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PennyForThem_2

wittynamegoeshere said:

We paid £99 in online agent fees to sell our last house, plus £50 for the optional street sign.  I took the photos, wrote the details and did the viewings.  Then it was a few £100s in conveyancing.  Even the full removal service, where we just put things in boxes and they did all the lugging was a matter of £100s.  I don't remember the exact figures, but it was probably around £1000 all-in, door-to-door.  This was 4 years ago, so reasonably recent.

Stamp duty shouldn't normally be payable if downsizing in most of the country these days, even if the original house is over the limit that's the new buyer's problem not yours.

We did have a mortgage on the last house but paid it off when selling then bought the next house with the change, so now own outright.  We upsized, but to a cheaper part of the country, so got more house for less money.

It all can be done, it took a lot of planning and a few worries but it all worked out in the end.  We're definitely not rich.

Really????? Where do you live?  Stamp Duty starts on homes £250k.  In my area this is almost a minimum.  And if I was downsizing I would be the buyer......

ariarnia

Alnat1 said:

53 bungalows for sale in the Barnsley area for £250K and under, some are 3 bed, some 2. Many have a decent garden. Admittedly an older style 2 bed terraced house in the area would probably fetch a maximum of £150K though.

I guess it all depends where in the country you are happy to live.

and how much does a local handyman weekly home grocery delivery and once weekly cleaner cost in barnsley? as thats what my mil would have to give up and find the money for for if she moved out of the immidate area. plus regular access to her grand children but i;m guessing you dont put a value on that. the idea was downsizing would save money. not add cost 

Alnat1

I was really pointing out that availability of bungalows, without paying stamp duty, is a possibility in many parts of the country. Obviously not in your area but that doesn't mean it's the same for everyone.

I'm sure cleaners and gardeners are cheaper round here too, maybe £10 an hour. Supermarkets deliver almost anywhere suburban for a few £.

deano2099

I don't think the fact that people can't find the house that ticks absolutely everything on their list and is within budget is a surprise. Same for everyone, older people included. "Downsizing" doesn't mean moving to a smaller property, it means moving to a cheaper one. As a rule, these won't be as good as your current place. If they were, they wouldn't be cheaper.
It's done to free up equity, to either use to pay for the increased cost of living, or just because you want more money to spend on nice things.

If you're moving somewhere more expensive, it's not "downsizing". Even if the property is physically smaller. 

It means taking a knock to your standard of living in some areas to be able to keep up or improve the standard of living in others. Of course you can't "downsize" without making compromises somewhere. That's literally what it is.

EssexHebridean

deano2099 said:

I don't think the fact that people can't find the house that ticks absolutely everything on their list and is within budget is a surprise. Same for everyone, older people included. "Downsizing" doesn't mean moving to a smaller property, it means moving to a cheaper one. As a rule, these won't be as good as your current place. If they were, they wouldn't be cheaper.
It's done to free up equity, to either use to pay for the increased cost of living, or just because you want more money to spend on nice things.

If you're moving somewhere more expensive, it's not "downsizing". Even if the property is physically smaller. 

It means taking a knock to your standard of living in some areas to be able to keep up or improve the standard of living in others. Of course you can't "downsize" without making compromises somewhere. That's literally what it is.

There is a difference between  a property "ticking everything on the list" and it actually functioning as a home someone can manage and afford to live in... For someone elderly, with mobility that realistically is only going to go in one direction, there is little advantage in them moving from one 2 bed house where they have to use stairs to go to bed or use the bathroom, to another 2 bed house where similar problems apply.

And no - "downsizing" by it's very definition means moving to a smaller property than the one you currently live in. Sometimes this may also be cheaper - and that is why it has been done, to reduce costs. Most often though it's done by those living in a family home but they no longer have the need for somewhere that size - ie a couple who had three children and had a 5 bed family home but no longer want the upkeep of somewhere that size. 

BUFF

PennyForThem_2 said:

wittynamegoeshere said:

We paid £99 in online agent fees to sell our last house, plus £50 for the optional street sign.  I took the photos, wrote the details and did the viewings.  Then it was a few £100s in conveyancing.  Even the full removal service, where we just put things in boxes and they did all the lugging was a matter of £100s.  I don't remember the exact figures, but it was probably around £1000 all-in, door-to-door.  This was 4 years ago, so reasonably recent.

Stamp duty shouldn't normally be payable if downsizing in most of the country these days, even if the original house is over the limit that's the new buyer's problem not yours.

We did have a mortgage on the last house but paid it off when selling then bought the next house with the change, so now own outright.  We upsized, but to a cheaper part of the country, so got more house for less money.

It all can be done, it took a lot of planning and a few worries but it all worked out in the end.  We're definitely not rich.

Really????? Where do you live?  Stamp Duty starts on homes £250k.  In my area this is almost a minimum.  And if I was downsizing I would be the buyer......

LBTT starts at £145k in Scotland.

ariarnia

deano2099 said:

I don't think the fact that people can't find the house that ticks absolutely everything on their list and is within budget is a surprise. Same for everyone, older people included. "Downsizing" doesn't mean moving to a smaller property, it means moving to a cheaper one. As a rule, these won't be as good as your current place. If they were, they wouldn't be cheaper.
It's done to free up equity, to either use to pay for the increased cost of living, or just because you want more money to spend on nice things.

i'm sorry but what? are you suggesting an elderly woman with limited mobility is being fussy wanting a home she can actually move around and use? the complaint made on the thread was that people are in houses that are bigger than they need and are stopping families who need that size house from having them. and that heating a large space was more expensive than a smaller one. so anyone with a house that was too big should move to a smaller one and shouldn't be included in those who 'need' support with cost of living. so that means physically smaller with less bedrooms.

but even if we did just look at 'cheaper' in this case to free up money for heating. that means one where she doesn't have to pay out for help with everyday tasks that over the year would cost more than the extra heating in her current home. the places she could afford that i was rejecting in my post were ones where she would probably have to spend thousands dealing with problems like damp that would make her sick and mean she costs the government more than any help with heating. or get an assessment and the council pay thousands to have them adapted (if that was even possible). and would have increased day to day costs paying for help that we currently provide. how is that cheaper? 

deano2099

ariarnia said:

deano2099 said:

I don't think the fact that people can't find the house that ticks absolutely everything on their list and is within budget is a surprise. Same for everyone, older people included. "Downsizing" doesn't mean moving to a smaller property, it means moving to a cheaper one. As a rule, these won't be as good as your current place. If they were, they wouldn't be cheaper.
It's done to free up equity, to either use to pay for the increased cost of living, or just because you want more money to spend on nice things.

i'm sorry but what? are you suggesting an elderly woman with limited mobility is being fussy wanting a home she can actually move around and use? 

A little bit. Given she lives in a house with stairs at the moment, she's clearly *able* to live in such a property. Obviously I can absolutely see why she would want to move to a bungalow, that would improve her quality of life. And I totally sympathise around how much it sucks not to be able to afford that because of the relative difference in house prices. But when we're literally talking about moving from a 2/3-bed terrace to a 2-bed bungalow it's not really downsizing. It's an upgrade. 

It's not the costs of moving that are getting in the way here. It's that we're writing off properties like the one she currently lives in as unsuitable. Even though she's perfectly happy living in the one she's in at the moment.

deano2099

EssexHebridean said:

deano2099 said:

I don't think the fact that people can't find the house that ticks absolutely everything on their list and is within budget is a surprise. Same for everyone, older people included. "Downsizing" doesn't mean moving to a smaller property, it means moving to a cheaper one. As a rule, these won't be as good as your current place. If they were, they wouldn't be cheaper.
It's done to free up equity, to either use to pay for the increased cost of living, or just because you want more money to spend on nice things.

If you're moving somewhere more expensive, it's not "downsizing". Even if the property is physically smaller. 

It means taking a knock to your standard of living in some areas to be able to keep up or improve the standard of living in others. Of course you can't "downsize" without making compromises somewhere. That's literally what it is.

There is a difference between  a property "ticking everything on the list" and it actually functioning as a home someone can manage and afford to live in... For someone elderly, with mobility that realistically is only going to go in one direction, there is little advantage in them moving from one 2 bed house where they have to use stairs to go to bed or use the bathroom, to another 2 bed house where similar problems apply.

And no - "downsizing" by it's very definition means moving to a smaller property than the one you currently live in. Sometimes this may also be cheaper - and that is why it has been done, to reduce costs. Most often though it's done by those living in a family home but they no longer have the need for somewhere that size - ie a couple who had three children and had a 5 bed family home but no longer want the upkeep of somewhere that size. 

If moving to somewhere with stairs is going to be an issue then staying somewhere with stairs is also going to be an issue, so it would seem a move is inevitable?
Okay sure let's apply your logic on downsizing. What are the floor areas of the bungalows you were looking at compared to the floor area of the current place? 

ariarnia

deano2099 said:

ariarnia said:

deano2099 said:

I don't think the fact that people can't find the house that ticks absolutely everything on their list and is within budget is a surprise. Same for everyone, older people included. "Downsizing" doesn't mean moving to a smaller property, it means moving to a cheaper one. As a rule, these won't be as good as your current place. If they were, they wouldn't be cheaper.
It's done to free up equity, to either use to pay for the increased cost of living, or just because you want more money to spend on nice things.

i'm sorry but what? are you suggesting an elderly woman with limited mobility is being fussy wanting a home she can actually move around and use? 

A little bit. Given she lives in a house with stairs at the moment, she's clearly *able* to live in such a property. Obviously I can absolutely see why she would want to move to a bungalow, that would improve her quality of life. And I totally sympathise around how much it sucks not to be able to afford that because of the relative difference in house prices. But when we're literally talking about moving from a 2/3-bed terrace to a 2-bed bungalow it's not really downsizing. It's an upgrade. 

It's not the costs of moving that are getting in the way here. It's that we're writing off properties like the one she currently lives in as unsuitable. Even though she's perfectly happy living in the one she's in at the moment.

i can't believe i'm having to explain this but when i'm rejecting something as having access issues its because i know my mil and i've actually thought about the suitability of the property. not just on a wim. it's amazing you can make the same assessment having never seen her house never met her and knowing nothing about her mobility or needs. 

what might not have occured to you is we could fit a stair lift in her current house. and the ground floor is big enough she can have a bed in the lounge and the bathroom is already downstairs. turning it into a bunglow with space for one of us to stay upstairs overnight when shes ill or if she needs more help when she gets older. she has slept downstairs when poorly before and sometimes when shes been out and tired she'll sit or nap downstairs for a bit. 

a top floor flat can't have a stair lift fitted (not unless everyone in the property is okay with it and the hall would have to be wide enough it didn't cause access issues) and theres no option for her to live on the ground floor.

or is that still being fussy?