A couple of people I follow in blogland have recently written about their decision to downsize, and one of our close neighbours has just put their house on the market, planning to downsize as the wife has a serious illness and they can no longer manage their large garden.
Unfortunately, our decision has coincided with a boom in property sales which means that, as soon as we see something suitable up for sale it seems to have been sold the next day. Although we are not in any rush, we feel a little disheartened already before we have really begun the process. The local property pool is not large so there is a shortage of properties that would suit us.
I think that we should probably wait until the Spring before putting our house up for sale, when the garden has woken up again. We may have a large garden in a pretty, semi-rural area but the house itself is not exactly desirable. It is not a charming 17th or 18th century period cottage, nor a glamorous, modern confection. It is just a boring 1920s bungalow with a small extension tacked onto the side and has not been updated for 25 years. We both feel that any buyer is likely to want to demolish it in order to build something more contemporary in its place.
I have registered with most of the local agencies and hope to receive details whenever a new property comes up for sale.
In the meantime, I shall begin the process of decluttering and tarting-up each room ready for when we take the plunge.
It will give me something to do anyway.
For some reason, this post made me think of this tune:
ReplyDelete"Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be."
Best of luck with your move plans!
Exactly. No rush!
DeleteWe down sized 6 years ago, we should have done it years before. Be brave, you will feel liberated - eventually.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny. We just have to wait for a suitable house, or bungalow!
DeleteGood luck. We've lived in our house for almost 40 years so I can't imagine trying to clear it out to move!! I try every now and again to clear out some stuff so the children don't have such a horrible task when the time comes but it's very emotional throwing out the past! I don't envy you. I hope you find what you're looking for. x
ReplyDeleteI remember going through my dad's stuff with my sister when he went into the nursing home at the end. It was not a good experience.
DeleteP has already got rid of quite a lot of his collected rubbish(!) over the past year so hopefully the rest should be a breeze. Just my rubbish left now!
Best of luck with the buying and selling. Good luck with downsizing your treasures too. Wish my other half would downsize his treasures
ReplyDeleteOne man's treasures are another woman's rubbish!!
DeleteI plan to rent when I sell up here - home ownership makes sense when you are still young and fit but I rather fancy having someone else take on the responsibility of maintaining a house and garden, not to mention the expense. Plus it will make things easier for family when I expire!
ReplyDeleteRental costs are very high here. Our pension would soon disappear if we had to rent!
DeleteWe will be downsizing in the next couple years. It will be nice, I think, to be in a smaller house. But over the years, I've collected furniture for a larger house, carefully, conscientiously...and I will have to figure out what to get rid of. That will be a hard one.
ReplyDeleteI know...that's why we have been putting it off until now.
DeleteIt is good that you have arrived at this decision while you are young enough to cope with practicalities and the stress of such a move. Rather than The Isle of Man why not consider a move to Yorkshire which is certainly the best and most beautiful place on Earth with friendly, helpful people everywhere. It is also less rainy than The Isle of Man. I have found you this nice two bedroom bungalow in Ripon:- https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/97038863#/
ReplyDeleteJust what I am looking for YP Good choice. A similar one here is almost twice the price...crazy money!
DeleteI wonder if they can courier it over here?
Twice the price? Then it is worth thinking about. A new adventure in your lives. Yorkshire has many fantastic towns and villages. It depends on what you want. The peace and quiet of a rural life or access to community and good services. You may want to live by the sea again. Filey might be a good choice or Saltburn-by-the-Sea. I think the bungalow in Ripon would need a new kitchen.
DeleteHow would the good folk of gods own country take to a couple of southern softies moving in, though?
DeleteYou would have to take elocution lessons beforehand. I could help you with that. My fees are competitive.
DeleteI would be a declutterer's nightmare. However, I would say that whatever you dispose of, photograph it.
ReplyDeleteFor posterity?
DeleteIt's interesting to be able to look at them again. We keep what we have for a reason.
DeleteYes, P has only recently donated all his dad's WWII Commando memorabilia to various museums. I never thought he would part with it all.
DeleteWe've just done it, moved in 6 weeks ago and at first every room was still a building site in one corner or more. Getting there slowly but it can only get better. On the positive side having the housing market improve will make it easier to sell you current place. We made ourselves a list of conditions for the new home; bungalow, not too far from hospital and things like shops, pub and GP within walking distance of the sea and found a home that had all these and more plus a complete renovation needed! It's all a matter of what is important to you. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finding your perfect new home. Hope you get sorted out quickly.
DeleteYour list sounds very much like ours. We have a disadvantage here; living on a small island there is a limited supply of the ideal home available at a price we can afford.
I'm sure we'll find something.
Our move to Greece was a considerable downsize and declutter, and even having moved it I'm still finding a lot of stuff that really needs to be 'rationalized'. Where does it all come from? It wasn't all that long ago everything I owned fitted in a backpack! good luck with the process. xx F and Mr T
ReplyDeleteThanks! I shall have to be ruthless x
DeleteWould you not consider living somewhere warm again JayCee? I plan to move to the Algarve in a few years at least for the Winter. The Winter weather in our part of the world is awful.
ReplyDeleteNo, I think I'll save the warmer climes for holidays. I never liked that feeling of being the "foreigner" when we lived away.
Delete