Should I move?

I have a 4 bed detached 17 year old house so rrelatively modern. Whilst 4 beds it is by comparison to the one before it is small. Neighbours are all really good, very willing to help if need be. To move to say a two bed bungalow anywhere near where I am would actually be well above the selling price of current house. Quite a few people I know are in the same boat, such a demand and they are just not being built. I'd stick where you are, goid easy access to amenities and there is no guarantee you'd like where you moved to.

The main thing that has so far kept me from moving is the thought that if something in a chain goes wrong I would have to put my belongings in storage and try to find somewhere to rent. The idea of camping out in any old place for an undetermined length of time when on my own just terrifies me. My late DH and I have moved house and countries probably at least 25 times but doing something together is much less of a challenge than on my own.

I'd pick the best local estate agents ( by reputation) , find the name of each manager, send each a personalised letter listing your wishlist and price range and what you're looking for. Ask them to contact you if they are offered one to sell.

The keen ones will probably contact you to discuss the sale of your own property, offering to come and value it and ta;l to you. Accept; developing a relationship with local agents is to your advantage both as a buyer or seller.

If you're lucky you might get first dibs on a newly marketed bungalow.

When we were looking to downsize, (moving closer to son in an area we barely knew) we spent an extremely helpful afternoon with him, as passengers in his car while he drove us very slowly around the area. We had a streetmap on which we either ticked or crossed out neighbourhoods ; later having selected likely target areas we narrowed the field by ticking or eliminating certain roads and streets. Very very useful excercise.

You might find it worth your while to get someone local ( even pay a taxi) to drive you slowly around those little backwaters ; so that you can concentrate entirely on looking at the area, and marking your map.

I would love a bungalow, hoping one day to buy one, with a small to medium garden.
In answer to a previous poster, they are more expensive because there are less of them around than houses.

La Crepescule - you're in a fortunate position because you're in sufficiently good health to tackle the move, or at least a change but you may not be in a decade from now, and you may need to do that.

Two suggestions: look in the area for a flat in a small low-rise development. Go for a top floor flat which has a nice balcony(ies) and good green views. In a modern development there will be a lift and stairs and the stairs won't be steep in the Edwardian style.

Second option is to re-configure your ground floor to become your own apartment, and either rent or sell the first floor and loft.

One of the houses I lived in in London was a beautiful Victorian terrace with three floors and decent gardens front and back. Two of my neighbours had done exactly the second option. Both had sold their top two floors meaning they were more than adequate for a family And they themselves lived on the ground floor with the number of rooms they wanted and of course light from the gardens and immediate access to them. One of these neighbours only stayed for a couple of years and ending up selling her bottom flat but she did it because she finally found something else that suited her better.

Warning: if you do decide to divide your property, ensure that you have adequate sound insulation between your ceiling and the floor of the upstairs flat.

My son and his girlfriend who have been living with me for years moved out in December, I took equity out of the house to give them a good deposit to buy their own place
I have now converted (when I say converted I had the whole house interior painted new carpet in the upstairs lounge and secondhand furniture but new bedding and mattress toppers)upstairs into a lounge and two bedrooms for my daughter and grandchildren when they visit, last year they went to Woolacombe and paid £875 for one week
I moved downstairs a few years ago ago to enable my son and girlfriend have a lounge and the bedroom upstairs, this works perfectly for me,I will not move from this house. It’s just five minutes walk to Tesco’s.(I don’t drive) And if necessary, I will get a stair lift, but I do exercises to try and keep myself fit (Plenty of exercises for over 70s on YouTube I do them daily. I also do kettlebell swings 100 of those every other day plus other bits of exercise.) I do realise that some people are very limited on what exercise they’re able to do.
The bungalow is the last thing I would want the stairs keep me fit. I don’t think some people realise that if it’s possible to go up and downstairs it’s a great boost to your fitness….
Anyway, each to their own and good luck….😁

Took us 5 years to think this through. Illness forced a rethink. Loved my large Victorian semi and neighbours and 44 years of roots. Luckily all the places we bid on fell through and we suddenly found a unicorn! A compact more modern small house only one set of stairs, tucked away nearby. But the most useful thing was five years of decluttering.

I think the fact you’re just focusing on a bungalow is limiting your options. I’d start looking at houses as not all stair cases are steep. Also you don’t want to get what they call bungalow legs where you loose muscle because your not walking upstairs. 🌷

Do a list of pros and cons e.g location, access, convenience, neighbours, workload, rates

Have you thought what the implications of moving to a completely different town? Mine is full of bungalows, right in town.
First step is to talk to a number of estate agents and tell them you are looking to swap but want to remain local. It is possible that you may find one nearby, tucked away, but they may advise as to the frequency of these.
Might it be possibly to split your current home into a ground floor flat for you and rent out the upstairs, so you have control of the tenants?

Following my divorce, I moved from a 5 bedroom, 3 living rooms , 1/2 acre property to a small house by comparison, still 4 bedrooms (smaller sized) and a postage-stamp garden.
The best thing I ever did - I certainly couldn’t have afforded to live in the big house. This house is cosy and I love it.

do some research on the public transport in other areas or ensure you are able to drive to shops etc.
some villages have little buses and as other councils are cutting back funds are withdrawn

Turn off radiators in unused rooms, shut the doors and forget them. Get a stairlift now before some emergency (not after). Otherwise continue as you are. Not for nothing is the programme called Location, Location, Location.

Could you afford to stay in an AirBnB as an experiment in your chosen area?

Some people can’t climb stairs when they get older BUT some of us can! My mother could go upstairs like a young person when she was in her eighties and I’m the same. It keeps you active and fitter. Don’t disregard a house with stairs.
If I was moving it would be to a modern house with good insulation ( less heating bills) and less worrying about things going wrong .

IMO....there is no clear cut answer. Having done most of what previous posters have suggested......we are still in the same place! Struggling with the ideas of moving yet again to the so called 'right place'.
We live in a pleasant bungalow in a village have a regular bus service to the nearest city centre (approx 4 miles with a P&R facility also 2miles away). The village has a shop and 2 pubs, all within walking distance.
The inconvenience of moving and horrendous costs, we believe, are not worth it if you like where you live and are fairly comfortable. We have accepted that we will need help in the future to help maintain the property and upgrade where necessary. We already employ a gardener to help us and also a window cleaner. If driving becomes an issue, the saving of car exoenses would go towards taxi fares . I already have a main shop delivered.
I wish you luck with your decisions.

Pleas, stay where you are, I tried a move late in life and it's been a disaster. We need the familar when we age, the strange does'nt work. Find small changes but best not move. Bless..

Could you do downstairs libing in your current house? Maybe turn a reception room into a bedroom?

I'd been thinking of moving from a 3 bed semi due to health.
Anyway with prompting from DD I decided to get mine valued and look on line at bungalows
Decided I'd look at some ,found the 1 put mine on the market and it sold in 2 days moved 6 months later and 7 weeks after having a hip replacement
It was the best thing I ever did I'm 68 and wouldn't do it again lol
Love my bungalow and neighbours.
Im only 10 minutes from where I used to live but still think it's the best thing I did
Good luck to whatever you decide

I moved to a bungalow at the age of 66, in good health and I happily live alone. Its the best thing that I ever did. My independence is very important to me. I drive. I walk 4 miles every day. I chose a bungalow in a nice area, on a bus route ( future proofing) and near shops and amenities. Ive altered the layout inside to suit my lifestyle better and upgraded the kitchen and bathroom. I have 3 bedrooms but I use one as a dining room and the smaller one as a dressing room. I felt it was best to move whilst still in good health and able to cope with the changes. I've made lots of new friends. I have no regrets. I hope that you do what feels right for you and are as happy as I am.

Definitely get on estate agents’ viewing lists and visit possible properties. In this way you will see different kinds of property in different places that will offer different pros and cons to consider. Nothing will be absolutely perfect, but some will better suit older age than others.

You might also get your property valued so you know how much money you have to play with.

I would suggest that you do that now while you are fit and able. Then you have much more to go on and can decide either way.

Now is the time to move, if you’re going to. I downsized seven years ago to a house 40% smaller as I was on my own. My new house is a new build within five minutes of a railway station in three minutes of a bus shoot with many buses. The local health Centre is a 10 minute walk away and the location is very good as it has a pleasant outlook but is convenient for supermarkets. I agree that a flat could be a bit of a gamble depending on neighbours and of course there’s a property management fee on top of everything else. A small bungalow could be perfect if it had a small garden and was conveniently situated for public transport.

We are now on the move from our bungalow in a lovely village but we are now in our 80s and thinking it is time to give up the car , we have found a wonderful 2 bed bungalow that is near to shops and a bus only 20 yards away , if we stay where we are it will be very difficult to get to shops etc so we are lucky to have found what we are looking for in our old age

Surely not ALL the bungalows are far out?

I would stay where you are and put a stair lift in. It is a gamble moving with neighbours and area.

Definitely, definitely stay. Get a stairlift when you need to.