Anyone downsized after the kids left home?

[Mumwithbaggage]

We have 4 children - only the youngest (22) is still at home (some of the time). I love having a big house for when they all turn up with partners but really, we no longer need 5 beds, 3 baths, 3 reception rooms and a large garden for 50 weeks of the year.

If you have downsized, where do your kids all stay when they come to visit?

I've just sold my village four bed victorian terrace and bought a two bed in the near by town.
I'm mid fifties and just my 18 year old living here . I've had such a good sort out with three trips to the tip and numerous charity runs. This new house is half the size with just a kitchen and sitting room downstairs. I can't wait, I'll be close to shops, hopefully a nice pub with sky so I can watch the odd sports, cafes and bookshops a short walk away.It has a good size South West back garden which is why I chose it over a few others in the area.My son hopefully will enjoy a town that has a couple of gyms and won't have to continually shop at the village co op,he'll have four supermarkets near by.
I'll put some equity in to my sipp and have a little over in savings which will be such a relief.

We're not far from Canterbury. I know a couple of people who have recently moved from the centre of the city because it's so busy at the weekends but the outskirts are lovely.

Can I just say, your post made me so happy. I can just imagine you in your lovely home. I wish you every happiness there.

Ahh, how funny....Norwich is probably our second choice, but I think we decided it's too far from everything to make it work for us. Lovely city.... DD1 was at uni there, and I was bereft when I no longer had an excuse to go there.

The key is definitely finding somewhere cheaper than you are currently, to maximise the financial downsizing without ending up in a tiny place.

I'm very heartened by the stories on this thread!

How funny! And because of you I have just spent my morning looking at Canterbury on Rightmove! I had forgotten what good value for money it is. Our young adult children would probably be happier with us moving there as it is much easier to get to. There’s so much to think about but we are not in a rush at the moment.

I would advise people to downsize and move from a rural area into a town or city. I know a lady who moved from a 3 bed house in suburbs into a 2 bed town house in the city her 50s. She is now in her late 70s and said it was the best thing she ever did. She is in walking distance of shops, buses, the train station, restaurants, cinema ect and is near doctors and several hospitals. She was not isolated during COVID.
She had money left over for savings also then.
She has seen friends and family stuck in big houses that are not practical as they got older.

One of my friends tried to get there mother to leave a big family house in the country that 3 miles away from the nearest shop about 15 years ago. There mother was not happy with this suggestion. When it snows or is icy she can't go outside the house as it to dangerous. In storms the electricity can go out and be gone for days.
Since then there have been numerous issues with the house and there mother's health. My friend has decided to change jobs this year and won't be as available for care ect in the future. They have siblings living near there mother and my friend has decided they can deal with issues in the next few years.
They said if her mother moved into a town when suggested her life would have been better and it's far easier to deal with issues when your close to doctors ect.

I have a biggish house in a town. Bus stop into town - 10.minutes - practically outside. Hospital 5 minutes away. Library round the corner. Great neighbours. I would struggle to replicate this if I moved so my plan is to get lodgers in instead.

This sounds so nice, we're now in a flat but initially we would have liked a two bed terrace like yours. Sadly there are none available in the area we wanted to move to, but we are very happily settled now.

@Arran2024 We’re similar situation, we have a rambling terrace in a city, everything convenient. But, it’s so expensive to run! Lodgers are a good idea if you want to stay put. I just want a small space tbh- our neighborhood would be great, but bills here are expensive even for a flat (utilities are through the roof, for example) so we’ll probably move.

This is our plan. It’s down ‘sizing’ on space but not on cost - probs spend more for 2 bed flat in zone 1 than our 6 bed detached in Home Counties - but looking forward to dropping the maintenance, gardening, utility chores and bills.

We had lodgers for many years in our big family home and actually quite enjoyed it. However I don't think I would feel the same about having somebody else living with us now we are older and the children have left home. We've downsized anyway, but I don't think I would have continued with lodgers now, unless we were under severe financial pressure.

What worries me about downsizing is that I have more need than ever of quiet - cannot deal with noisy neighbours any more, definitely don’t want to end up in a flat underneath thoughtless heffalumps.
But buying somewhere outright with my equity will mean a hard choice between having the quiet - or living somewhere with enough rooms for some of my adult kids to visit, and to be close to interesting places.
Can’t afford both!

I’ve just googled and found the following (AI generated)

25-40% of adults over 60 will develop moderate mobility limitations affecting stairs, bathrooms or safe movement at home.

By ages 70 -80 this rises towards 40-50%

This is much higher than I would’ve thought!

Howver, of all my living relatives over 70 the 50% figure is actually spot on. Yikes. There are quite the number that never made it to 70.

You can still do it post Brexit!! I have a house here in UK and one in Southern Spain. We max out our 90/180 days but may do a non lucrative visa for a few years and rent out uk property. Husband still working so we may do a digital nomad visa if I can’t persuade him to stop !