Downsizing from family home?

GDB2222

We are grappling with the idea of selling the home we have brought up the family in for the last 25 years, and buying something much smaller and more manageable for our dotage.  

The problem is that we are used to fairly large rooms, and smaller just seems very small. Besides that none of our furniture will fit. 

And, of course, we are still very attached to this house after all this time.  So, brain says one thing, and heart says another.

I’m sure lots of other people have been through this journey. Any advice, please? 

 If you did downsize, how much of a percentage reduction did you manage? We have been looking at houses less than a third of the size of the current one, and maybe that’s a step too far? 

diystarter7

Hi

Downsize to a 1960's-ish house, a semi or detached with integrated garage, back and front gardens, nice quiet road. Because of the intergrated garage, you have at least three proper double bedrooms and not box room - can conver garge into dining room if you wish - cheaper to heat, clean, maintain, etc, etc - buy wlaking distance to shops, bus stops/trains if possible inc gp surgery if poss and surround roads are main roads so cleared when you get snow, therefore not in a village setting

Get new wood floors in so easier to clean look after

Thnaks

MikeJXE

Yes I have downsized and it's not easy

The hardest part for me was convincing myself I don't need all that room

I went from 4 bed detached to 2 bed semi 

When I first viewed I walk out and thought it's so tiny but I did do it and happy as Larry once I had got rid of all the junk I had collected and didn't need over the years 

Tiglet2

GDB2222 said:

We are grappling with the idea of selling the home we have brought up the family in for the last 25 years, and buying something much smaller and more manageable for our dotage.  

The problem is that we are used to fairly large rooms, and smaller just seems very small. Besides that none of our furniture will fit. 

And, of course, we are still very attached to this house after all this time.  So, brain says one thing, and heart says another.

I’m sure lots of other people have been through this journey. Any advice, please? 

 If you did downsize, how much of a percentage reduction did you manage? We have been looking at houses less than a third of the size of the current one, and maybe that’s a step too far? 

We have the same dilemma!  We have quite large rooms but would happily move to a property with less bedrooms but still like the idea of a decent size master, lounge and kitchen.  Most of the properties we've seen with large rooms also have a large garden, which we don't want!  We would also need quite a bit of parking and a garage.  

We also wish that new build developers built decent sized bungalows, not ones with kitchen/lounge/diner in one room and only one space for the car!

Wish you luck in your search and if you find the ideal property, send us the link so we can move next door!

in_my_wellies

I'm looking to do the same but it's the garden I will miss. New well insulated, low maintenance houses come with such a tiny garden as do most within walking distance of the shops, etc. I swing between sensible well insulated new build with a sensible little garden and a thatch cottage in the middle of nowhere with 1/3 acre. Heart v head 

TripleH

My mum downsized from a 6 bed house to a 2 up 2 down.

She hates it, BUT it is rented whilst she looks around for somewhere she likes.

It has been a shock but also has helped her get perspective. She was looking for a generous 4 bed house when she sold but is now aiming for a 2 double 1 single bed house as she has a better understanding of what she needs.

There is no point having rooms that are sat empty (that you are paying to heat) if they are used only 10 nights a year, think of rooms that have multiple uses.

Also use this as a time to declutter, you can cut down on excess furniture now and gradually and save on moving costs than pay to move furniture you don't really need or use.

maisie_cat

We moved from a 4 bed detached to a 2/3 bed cottage and the only thing I regret is that we went from 3 loos to 1, and there isn't an obvious place to put another.
Actually there was another loo in the corner of the garage here, no walls around it, just sitting in the corner of the garage!

rubble2

We downsized from a 6 bed Edwardian semi to a 4 bed detached built about 20 years ago. It does take a bit of getting used to but there is now only two of us living here so it makes sense.

Positives are that it is much easier to maintain with lower ceilings (and smaller rooms), and much better insulation, but it does take some adjustment.

silvercar

We discussed this and came up with 3 reasons not to move...yet. 

The cost of moving now to a house and then later to a flat seems prohibitive. May be better to wait until we really are ready for a flat. We don't want to lose the spare rooms to host our kids (and hopefully grandkids in the future) when they want to stay. We aren't ready to give up our garden.

bouicca21

@GDB2222  How big is the place you have?  Can you afford to run it? How adaptable is it if you develop mobility problems in the future? Would you have to move far from friends?  It’s not easy to make a new social circle when you are older.

Personally I hate the idea of downsizing.  I like my space. I like having a dedicated study and a spare room. I like having room to keep my clutter.  I’d happily go from a 3 bed to a 4 bed if I could afford it.  All my similarly single friends have 3 bed places, one has 4 beds. None of us could face living in a smaller place unless it was absolutely necessary.

JGreenwood

My parents downsized, mainly to move closer to me and my sister. They still lived where we grew up and had a house that was simply too big for the two of them, and was quite far from us both too. They decided to move closer, downsizing in the process, as they felt they didn't need the space.

Since they've been much happier with their new location, and the family benefits that has brought, like seeing me, my wife, and the kids. But they have issues with throwing things away, and ultimately their house now looks cluttered, and my mum is always complaining about how small the klitchen is.

To put it into context, their new house (on square footage) is roughly 2/3 the size of their old house, and they've struggled to adjust to that. I couldn't begin to imagine if they'd downsized even further.