Do downsizers ever downsize?

[NewbieOnHolidays]

We’ve seen so many detached family houses with husband and wife in their 50-60s (kids grew up and left), so now just 2 people living on 200+ sq.m. They all say they want to downsize, put house on the market at an astronomical price and fail to get offers anywhere close to asking and then just take it off the market. So once again a house came up, after 3 weeks they managed to get about 10 people who wanted to view, did an open day, we put an offer below asking, were now told there were 5 offers with 3 above asking, so they rejected our offer. We’ve been in this boat so many times and it always end up same way: we compete against non existent buyers who are very keen, offer way above asking, then we see the house keeps staying on the market or just disappears without sstc. Same street couple of months ago after 3 rounds of best an final competing against “many interested couples” and upping our offer every time we just got fed up and walked away, in few weeks sellers took it off the market. Do downsizers ever downsize?

In theory it sounds nice @Alphabet1spaghetti2 but we for example live on a different continent to our DP and most people I know in London (which I appreciate is NOT entirely representative) come from abroad or live very far away from parents. Most UK natives I know would not want to live with their parents and their parents undoubtedly feel the same!

Humans can be convinced by logic, but they are usually only moved to act by emotion. Regardless of how much something makes sense, you won’t do it willingly unless it resonates with you on an instinctive level and that is driven by our feelings.

@Ffsbrainscrambled yea i know only too well what you are saying - we had to move back to my parents for 6 weeks between house moves. We both said never again!!
it was more of a musing to wonder if this is the way things will pan out. I might be wrong - but I thought that Germany? more or less went this way as house prices never really reduced b wages increasing, so home ownership was very much a later in life proposition via inheritance or literally decades of saving and moving up the wage scale????
Our housing market/supply is definitely in flux and has been since the right to buy came in. So a long time in the making of this present conundrum. My belief is that there will always be a ‘blockage’ in the system of home turnover .. just at different points as the population changes.

I guess @Alphabet1spaghetti2 the question is where is the ‘blockage’ now and what does it mean for the next decade for the housing market? Is there even any point in upsizing if the generation below - Gen X - is smaller in number than the Babyboomers? I would love to see a statistical analysis of demographics and housing and have not been able to find a comprehensive one for the UK. But for all my talk about data, at the end of the day it is emotive reasons that will drive the market - including my own property decisions!

@Ffsbrainscrambled very good point! I’m guessing that some people will always want ‘space’ rather than size though, and that will still be a driver for upsizing property.
I do think we will ever be able to quantify emotions!! Good luck in your property decisions, may the bricks always be perfect. 😀

Argh. I don’t think not do think!!!!

Why do people of retirement age need so much stuff?

Because we have a life, that’s why! We’re not getting ready to die just yet.
Just off the top of my head we have:
a large garden so lots of pots, seed-starting trays, grow-lights, potting soil, wheelbarrow etc.
quilting supplies, sewing machine, fabric etc.
supplies for canning and freezing and drying garden produce
exercise equipment
beer brewing supplies
plus lots of photographs and scrapbooks and books that we love
plus stuff that we are storing for adult children that are between homes at the moment

We’re not hoarders or shopaholics-we don’t buy stuff unless we need it, but we’ve accumulated almost everything we need over the years.

It’s quite odd for you to tell me that I need to be ditching all my stuff and moving into a smaller house because I’m older than you and my children have left home. You can buy my house when I die or when I decide I need to downsize.

Why do people of retirement age need so much stuff?
Is this an inter-generational misunderstanding, a 'different mindset' thing?
When we were young, 'stuff' was important. It was expensive, it was scarce. We valued what we had, we didn't have a throwaway culture. We probably had the same longing for 'stuff' that your generation has now for a house. We treasure what we have, we don't consider it "clutter".
As an example of the value of stuff: our first dining set (table and chairs) cost about a months' salary. If I wanted to replace it, I could probably get it from Ikea for the equivalent of a few days' pay. Or for nothing off Freecycle. However, we still have it 30 years later and it's still going strong. We haven't de-cluttered it to charity or landfill. Why would we?

I also don't understand why you think retired people don't 'need' stuff. We still have floors that need cleaning, gardens that need maintaining. What are we supposed to get rid of? (apart from baby/child stuff, which went a long time ago).

So people in smaller homes don't have a life? What a strange comment. You don't need all that stuff. You are confusing needs and wants.

If older people didn't insist on living in large family houses, then we might not have to concrete over so much of the green belt. Ironically, it's usually the same people moaning about housing developments going up and ruining their view.

If older people didn't insist on living in large family houses

What exactly is your answer then @MidnightMeltdown

A quota - no more than 30m2 per person?

A time limit - one bedroom per person allocated for 21 years only? A bit like the bedroom tax, so if a family member died you would be forced to downsize?

How would you enforce it - would it be like a ration book system? Prove that you are worthy before being allowed to buy the house. Would you still be allowed to extend, or should you move out afterwards? Of course fines wouldn’t work because then people could still just pay to have the space they want.

I will stay as long as I want in my home - I will keep my belongings too.

My husband and I worked hard for what we have and now enjoy our life in retirement. We have a nice home in a lovely village and we appreciate being able to live as we do.

It’s not for anyone else to decide what people do with their property.

If older people didn't insist on living in large family houses, then we might not have to concrete over so much of the green belt. Ironically, it's usually the same people moaning about housing developments going up and ruining their view.

why is there such hatred on mumsnet about older people living in lager homes. This has happened for generations. And people are free to live wherever they choose. It is not older peoples responsibility to solve the nations housing woes.

I am single and live in a four bedroom house. Is that allowed? Should houses be allocated based on need rather than sold in the free market? I really don’t want to live on that country.

just encoder you covet a house that an older person or couple lives in, it doesn’t mean you have a greater eighth to it because you happen to have children!!

If older people didn't insist on living in large family houses, then we might not have to concrete over so much of the green belt. Ironically, it's usually the same people moaning about housing developments going up and ruining their view

😂😂😂😂😂did you spit your dummy out too?

I have now deleted two long posts on this topic. The ageism on this thread is shocking.

I live in a two-bed terraced house with one bathroom/loo upstairs. We brought up three DC here. I would “downsize” to a two-bed flat to be on one level, but it costs too much to move and I don’t want anywhere where there are service charges or where I don’t own the freehold.

I tried to explain on another thread that it isnt older peoples responsibility to move out of their homes so younger families can have them.

Two posters used okay boomer as a response!

I am not a boomer - my parents are. And it’s not an insult!!!

Midnightmeltdown probably scweems and scweems until she’s sick………..with jealousy.

It's not about decluttering stuff you're using for hobbies, gardening etc though, it's the hanging onto stuff that hasn't been used for years and is surplus to requirements. My DM has cleared out multiple elderly relatives' houses but seems to think it's totally fine to expect me to do the same. She worked part-time, got 3 weeks compassionate leave to do some of them, and retired at 55 after which she did the others. I work full time and my work offers one day paid compassionate leave for certain close relatives' deaths and I'm due to retire at 68. I have no desire to use my annual leave to declutter the stuff she couldn't be bothered to do herself.

She downsized last year and I had to have innumerable conversations with her about not wanting this stuff myself - a set of cake tins intended for an ornate wedding cake (not used for over 30 years - I'm already married and didn't even have a wedding cake!), vast quantities of crockery from kitchen cupboards that she hasn't used for years. Massive piles of towels and bedding - far more than is actually needed for guests.

@AmberLynn1536 @ArseInTheCoOpWindow

No I'm not, I own my own house, but plenty of people in my generation, and the generations below me, don't. Feel free to keep making presumptions though.

It's clearly very wrong to have streets of older people, living alone, or as a couple, in large properties, when young people either can't afford to buy a house to start a family, or families are living cramped in a tiny flat. Anyone with any basic morals and decency can see that.

Also, we have a climate emergency and people are living in houses that are too big for their needs using 6 peoples worth of energy. It's selfish.

I expect that you're both Tory voters so there's no point in trying to reason with you.

Never voted Tory in my life. I’m a membe of the Labour Party.

This issue isn’t older people who have paid for their houses just like anyone else, and therefore as it is their possession be allowed to use it, just like any possession.

The issue is insufficient housing for the population and too many landlords and investors.

Its neither right nor wrong. Plenty of people drive massive cars with only one person in. Are they sipposed to give these up because they’re too big? They’ll be adding much more to climate emergency than a few old people knocking about in a 4 bed.

This is just about being nasty to an older generation.

You shouldn't need to enforce it. People should downsize because it's the right thing to do, although removing stamp duty would help.

I suppose you could have a bedroom tax, although its more about size than number of bedrooms

I am 40, living alone in a large house. Is it just older people who aren’t allowed large houses and big gardens?

am I not allowed a nice house in the area I want to live in because I am single? Or is it just older people
younahve a problem with?

what about child free couples - are they bared from owning large houses?

what about child free couples - are they bared from owning large houses?

Yeah, they will have more disposable income than people with children to buy a large house. So l guess they own quite a lot of the larger houses.

@MidnightMeltdown
Of course people in smaller houses have a life! And so do people of retirement age! So many of the comments on this thread seem unaware of the latter. We’re not getting ready to die, not doing the Swedish death decluttering thing just yet.
And yes, if you want to split hairs, we don’t “need” our hobby equipment or photographs to survive, yes it’s technically stuff we want rather than “need” but come on, do these families in search of housing also only have stuff they need for survival? Who amongst up only has things needed for survival?

So according to you I have no right to keep the things, and house, that I’ve paid for, simply because I’ve reached retirement age? And because you have decided that I don’t need them. Incredible.

I will admit I still have a buggy (a rivet was torn off the seat that I have never worked out how to fix) and I meant to donate it years ago. I’m 46. Youngest is 8. 😬 So those retirees feeling attacked for having stuff should relax. It’s probably the younger generation projecting their own hoarding tendencies and coveting your lofts and garages.

Not my problem if you and your contemporaries have chosen to have children and therefore have restricted your earning potential to buy the big house, that’s on you, I’m not paying for your life choices.