Plans for our home when we retire

#Collaborative post

Thinking ahead to our future, our home has always been our biggest asset. We had always talked about selling up and downsizing, as well as relocating. As it stands though, we just need to finalise a location nearer the time.

Currently, we live in the east of England, about 40 minutes from London. With good commuter links, house prices here have been increasing year on year. Now, that is great for us as our plans are to be mortgage-free when we move so we pocket a little cash to start our retirement. However, it does mean that we are currently living in a town that is becoming busier and busier and a little boxed in from all the flats popping up.

Age Co recently shared a post on the most popular up-and-coming towns to move to when you retire and it has got me thinking, what exactly are we looking for?

Here is my wishlist for when we move:

Cheaper houses – Without a doubt, this is my number 1. I want to bank as much as we can to allow us to retire early and our house is the key to this. Moving north is likely to be the answer to this as we look to save money.
Fresh air – Living close to an airport and the motorway, I want to have fresh air when we go out!
Space – I really want to have more outdoor space to enjoy. Not just in our home, but in the area surrounding our home. It would be lovely to walk outside our front door and enjoy the countryside or the seaside.
Peace and quiet – It’s not really noisy where we live, just the constant hustle and bustle of a busy town. As we head into our golden years, I want to have a more chilled out approach.

We have been talking recently about our plans. Our main goal was always going to be retired by 60, but we are looking that we might be in a position for it to be sooner. With this in mind, we are looking for our forever home to be in a place that combines everything. There still needs to be local amenities and good transport links nearby. Hopefully, we will have many happy years of retirement, so the great outdoors on our doorstep will be a bonus. With no time committed to work, I’m hoping we are able to get active and keep fit and healthy. After the past year, I no longer take for granted our health and appreciate how lucky we are.

Plans for retirement are always discussed in our house, not to wish away our lives but in the excitement of what is still to come. I appreciate the options we have for us and with a little hard work, how fortunate we will be to have an early retirement. We just want to make the most of the time we will have.

Have you given your retirement some thoughts? I’d love to know if you are in your forever home or still have plans to move one more time.