Downsizing, what to compromise on?

[trickyex]

I sold our lovely family home last year after nearly 20 years there and am now living in a small rented terrace nearby and looking for my next place - I wasn't able to find anywhere in good time so agreed to break the chain. I am divorced, in my 50s with two sons who are both at uni. I am in a relationship for now but its very low key and we will never live together.

Having been looking at houses for the past 8 months (and having a few things fall through), I am finding it very hard to know what to look for and what to compromise on.
Our family home was a good size Victorian house with big rooms, a lovely sunny garden and off street parking, close to the city and shops etc.
The area I live in has good schools, shops and is close to the city so is very expensive.

It seems my options are to buy a much smaller place around here with a small garden/yard and deal with limited on street permit parking (which I find stressful) or move further out and get more space, parking and a nice garden but remove myself from my local community, where I have friends, can walk to the city and know the shops etc.

I am not wildy sociable but I don't like to feel cut off or isolated either. Work is self employed and a bit variable. I have no family nearby and not a huge network of friends.

Please share your experiences and thoughts.

We aren't planning to downsize (although I guess you never know) and one of the factors when we bought our current house was thinking about what aging ideally looks like for us. Being somewhere we could feel connected to the outside world, with friends, restaurants and cafes, shops, was really important to us, and I wanted to know we could maintain that if we were no longer comfortable driving. But we live in London, tend to walk almost everywhere, and like museums, theatre, music, restaurants. If you're someone whose primary interests are hill walking and gardening, you're going to be happiest somewhere more rural even though you might have to accept moving again if your mobility and/or ability to drive declines.

A couple of things to think about OP.

Many people wait until spring/summer to list for sale.

The landlord changes coming from May. Landlords are selling and I think post May will see many previous rental properties be listed.

Sitting tight for a couple more months could really make a difference to the sale market.

ETA - meant to say good luck and I hope you can find what you need where you want it.

In our city the areas outside desirable catchments are substantially cheaper. You can draw circles around them and see the prices drop. The houses are nice - same stock as the catchment areas

We are on the cusp of putting our family house on the market and downsizing, as our 3 DCs have all left home and we want to retire in the next couple of years. Currently we are on the edge of a village, which is nice, but we have realised that we really want to be in the thick of things, with plenty of amenities on hand, so we are looking to move to a large town/small city in a cheaper area (current village is one of the priciest places to live in the south-east) so we can hopefully downsize and pay off the mortgage without a massive compromise on space.

Non-negotiables for me are: it has to be walkable to shops, restaurants and bars, and in an area which offers good community events and cultural venues. Personally I do not want to live in the suburbs, three miles out of town, as it would feel like the worst of both worlds. Would need parking for one car, but I'm less fussed if it's on-street. At least one spare room for DCs to come and stay. And it must have some sort of outdoor space (courtyard or roof terrace are fine....I won't miss our massive garden).

Funnily enough, OP, Norwich was one of the places we considered (DD1 went to UEA, and we loved our visits to see her) but it's just too far from everything for us.

Would Unthank Road be on your radar @trickyex?

Maybe too big?

Thanks for all the recent posts. Lots to think about.
I would rather have waited until my lads were finished with uni but had no choice, it wasn't an ideal time to move but I had to financially.

I think I am finding it hard to picture my life in the future.
At the moment I am out and about lots, play a lot of music and sing in choirs so I need to be able to get about easily and park late at night after rehearsing. I enjoy cinema and a bit of culture but also gardening and gentle walks, as well as the gym.
I dont fancy the idea of local suburbs, they seem a bit depressing other than those close to UEA.
I will look outside of the catchment areas but here that does seem to mean slightly less nice/safe areas.
Thanks for the link @Freya1542 - that house is actually on the busy ring road so not for me.

Is this a house for the next ten years or is it forever? If you can save yourself a forced move in the future, so much the better. Or can you see yourself following the call of grandchildren and family assistance when the time arrives?

If it’s forever, then think about things like off street parking you if your mobility reduces or for carers and space for a downstairs bathroom.

Tricky without knowing your budget or the specific area you live in which will be your current benchmark for "nice".

You are still working and clearly very active with dependent children so it's really a question of whether you want to future proof your life now and buy a forever home, or buy something suitable as a 10 year stop gap and move again when you are eg: 70 when you are hopefully still in good health but would prefer to have somewhere with no stairs for example.

This is central, has 3 beds ish and dedicated parking. On three floors would be a right pain in old age though.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/171258476#/?channel=RES_BUY

Personally I love a west facing garden for the evening sun. Less relentless than south when it's scorching. I would definitely trade a large garden for something manageable that you can enjoy and entertain in, but is realistically a days work a quarter to clean up. Raised beds with good planting is easier than lawn and lots of trees/leaves to rake etc.

This is a similar house which if your kids were living with you FT would potentially fit the bill but if you'd mostly be living there alone, it's a lot of house and very little outside space. I'm assuming with the girls school nearby it's a desirable area.
www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/172530494#/?channel=RES_BUY

Just moved .Spreadsheet all your options so you can see likely disposable income every month. Seeing £300 extra disposable income for instance might make you feel differently about one of the routes. Also sometimes there are more than two or three good options and none are actually ‘wrong’

But thinking further. Could you downsize your car to a Smart car or tiny car to make yourself happier about the parking? Could you force yourself to learn to park on a sixpence by spending £200 on some advanced driving lessons? Or if you went for a two bed, could you buy a zip link bed for the spare room so boys could share room if both at home together but in their own beds.
It might be that 2 bed with actual parking space turns out to be what works for you best.

I moved from a detached double fronted Victorian with an in and out drive with decent size garden and pool - to a terrace house in London with permit parking worth twice as much. The parking is no problem in four years only twice have I had to park in the next block. My neighbours are lovely and I can barely hear them. My garden is less than a fifth of my old one but manageable and big enough. The house has similar amount of rooms (one bedroom mess, one reception room less), but the rooms are about half the size of my old house. But it suits me fine - I don’t need a 20ft by 15 ft living room with a similar sized dining room.
I wanted to be in London so that’s the sacrifice- and not really much of one (I do miss my pool). So I’d go smaller and stay near your community.

I would suggest a 3 bedroom house village that has a high street with bus service to local town , decent high street ,a sunny small garden ,doesn’t need to be south facing. We have a garden that is sunny in the afternoon. Think south west.

Thanks for the recent messages.
I have to agree that a West facing back garden is the nicest, I love the evening sun so this is my ideal and it seems really hard to find round here!
I have a healthy budget, say £450K or even a bit more if its right.
I do like both those houses linked to thanks, but neither has a sunny aspect at the back (both face East or North East). I do like that area, close to city and amenities but quiet too. And I would be happy in a modern house like that which is practical.
And yes I can learn to park better if its essential. Somewhere with an easier parking option does make life less stressful though and is nice for having visitors too...
Am hoping lots will come on this weekend.

I agree with staying close to amenities. We moved 'up the road' about 15 years ago (for other reasons) and found we are now in a great place where most local places we want to get to are walkable.

Re parking- since becoming a home owner nearly 40 years ago, I've always had to park in the street. Over time CPZs caught up with me. Though I don't like paying for the permit, they absolutely work in terms of there always being somewhere close to park.

Have you seen this one @trickyex ? I don't know Norwich at all so it might not be the right area, but not far from the other two linked and says it has 'ample off street parking'. It's quite - colourful! And interestingly extended.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/164948483#/?channel=RES_BUY

If you have somewhere more central, limited parking may not be so much of a problem because you'll be able to walk or use public transport more. I've moved from somewhere rural into a town and really appreciate being able to get about easily (and for free, seeing as I'm a pensioner!) I can walk to concerts, shops, cinema etc. However, I live in a less desirable area so I'm lucky to have a drive for my car.

This is nice and has off-street parking @trickyex .
Any good?
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/172822337#/?channel=RES_BUY

Thanks for the links and other posts.
I have looked at both of the listings and they both seem a bit hemmed in. The first one is rather off putting with all the odd decoration and not the best area.

I really appreciate all the replies, it has been really interesting to hear so many views and suggestions. Am digesting it all!

I didn't really downsize but I eventually moved onto a bungalow to future proof myself. But the area has lots of amenities and two strong bus routes. It's semi rural. I love it but the garden is too big.

I rented a ground floor apartment in a sub division that had a bit more going on but the on street parking was difficult.

I took wouldn't tie myself too closely to friends. You need amenities.

A bungalow is an option, feels a bit soon for this but maybe its good to be prepared.
And it seems a few of you suggest amenities are more key than friends when looking at location.
I presume you mean shops, GP, bus services etc?

I'm reading along as we are also planning a downsize, but with bonus relocation! Plan is for DC to buy an end-of-terrace cottage with 2 bedrooms, but for us to live in it once our family house is sold until we decide. DC is committed to present location for another 12 months or so, but the new area is a big centre for their industry and we all like it.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159347870 This one is 425k, three bedrooms and has a designated m parking - plus it's bang in the centre of the city

Nice house @Strandlover thanks, but no garden other than a small space facing the street.
Am looking a bit further out now, looking at bus routes/local amenities etc.

What about the area between Hall Rd - Ipswich Rd? You're more likely to find off road parking than the GT, but still within walking distance / easy bus to the city centre.

Or Eaton?