Quit everything , and start again over 50?

lady1964

Throwing in my tuppence worth; we've always lived in houses in the UK but we spent a while living overseas in an apartment. We loved it, it was huge but felt quite homely. However, we had neighbours on the floor above & OMG, there was at least one child running about early in the morning & late evening, plus (presumably Mum) in heels walking about constantly on a wooden floor, it drove me nuts as I was home all day. On at least one occasion I got my broom & banged our ceiling!

My point is, with flats/apartments if you are on the top floor, you would be mindful of those below you noise wise and if you have people above you, you could have noise issues like we did & that's a consideration along with service charges.

House, house, house and repeat ad infinitum :-)

wendym

I think there is something we are all missing here.

AC you can me to mind my own beeswax, but is there a reason for your resistance to houses? Your preference for flats is possibly based on something we have failed to pick up on.

Smodlet

gallygirl wrote: »

"Our house is a very, very fine house with two cats in the yard, life used to be so hard"

"Our house, in the middle of our street"

So, any happy songs about flats AC - you're the music maestro :rotfl:.

Closest I can come up with, while continuing this Madness,

"I'll 'ave a cup of tea and then I'll change me name and I'll put my records o-o-o-o-on,
'Til all the geezers in the flats complain, 'Wish that pop-star bloke was gone, 'it the road!'"

While we're on the subject, AC, have you considered buying a house? Or a bung? Look, no stairs!

Smodlet

Wendym makes a very good point. I have a theory, which I know it is not my place to have but I think about you, AC. I reckon it could be "fear of ownership" for want of a better phrase. Perhaps flats/service charges to you equate with not being solely responsible for repairs, which is what you are used to and comfortable with. Perhaps having neighbours in such close proximity also appeals to you, as you kind of have to speak to them; easier to make friends? Or enemies, if they turn out to be like Ozzy...

Yes, with a house/bung you are solely responsible for repairs but you could (should) put the money you save on service charges into an emergency fund for just this purpose. Should circumstances dictate, it is usually easier to sell a house than a flat.

It is your decision, of course, but no-one has come up with an argument for flats except for budget constraints. A house in an up-and-coming area is a better investment than a flat which has already upped and come, n'est-ce pas, LL?

I will now put a stopper in it and bung you no more of my opinions until at least tomorrow.

harz99

Interesting thoughts Smodlet.


I reckon it might be simpler than that though. AC seems stuck on one preferred location close to his friends, there are very few houses in that area, and I fear those that there are will come at a far higher cost than ACs budget will allow.

Smodlet

Are you still on Australian time, harz? I hope you had both had a great time.

harz99

Smodlet wrote: »

Are you still on Australian time, harz? I hope you had both had a great time.

Thanks, yes a great time; not Aussie time we're back home for several days and trying to shake off the jetlag and get back into our normal routine.

enthusiasticsaver

Good that you are starting to look at properties AC and I don't want to rehash all the advice given but on viewing properties make a wish list and decide on priorities.

Affordability is the top one. In your position with no job you have no leeway. Work out a budget as I and many others have said. If going for a flat build service charges into the budget and if a house you need to budget for building maintenance and insurance (that is included in flat service charges)

Next on the list comes your wish list and you will not get all of these.

Area - quiet, close to shops etc, doctors, cafes, potential workplaces? Low crime (check crime reports)
Living space - 2 bedroom or 1 bedroom, separate kitchen or open plan.
Position re transport links
If your health condition will get worse look at ground floor flat. Bungalows usually have large gardens which will be a pain to maintain.

enthusiasticsaver

I reckon there are a few reasons AC will only consider flats - some already touched on.

He seems to be a man who likes familiarity, a little bit afraid of change and a little lonely. He has done a brave thing by moving so far away from his family and friends.

He has lived in a flat in London and although he hated the job he loved the flat. The bit he didn't like was maintaining the garden, something which comes with most houses. Flats are easy maintenance.

The area he likes in Poole has literally no houses in his budget. Moving further out would give him a house but take him further away from his now familiar desirable neighbourhood and his friends who seem to be available for him. Having a health condition means you need friends close by. I know this from how much my brother with ms now needs his family more to help with shopping, driving him to doctors etc.

A flat means you have neighbours close by to chat to. In a house you are more isolated. Some people like it and some don't.

None of these are bad reasons AC and ultimately it is your decision. I feel a little bit uncomfortable by seeing some of the badgering going on. People can give opinions on this forum and there are genuine reasons for concern but there is a lot of prejudice against flats which in some areas is unwarranted.

The service charges need to be budgeted for yes but houses come with their own sets of problems - building maintenance, higher energy bills, garden maintenance and often stairs which may not suit ACs health condition.

another_casualty

Wow! Some great advice , and of course concern for me . Thanks!:)

The last post above , enthusiastic more or less explains my situation fully .

Some of you have already seen the flat I looked at yesterday.
It's actually very near the house , that harz showed in one of his recent links. Same colour

M friend was frank and honest. We discussed Weymouth , Dorchester and Westbourne . His opinions : Weymouth - fantastic ! But in the winter times
not so much . Worth checking out , but goes from a nice busy town to too quiet. Westbourne - great pubs .Loads of shops. But, as I found out , I may not feel old enough for it. Dorchester , nice .

Which brings me back to yesterday : The flat mentioned here is not 'hilly'
It's central to shops , the doctors surgery and by bus stops etc.
It is very noisy traffic wise. My friend warned me about that.
Could get hot in the summer, but not humid like london.
Water being mixed in with service charges. Where I was living, it was about £40. My friend said, it's not far off double that here, so service charges may not seem too bad. One other thing he did say : I could sell if I wanted to in the future, and I wouldn't lose out.
I have 1 place to look at tomorrow, and will look at a property in sea view road, which is supposed to be ok.

I'm not sure how much the market will be now in mid Jan. Not sure how long it will take to find . I think landlady will roll on a couple of months .
I may need it .