Have You Ever Regretted

[Samuraisan]

downsizing ? We are just about to sign over our house with the intention of downsizing to an apartment in the town. As we have been living in a very very tranquil area we are a tiny bit hesitant about going into town, but at the moment the pros seem to be outnumbering the cons. We have decided a good idea would be to rent a place for a year to see if we like it. At the moment we are viewing places, furnished and unfurnished to rent. I will miss my lovely big kitchen and being a bit further away from my daughter and her family. I feel a bit sad today and wonder if we are doing the right thing, although this house is too big for us two now, with rooms I don't enter from one week to the next, but ofcourse all need maintaining and cleaning. We have a small garden here, but even that doesn't get taken care of as it should, we are not keen gardners. Anyone else been in this situation ?

[murraymints]

I miss the bigger kitchen, and have had to declutter and get rid of loads which was kind of sad...but if it aint getting used then it makes sense..

[jno]

is this going to save you money? That's the usual best reason for downsizing; but if it's not going to make a lot of difference, I'd be inclined to lock the unused rooms, pave the garden, and stay put.

[dannyk13]

If it wasn't for the fact that I am housebound and the hassle involved in moving I would downsize in a flash.

[-SharonA-]

I downsized about 3 yrs ago and have no regrets. The only bug bear is lack of storage for my clothes. I now don't buy so much clothing as I've got a lot of clothes. We swapped our divan bed for a lift up one with storage. So worked out ok.

[Maydup]

I can imagine how you feel Samu, its partly the emotional attachment as well as the practicalities of having the space that you are going to miss.

You absolutley must rent before you buy. We live in a tranquil area and even when we're on holiday in a hotel or a town,I am reminded how intolerent we have become of other people. In the nicest possicle way of course, but we have nobody playing loud music here or chilcdren bouncing on trampolines, or domestic conversations with windows open, or late night visitors, or cars parking under our window. etc etc

Be kind to yourselves and dont feel guilty about being fussy in your choice of apartment. Check out the neighbourhood and if needbe, go for a smaller town or village with good amenities.

[fender62]

apartment mmm, depends on who your neighbors are, noisy arrogant
or if you like music, your neighbors may complain to you, and consider
any stairs you might have to climb everyday err, i prefer my house
and garden, specially the garden in summer fresh mowed lawn then nice cuppa or beer outside with a book or newspaper..lovely

[-SharonA-]

Get a ground floor flat with garden as I did. Bliss, no stairs to climb, no extra housework.

[anneasquith]

We downsized, no regrets

[pastafreak]

I downsized years ago when my marriage ended. I was looking for a flat in a Victorian house, but ended up in 60s maisonette. Tons of storage...a closet in every room and hall/landing. I'm currently in the process of weeding out stuff that's been hidden for years...I could rent out a closet or 2. ;-)
Near to a lovely park plus basic shopping, with a mix of families and couples/singles. There have been a few issues with noise and undesirables a few years ago, but management nips all that in the bud very quickly.

[Sqad]

You live in Spain Sam, so think very very carefully in downsizing to a Spanish apartment. As you know life in Spain is quite different in that they are basically noisy people and the socialising starts at about 9pm when you may want a bit of peace and quietness. In a villa, it still may be a problem but less than in an apartment.Many holiday makers are a pain in a.se, for the point of view of alcohol and noise.

If you can afford your required lifestyle and keep you villa.....then do so, but if you can't then think of a smaller villa rather than an apartment.

[ummmm]

I sold my large house to move in with my partner. I hate it. I love the area we live in, I just hate the house. The one thing I really miss is a cellar.

It's been 10 years and I've still not adjusted to it.

[vetuste_ennemi]

One question is "do I prefer this house?".

And another is "do I prefer this area?"

[ummmm]

We lived in a similar postcode. This street is way nicer in so much of parking and people. Because it's much quieter here people get to know each other..that's nice.

[DarceyK123]

If you dont actually need to move then dont.

Dont worry about the unused rooms, if you're happy where you are and can afford it then stay put where you're happy.

[woofgang]

The people I know who have downsized have done it drastically and many have regretted it....most common comment was that its ok when the weather is ok and you can get out, less good when the weather is bad and you feel cooped up......I have a friend who is looking into it for financial reasons and she told me that in her research she has found out that you need to look at how much you will clear after the move...the article suggested its not worth doing for less that 100K ...that might sound ridiculous but I would strongly suggest that you do your sums on what the sale will clear you after the expenses and also what if anything you will save in rates and fuel bills. If you are happy where you are and don't need to move or it won't give you the financial gain that you want then don't do it. I would like to move to a bungalow and would downsize slightly to do it but don't want to downsize.