Quit everything , and start again over 50?

another_casualty

Wow ! Thanks for that LL;)
You really know the score To be honest , I never thought I could afford a townhouse on my budget .
I'm a very cautious person , and wouldn't rule out new builds , although they can attract thieves / opportunists ( may be me over paranoid tho).

I wouldn't rule out renting for a while , as getting away from it all is my main obhective .
I just don't know how much I can afford to put down on my new place eventually .

lessonlearned

PS. it doesn't have to be new new build.

All builds from 2007 have to be wheelchair user friendly, ie no difficult threshold steps, staircases and doorways wide enough for a standard wheelchair.

A cheeky tip.......

For anyone looking at brand new builds find out when their financial year end is. Most of them have December as their year end.

That's when you get the best deals........

You will see them ramp up their marketing from September. Have you ever noticed their adverts saying "new home for Christmas".

Well that's why.

They don't give a stuff about you having a nice Christmas in your bright shiny new home - they just need to get their sales figures up In time for their financial year end to keep their shareholders happy.

I have a feeling there are going to be some serious new build bargains out there this Christmas.

Not sure why you think new builds are less secure. new build apartments seem to be like Fort Knoxx. A town house is no less secure than a big poncy detached standing in an acre of its own ground.

A good alarm system and some decent fencing won't break the bank and will give you the security you need. Crunchy gravel, good lighting and prickly plants add another layer of security. And if you are really paranoid then security cameras are now as cheap as chips.

lessonlearned

House prices......

A friend of mine lives in a small but cute newish build (about 7 years old) three bedroom townhouse with integral garage in Ealing. It is currently valued at least £750k.

A similar house here in a fashionable postcode with good schools would cost around £200k

And I'm not talking "grim oooop north slums". It's a nice city, with all the amenitities you could want with glorious countryside on our doorstep.

I've no idea about Poole but I'm betting you could easily pick up a smaller two bed townhouse with offstreet parking for your budget.

I keep saying this .......

Civilisation does not end at Watford Gap.

Travel any direction out of London and house prices become more realistic.

patchwork_cat

It would definitely be worth approaching payplan to find what settlement they would accept as it may affect your decision on how much you can accept on your fla

another_casualty

Thanks patchwork cat . I intend to offer £10-12 ,000.
I won't say anything to them , until I sell my flat .
I did ask a few months ago , on another post I did .
My review is due next Feb ,so I'll have to tread carefully .
In 2018, I should no longer be blacklisted .

Smodlet

You made me smile, LL. The "oop where it's grim" epithet is, as most of my posts are intended to be, tongue in cheek.

Properly met one of our newer, lovely neighbours the other day, from opposite, not adjacent. She is really great and from Spalding, not so far from my old stomping ground. Up until our conversation, if someone had offered to swap this place for one in Spalding, I would have had their hand off, until I heard this lady say she hated it there and much prefers it here. I guess everything is relative and I do, in fact, hail from north of the Watford Gap... always makes me think of a certain chocolate bar, for some reason, advertised as giving one... a bit of a lift, shall we say.

AC, being risk-averse I get but you seem, imho, inflexible to the point of total inertia. You have so many options where far too many people have few, or none. Has it ever occurred to you to look on RM and just see what you could get anywhere in the country for the kind of money you intend to spend on a flat in one tiny part of Poole? It might just give you some perspective. Personally, I would not live in a flat if I had any other options whatsoever. The reason we are oop 'ere, (:D) in a three bed semi is because we would have struggled to buy a one bed flat where we were. To each, their own but at least consider other places than Poole, perhaps? There are such things as buses, trains. Do you think you will be spending every night with your friend or will it be once a week/month? I find myself wondering, occasionally, if you are even serious about moving or if this is all just a pipe dream. It's your life and of course you must do whatever feels right for you. It is just frustrating that you seem so blinkered you will not even consider going one millimetre off the beaten track of your own experience. There is a whole world of possibilities out there: If you consider only unattainable ones, you will stay put.

another_casualty

Thanks smodlet .
I have been thinking , long and hard about everything .
I wouldn't say I'm narrow minded , or inflexible . Infact , I'm the opposite . On a forum , it's more difficult to know a person properly instead of real life . people could misconstrue on forums , opposed to standing next to someone .

Of course, when I move to Poole I will not be banging on my friends door all the time . He/ his wife/ and their 2 grown up kids have their own life . I imagine I may see them say , once a month or something.

As much as I am fed up with London , I still know friends/ relatives there . I intend to travel about once a month to keep in with my friends etc.
I'm going to Poole in 3 weeks for a reunion with a few friends. We meet up every year . Apart from the obvious , the rest of the bunch live all over ( Newcastle / Watford / Southampton etc).

So , I've made the decision . I've more or less checked the budget to move and savings . I have the location . All I need now is the break , and we all know what that is .
So IMHO , it will all happen . It's taking a bit longer , but I'll get there .

gallygirl

another_casualty wrote: »

Thanks smodlet .
I have been thinking , long and hard about everything .
I wouldn't say I'm narrow minded , or inflexible . Infact , I'm the opposite . On a forum , it's more difficult to know a person properly instead of real life . people could misconstrue on forums , opposed to standing next to someone .

Of course, when I move to Poole I will not be banging on my friends door all the time . He/ his wife/ and their 2 grown up kids have their own life . I imagine I may see them say , once a month or something.

As much as I am fed up with London , I still know friends/ relatives there . I intend to travel about once a month to keep in with my friends etc.
I'm going to Poole in 3 weeks for a reunion with a few friends. We meet up every year . Apart from the obvious , the rest of the bunch live all over ( Newcastle / Watford / Southampton etc).

So , I've made the decision . I've more or less checked the budget to move and savings . I have the location . All I need now is the break , and we all know what that is .
So IMHO , it will all happen . It's taking a bit longer , but I'll get there .

If one of the reasons for choosing a particular area is that your friend lives there, but you think you'll only see them once a month, then you could afford to live further afield and take taxis these and back if necessary.

Smodlet

Thanks and hi, GG, that was pretty much my point. Maybe I did not make it very well.

I still wish you all the best AC, and yours will always be the first thread I found where I was made to feel welcome. Thank you so much for that. That is a pretty big thing when you're a newbie.

lessonlearned

Smodlet......I know Spalding well. MY aunt used to drag us off to see the tulips every spring. I like Lincolnshire, yes it's a bit flat but some nice villages and market towns and of course Lincoln itself is lovely.

I luuuurve good old Skeggie (Skegness) It has that typical seaside faded grandeur but I have a great fondness for it. I used to spend my school holidays there when I was a child. Yes I have the obligatory photo sat on the lion:rotfl:

"Skegness - So Bracing" :rotfl: - a euphemism for an east wind that can cut you in half........

AC stick with the south coast it's warmer;) although to be fair the east coast is great for bird life.

Just had a trawl through Rightmove. More reductions.

AC - don't wait for "the break"......Opportunities don't just come to us, we have to go out and find them.