Downsizing

[Dinkiedoo]

We need to downsize. 3 bedroom house . Massive garden front and back. Crime rate going up. More families with kids moving in so summertime is noisy and kids playing until all hours. Stresses me out.
We cant agree on where to go. Hubby wants to move 5 hours away down south. I would like to move about 1 hour away.
Going down south we wouldn't know anyone. At least if we moved an hour away we wouldn't be far from friends and family.
Had a look at a few places over last few weeks but neither of us liked them

How about you both pick a few houses in your chosen locations and then go look at them, maybe throw in a wild card, like in thst tv show, whichever one it is?

How old are you both? Lots of things to consider.
Do you want a garden? Do you want a flat or apartment?

Are you going to continue to drive and if not can you access shops, post office, local hospital, chemist, pub and cafes easily.

Are you sociable people that make friends easily? How much is your budget, the further South you go the less your money will stretch. If you need equity to finance your retirement this may be a consideration.

If you're stinking rich that won't matter. You may have thought of all the above.

We will bith be retired in 2 years.house paid for.
Want a small garden . Will still drive.
Neither of us sociable to be honest

Are there particular areas you know and/or like (from holidays etc)?
I take it you are downsizing for practical reasons rather than to release capital (hence no issues about moving south)?
Rural, village, town or city?

We relocated a few years ago.
Always lived in villages but approaching retirement & ill health meant we focused more on the practical side of things and settled on a small market town we both knew with good links. We live on the outskirts so still rural but walkable into town & facilities.

The show a PP poster was referring to is Escape To The Country.
Great favourite of ours and well worth a watch.

We downsized in 2021, due to my disability we needed a bungalow, moved from the south coast to Norfolk. Sold our 5bed detached house and bought a 3bed bungalow, best move we ever made. No regrets whatsoever. Absolutely love living in Norfolk. DH did a lot of desktop research, he looked at crime rates, weather, property prices, suitability of areas etc. just bear in mind not a great time for sellers atm, market is very flat given economic events. Good luck with your move I hope it works out for you.

moving 5 hrs away from your likely source of help when you are older and potentially less able is not the best idea IMO

We have a lot do relatives in the South, everything is more expensive. Carvery at my local pub is £12, where my MIL lives it’s £20. It all adds up over time.

I wouldn't move that far away in retirement. We have retired and do plan to move but about 30 minutes to an hour away.

When you write we are not very sociable, is it a we or is it really a he is not very sociable?

My friend retired at the same time as me and has relocated to the South coast, her DH wanted it. It’s about a 5.5 hour drive. Since she left her DD has had a child, her first grandchild. It’s very difficult, if he dies first she is moving back immediately.

One hour for the win

I think it’s about weighing up pros and cons and identifying and flagging the big risks. Surely living 5 hours away is a massive risk, I wouldn’t do that when retiring unless it was to be nearer family (even then it’s a risk).

If your DH is quite forceful I think the best thing is to be organised with facts and to expect the same from him. Don’t make any effort to look for places 5 hours ago, focus on your desired area.