Downsizing

Ps. You can burglar proof windows fixed these days for ground floor accommodation.

I've been half heartedly looking for a place in the nearby town, close to amenities/bus routes etc and very half heartedly trying to get rid of stuff in my present home. Presently rural location almost zero public transport Have now seen what appears to be the perfect house and will arrange to view next week, unfortunately my house isn't on the mkt yet and needs a few little things doing before this happens so I'm probably not a good prospect for any seller. Age old question of whether to sell first before searching for property.

Easy access to : -
Public transport
Doctors
Shops
Church (if churchgoer)

Downstairs room/s and bathroom for future proofing…

It isn't always possible in the housing market to find the perfect property. Risk is always a part of it but this is the way I minimised my risk:

Services and amenities- I have a frequent bus service across the road, a short drive to the local shops (there are shops on my road including a PO, but I still need the supermarket!) GP, dentist, library, cafes, churches etc.

Good transport links, another short dtive to the motorway junction and road links to the nearby city. Train station likewise a short walk away with links to other cities.

Despite this I am in a small friendly village with lots of trees and greenery around, popular tourist sites very close by and a thriving market town only a bus journey away which costs nothing.

I also have family close by so feel very secure.

My house is dilapidated and drives me nuts but I love living where I am- so, yes location is everything!

Good luck with your search.

You need to be near a good bus route incase you have to give up driving, near a what I call a bread and milk shop incase you can't walk far and not too far from doctors and hospital.

grandMattie

Easy access to : -
Public transport
Doctors
Shops
Church (if churchgoer)

Downstairs room/s and bathroom for future proofing…

I agree, I've given similar advice myself.
In the last months, the bus routes and frequency of buses here have changed (and not for the better), and the local surgery/pharmacy has moved!
Another on my wish list was a vet with hospital attached - they've been taken over by a chain and are now phenomenally expensive (3x, maybe 4x as expensive as before)

Ideally we would have liked a small house/garden but for us location and easy parking were critical. We moved to be nearer to two of our adult children and access to health services, local shops and good transport were essentials which ruled out even many rural towns today.
We weren't able to find a property that was absolutely right for us so bought a renovation property and had a lot of alternations done to make rooms larger, with a new kitchen and bathrooms and easily maintained wooden floors. We're fairly typical of the people who are buying properties like ours locally, so knew that the changes would make it more attractive to future buyers.
Although we're experienced renovators we were 68 and 74 when we moved and I think that if we had been much older we might have found the building work too much to undertake.
We've ended up with a maisonette with a large balcony, two bathrooms and two parking spaces in greater London. Personally I wouldn't want to live in a property without stairs, daily exercise is what keeps us ticking over. I also wouldn't want to have a large garden at this stage of my life, though more space to garden would have been nice.
Virtually all our criteria are satisfied and two of my children are within walking distance. All our outside maintenance and the gardening on the estate is taken care of, even the system for hot water and heating is serviced and run centrally by the management company.
We moved during the Covid epidemic so most means of getting rid of things were not open to us, hence we still have large furniture languishing in the garage. Family may take the large dining table and chairs but the rest should really go to either a charity or an auction house. I either gave away or sold most of my crockery, but I still have a large amount of crystal and bedding which I don't need.

We sleep with window open every night of the year…in our bung we have had safety locks fitted, they will open so far , but if forced in any way they scream
I also do not understand going Up to bed 😂

M0nica

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.

The location of your new home sounds very well thought out, particularly as rural public transport can change for the worse so quickly. I wondered how far you have moved to find it?
I hope you'll both be very happy there.

loopyloo

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.

We had also said that we'd move to be closer to family if one of us died and that is what we've done, but together! I envy you your underground stations, our nearest is a bus ride away - though are buses are pretty good.

agree

Downsized from a 3 bed 3 bathroom detached to a 2 bed bungalow 3 weeks ago.
We absolutely love it and feel a bit like we are on holiday ( like a PP said)
Not that far from our previous house, quiet cul de sac, extension for a second reception room, drive for 3 cars and lovely outdoor spaces. Best of all we are literally round the corner from our daughter now.
Everything is cheaper, bills, council tax insurance etc.
We are replacing the kitchen and bathroom whilst my DH is still working. On a bus route nearby and we can stay with our doctors.
Had the alarm upgraded but the windows have vibration sensors so can be left open. We also have 2 dogs!
It was an emotional move but we don’t regret it.

I have moved 19 times as an adult and 6 as a child. so have some ideas that might be useful. Once you have found your new home, then get some graph paper and draw the house out to scale. Then make matching graphs of your furniture. Then you can move these small bits of paper round and work out how and where you want to put things. A lot less effort than moving the actual furniture!! Then when that precious chair just will not fit in anywhere, you have to accept that is the case and can sell it before you move. Saves you space and hassle. I would also suggest that before you get that far, if you think a particular town or area is where you want to be, then I suggest that you go there and spend some time in a b/b or renting a flat, in autumn or winter time. That will let you find out more about what it is like to live in that area. You will either confirm that that is the place for you or you might decide that perhaps it is not the place you thought it was. You could also think of seeing if clubs that you belong to now, have a branch there so it might be the gardening club or the rotary or WI. You can make a connection before yo actually move so that you have somewhere to go to when you actually move.

Oh , once you move in , do take lots of photos when you arrive. Write on the back of each one where it was taken and what was there. Then in the years to come when you want to show someone how it looked before you sorted it all out.

Another thing I think is very worth while is when you have got a moving date, that it is worth staying b/b or hotel for the first night that you move. That way you can do as much work as you want to do and then go somewhere to have a shower and a comfortable place to stay, so you dont need to make the beds up that first night. Good Luck with your plans

Are you sure you should have your house on the market when you don't seem to have made positive decisions on what you are looking for in your new home. I know that specific wants often change if you find say, your dream home but not quite where you would like etc. But how do you start looking without some idea of what you'd like.

It does take some time to sell at the moment so putting the house on the market seems like a good idea. No seller is going to take an offer seriously unless there is at least some sign of a sale in the offing, and a "dream house" may well be appealing to quite a few people.

Take into consideration that the day will probably come when one or both of you should no longer drive a car.

So, don't buy a property far away from shops, GP's consulting-room, dentist etc. and that is not on a bus route. Easy access to a railway station is also a good thing.

When looking at houses, make sure that the bathroom will be accessible if one of you should end up in a wheel-chair or using a rollator and large enough for a carer to help you shower etc. And that stairs are wide enough for a stair-lift to be installed if needed.

A large garden may be desirable right now, but will be a burden later on.

I downsized 5 years ago and moved 100 miles to be closer to my daughter and grandchildren,
In that time my health has gone downhill and my mobility is not good so I wish I had bought a bungalow, I also have numerous hospital appointments so I’m pleased I’m not far from the local hospital
My husband is loving life up here as he has made many friends with his walking hobbies, I still have a garage full of furniture from my last house, so for what it’s worth here are my tips

Don't move to far from health services as with age we sometimes need them more often than we did

I would go for a bungalow thinking of possible future problems

Sell any furniture you don’t think will fit into your smaller home it will save you storing them

Don’t move to close to a school although its lovely hearing the children playing it’s not so nice home time with all the traffic parking ad hoc
I’m sure there are many more that others will warn you about
Good luck in whatever home you choose 💐

I am trying to get OH to move. Location is my present problem as we are 1/2 mile from a bus stop and with 1/4 mile of private drive and roadway so we don't get many visitors. We even have to get in the car to put the rubbish in the bins. The only advantage is an excellent health service. I want to move to be nearer to DD. in our home town The latest excuse for not moving was "Sea level rise will cause flooding".

Bungalows are hard to find around our way, or at least in areas where we’d want to live. The only other option is a retirement apartment with a lift, but I’m not ready for that yet.

Yes, a suitable bungalow is hard to find, but well worth a persistent search. It took us 18 months to find one. No regrets at all - life is so much easier and manageable here.

We moved to a smallish seaside town after having a caravan there. It has everything we want, garden, parking, doctors, walkin center, beaches, woods, countryside park, and large city only 12 miles away. Nice neighbours and friendly people are a bonus too.
Spend time checking out local areas at all times of day and late evening. Visit local pubs cafe etc and busses

JaniceF62

We’ve put our house on the market, we’re looking for a smaller house (currently in 4 beds for just the 2 of us).
Do people have any tips/ideas from their experience, we’d appreciate any thoughts. We can’t decide whether to stay in a town, or go more rural, house or bungalow, etc. thanks.

I hope this helps as we downsized from a 4 double bed Edwardian House last year to a 3 bed (3rd bedroom v small!).
1. If you know you will have fewer bedrooms, get rid of surplus bedding, duvets, pillows before you move as they are surprisingly bulky to pack. Also sell or donate surplus beds.
2. Once your offer accepted on a new home, measure up rooms and if your furniture doesn’t fit, sell or donate as soon as practicable bearing in mind whether it’s essential.
3. Be ruthless with ornaments, books etc.
4. Consider how easy any property would be to maintain esp if one of you left alone. Same with garden. We love our more modern house which is easy to clean, and has a more manageable garden.
We moved specifically to be near family but would have thought twice if there hadn’t been library, doctors, enough shops to get basics and a bus service.

Having lived in the same 4 bedroomed detached house for 47 years, we decided to downsize to not only be nearer family, but to not have to continue to maintain such a big house. We moved two years ago to a detached bungalow. We absolutely love it & wished we had done it years ago. We did have a wish list within our budget, the first being as we had been used to living in a detached property wanted the same again, and not to be overlooked. Not too isolated and within a bus route. We have all that and are more than happy. Good luck with your decisions.

J52

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

Why do 2 people need 2 bathrooms?

I love having my own shower-room so if anyone comes to stay I much prefer them to use the other one.
I can share, and I currently do, but if I move house it would be best to have 2 bathrooms.