Should you buy a bungalow as you get older?

BungalowBel

I agree with others about having a good bus service and shops and other amenities.

We bought our bungalow ten years ago and have never once regretted it.  It is close to all amenities, the bus  (two to chose from) runs every ten or twenty minutes, depending on which one you chose.  However, it is in a quiet road with bungalows up one end  with mainly family houses in the rest of it.

The bonus, as someone says above, is ground floor living.  I would not want a bungalow like some I have seen, with most of the bedrooms upstairs.  

We were in our mid sixties with no health issues when we bought it.

Section62

daveyjp said:

The bonus of bungalows is ground floor living.  If you are buying a bungalow and are then looking at opening up the loft thereby converting it to a house just buy a house.

Or stay put.

My expectation is future planning guidance/policy will make it harder to do loft conversions of bungalows.... if it is deemed that a dwindling stock of them means those still available should be retained for those in 'need' of them then it would be easy for councils to adopt policies to resist conversion.  There's probably also an argument that the more affordable bungalows (perhaps fitting in with the 'need') will become less affordable if they have the loft converted and therefore represent a larger and more valuable dwelling.

If I was buying and moving into a bungalow with the intention of doing a loft conversion then I wouldn't hang around waiting to do it.  I'd get full planning consent ASAP.

Bobinyorkshire

Thank you. It’s so helpful. The development of the loft is only a possibility and designed to create a 2nd reception room with view and to provide some easily accessible storage rather than bedrooms

Not sure I would have looked at if it wasn’t inherited, but it is an 80% property and compromise is always there when buying. The appeal is there is no risk of loosing it in the buying process and moving could be a gradual, less intense process  

ButterCheese

My parents are going through this now.  They are 74 and 70 but in good health.  They decided to get a bungalow whilst they are fit and able enough to deal with the stresses and strains of moving house.  They found the perfect one which is all on the level, walking distance to local post office/stores, and bus stop 2 minutes away with regular buses (although they still both drive).

If it's perfect for you then I would buy now. Yes, others may come up in the next few years but that's a risk you have to take.  Also if your parents have lived there then you know how well the house has been kept in terms of maintenance etc. 

whizzywoo

We were in this dilemma, to buy a bungalow or not.
But we couldn't find a decent one in our price range in the area we wanted.
All would have needed work.

Instead we are buying a new build 3 bedroomed, 2 storey detached house.
But the two main criteria were to find one with a downstairs loo and stairs that are not steep and plenty wide enough for a stair lift if the need arises.  Which is probably will given the extent of my arthritis.

The decision to change to a 2 storey new build house has meant a much wider choice of properties, no work needed and many are close to all amenities.  Hopefully we move in very soon.

Albermarle

I think when I'm much older I would want to live in a flat in a city or very large town so that you have everything you need on your doorstep. 

You do not need to live in a very large town, to have access to plenty of amenities, as this poster says.

We are now big fans of small market towns where it's possible to walk in and you don't need a car to go everywhere. Supermarkets, GP, dentist, vet, pub, restaurants and cafes. We love it.

housebuyer143

Albermarle said:

I think when I'm much older I would want to live in a flat in a city or very large town so that you have everything you need on your doorstep. 

You do not need to live in a very large town, to have access to plenty of amenities, as this poster says.

We are now big fans of small market towns where it's possible to walk in and you don't need a car to go everywhere. Supermarkets, GP, dentist, vet, pub, restaurants and cafes. We love it.

I'm not saying you do, but when walking becomes harder as you get older then I personally like the idea of just going down in a lift and being surrounded by shops, restaurants, library etc. No bus, no trains, no need for a car.
Obviously everyone is different but this is just what I think for age 70+ would be good. Some flats have community gardens and socials so something like that would be ideal.

Stubod

On the face of it, and (subject to location / ammenities), if I where in your shoes  it would be a no brainer for me to buy it, particulalrly given that it seems to be a reasonable size and with a garage. Particularly as (on the face of it), it also appears to be a fairly simple / stress free purchase. 

The room "in the roof" would be a bonus as you can use it for as long as you are able, then probably just used for "storage" / occasional guest bedroom?

We have been looking for something similar for the last 2 years and have not even seen anything worth viewing yet!!

chrisw

Can you rent the bungalow out for a few years until you get a clearer idea of your future requirements?

horsewithnoname

Bungalows are quite common in East Anglia and many people live in them at all ages! It depends if it suits you, I think they’re great, some people won’t entertain the idea (if you have arthritis you may well begin to think they have their merits). But there are always lifts and stairlifts if you prefer a house. 

Horses for courses! Plenty of people are quite fit in their 90s, some are fairly infirm in their 50s. Luck of the draw.