The Churchill guide to buying a retirement property

As you get older, the upkeep of the family home can become more of a chore than a joy. For this reason, many older people choose to move to retirement properties instead. They alleviate the burdens of a larger property, freeing up more time to enjoy retirement.

If you’re thinking about making the move to a retirement property, there are a few things you’ll need to know. Here, we explain the essentials in our guide to buying a retirement property.

Decide on your location

Although a lot of retirees choose to move locally, there are plenty who head further afield. If your children have moved away to another area, you may wish to be closer to them. Or it might be that you want to go back to your hometown after moving away years ago. It may just be that you want to retire to the seaside. Whatever your reasons, think carefully about where you want to move to before making any decisions. Once you’ve chosen your location, the whole process will be a lot easier. 

Sell your property

As anyone will tell you, the process of selling a property is quite a long, complex one. However, there are options available to make things go more smoothly. You might want to consider a part exchange service for your property. This will remove the need for estate agents and generally makes the whole process hassle-free. You can get an agreed price from the part exchange company and move with ease, rather than worrying about being part of a chain or things falling through. 

You can also use a service like Churchill’s Selling Made Easy, which makes everything that much simpler. We’ll cover up to £2,000 towards estate agent’s fees and act as a middle man for the sale of your property. We’ll chase the estate agents, pay up to £500 towards solicitors’ fees and provide you with a free Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This takes out a lot of the stress of the actual sale, leaving you with more time to focus on what you want to take with you and what you’d rather get rid of.

Manage the move

Moving house is a big step to take and one that can often seem very overwhelming. When you’ve lived in the same property for decades, the prospect of moving seems incredibly daunting. However, there are a number of options available that will make the move run far more smoothly. Book a removals company like Britannia Movers International to take care of the packing and moving of all your items. They’ll ensure you have everything wrapped, moved and unpacked again.

Companies like the Senior Move Partnership offer assistance with rightsizing, so that you have all of the things you need and can easily get rid of the excess clutter. This is a good opportunity to go through everything and possibly even shop for new furniture to go with your new home. 

You should also speak to your family and friends before making the move to a retirement property and ensure you ask the Sales Consultant all the questions you have. They’ll be able to answer everything and you can rest assured that you’ve made the right decision for you. Moving home is a big step, but the pros often far outweigh the cons, leaving you to enjoy your retirement to the maximum.