My last move - where to move to, please?

Jennifer_Jane

D_e_n_i_s_e wrote: »

intresting topic . . .

just to put my two pence worth in . . . i wouldnt move

not at that age, i think relocating post 50 years of age is too big a move to make.

by that age most people have settled within an area, have family / friends and are familliar with the community they are in, they know who to trust, who to call should they need help. they are familliar with things within the area, they have a vested intrest and investment in the area allbeit an intangible one.

having to leave all that and move on to somewhere else, somewhere new, somewhere distant, make new friends, begin to understand people, trust people etc all for what may be a couple of years before you eventually cease, is it worth it?

id like to have familliar faces around me, be in a familliar setting, and be buried in a place where people who may pass by would know the person buried there!

I suppose my take is a little skewed, my family and friends are all within a mile of me!

Each to there own, but i will always try and keep my children near to where i am, so that i can watch them, then there kids grow up, right in front of me.

if they decide for the city life, and move hundreds of miles away then all the best to them.

Hi there - I moved at age 51 from South Africa to UK (on my own, with no job and only a short-term house share) to an area where I didn't really know anyone, and no family. I have deliberately not made loads of friends in this area as I've always meant to move.

Now I have my own house, almost paid off, and will be retiring end-August. It's time to move to where I can get a good social life and have family fairly close (even though we are not close, it will be easier to visit them if I'm closer, rather than travelling through the Country to see them).

I agree with your point, that moving away from your infrastructure, friends and family is a weighty decision. For me, however, I see it as the start of the rest of my life, and expect to have a load of friends/acquaintances (here's hoping) in the future.

The other thing is that I have moved around so much in life, that I am confident that finding friends is not a difficult thing to do.

The worst thing for me will be the actual house move - the decluttering and so on - but it's not too bad - I arrived here in 1998 with a tin trunk and a suitcase!

Thanks for your post, you make a very, very good point.

Regards
Jen
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Jennifer_Jane

hethmar wrote: »

But the OP is moving near family - so thats a different situation really.

And at 60 she may have another quarter of a century or more to make friends! (My sister married at 60 BTW )

Yes, a good friend of mine also married at 60! Here's hoping ....

PasturesNew

You say your house "sold" 2 years ago for £160k and you think it's worth £150k now. The Halifax House Prices Report came out today and prices have dropped by 17.5% in the last year, so maybe it's worth less than you think. Have you actually looked at how much houses have really sold for just like yours this year? Have you looked at Rightmove to see the prices being asked (that people aren't achieving) this year? Get the rose tinted spectacles off now, it's better than later.

I lived at the seaside - gorgeous ... until it was out of season and there was nothing there. You couldn't buy things either. I'd advise you rent somewhere over winter before you commit to buying. House prices won't be rushing up.

Jennifer_Jane

PasturesNew wrote: »

You say your house "sold" 2 years ago for £160k and you think it's worth £150k now. The Halifax House Prices Report came out today and prices have dropped by 17.5% in the last year, so maybe it's worth less than you think. Have you actually looked at how much houses have really sold for just like yours this year? Have you looked at Rightmove to see the prices being asked (that people aren't achieving) this year? Get the rose tinted spectacles off now, it's better than later.

I lived at the seaside - gorgeous ... until it was out of season and there was nothing there. You couldn't buy things either. I'd advise you rent somewhere over winter before you commit to buying. House prices won't be rushing up.

PN - I have NO idea what it would sell for today, as it's not currently on the market. The chains fell through, which is why I put 'sold' in quotation marks, because everything had been done - removals booked etc, packing started, and then the buyer pulled out. It doesn't matter why. At that stage I would have downsized in this town as I still had some time till retirement. Now it is imminent.

So, I cannot say what it would go for, and that part of the thread shouldn't be taken too literally. I only gave that as comparison for some of the flats people were discussing - ie it certainly wouldn't be £200,000 for instance.

Please don't think I have rose-tinted spectacles. This was just a 'benchmark' figure.

I am unconcerned if prices go up or down, providing I can buy something appropriate but smaller in the area I choose eventually. I do need, however, the market to have buyers at whatever level. There is nothing comparable that has been sold recently around me.

I would love to know where you lived (if you would pm me?), if it was in the South West. I am looking for ideas! I think my brief of having to have a Boots/Library/Swimming Pool/active and interesting U3A will mean it won't be too small a place.

Thanks for your post PN: as you know I am a regular on the Debate House Prices so, as you know, I am aware of what's going on.

Regards
Jen
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PS - just to add in something else. I realise what good advice renting is for so many reasons - but I wonder if I can actually afford this for any length of time. Renting around here (for instance) is £400 a month whereas my current mortgage (and I'm working) is £62 a month. When I retire I will be on a very, very limited income (probably £870 after tax).

Errata

JJ, have you looked at flats in Torquay on Rightmove? Prices seem to have dropped significantly over the last six months.
Would you be happy in a flat? I only ask because I'd go bonkers if I couldn't open my back door and step straight into the garden.

Jennifer_Jane

Errata wrote: »

JJ, have you looked at flats in Torquay on Rightmove? Prices seem to have dropped significantly over the last six months.
Would you be happy in a flat? I only ask because I'd go bonkers if I couldn't open my back door and step straight into the garden.

Errata - I don't mind about the garden, but I do mind about noise, and I know that with a flat you have to consider noise coming up/sideways/down. But perhaps the consideration is Housing Association for over 50's in Torquay and walk to the beach! Perhaps they'll be less likely to have loud arguments/drum kits and all the other things I fear! The other thing about a flat would be stairs and management bodies. Friends who've had them say 'never again'. These are things to consider.

Although I don't seem to have made up my mind, this thread has been terrific for guiding my thoughts - which were totally scrambled 4 pages ago.

I'm so grateful for everyone who posted. So many good points.

Torquay would be perfect. I'll do the usual on Rightmove!

Thanks
Jen
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Errata

Final thought ! Make sure it's somewhere you'll love for the next 25 years when you're as fit as a fiddle and suitable for the 3 years after that for when you're a bit frail !

Jennifer_Jane

Yes, exactly right - thanks everyone.
Jen
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hethmar

Jennifer_Jane wrote: »

Yes, a good friend of mine also married at 60! Here's hoping ....

And he is gorgeous and 12 years younger Jennifer And loaded! They met on a Canadian hols for solos. Never say never

Jennifer_Jane

hethmar wrote: »

And he is gorgeous and 12 years younger Jennifer And loaded! They met on a Canadian hols for solos. Never say never

Thanks for the tip! Will be signing up soon! Just need to lose a couple of kilos...

Thanks for all your posts, Hethmar.

Jen
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