoarder! 🤔

Ilovedogs22
I sympathise - same here! We downsized from a 5 bedroom house with large garden to a newly built 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. It is too small, mainly because of the secret hoarder.
We are now looking to upsize to 3/4 bedroom detached house with a garage for all the hoarded stuff and give us some space for hobbies etc.
Trouble is the apartment is in a perfect location - walking distance to all amenities, close to the countryside and on a regular bus route to the city. To buy what we want in the same area is proving tricky as there is a huge demand for that type of property.
We have moved 10 times in our married life and MrExtratime has promised this will be the last move!

I think getting rid of stuff is the hardest part of downsizing.

My mantra in dealing with stuff that “might come in useful” ie I wasn’t actually using it at the moment - was to ask myself “If I ever need this could go and buy one?”
If the answer was yes, out it went!

My other biggie was to invest in a Kindle and download some of my favourite books. I got rid of over 500! It was a wrench😱

Apart from that accept that your furniture may not be right for your new home.

Good luck!

My only advice is: do not leave downsizing till too late.
Also, if you're happy where you are, and amenities are within easy reach, stay close. That way, friends and neighbours are still nearby, you can still keep the same doctor, dentist etc. and you can carry on with your same interests.
I'm never sure about moving to be near AC. For me, making an independent life in a new place would be very difficult.

JaniceF62. We downsized about 6 years ago. Such a good idea. We went from 5 bed to 2. Small Bungalow. With the right frame of mind it has felt right from the very first minute we moved in
In fact I said as we went to bed that first night.
It feels like a Gîte….like I’m on holiday and in many ways still does
I hope your move goes smoothly and like us you are very very happy x

I relocated and sold my family home to a new build. Although I live on my own I still wanted a decent downstairs size and guest bedrooms, so I bought a 4 bed detached. The problem with 2/3 bedroomed houses is the size of rooms, nothing living & sleeping. Also I have my bedroom windows open all year so bungalows were a no for me. I will get a stair lift if I need one in years to come. Incidentally there are, I think, only around 200 new bungalows built annually in the UK, it's just been in the news.

I would look for a bungalow.. It is a way of future proofing. I have lived in a flat since I was 27 near Versailles with no problems. I don’t really understand why people have to ‘go up to bed’.

Also you need to live near shops and a medical center, within walking distance preferably,
Not forgetting family, public transport bus and railway station.
Good luck.

JaniceF62

Thank you everyone for your excellent replies/advice, all really helpful. We’ll be looking for a 2/3 bed detached house (we like to go up to bed at night, we also sleep with windows open). We’ll keep in mind all your replies, hopefully it won’t take too long… thanks again.

Maybe think about a two/three bedroom with an attached or integral garage so that you could make a downstairs bedroom/shower if you ever needed to?