When it comes to looking at the housing market, it is natural people only pay attention to the issues that they think impact them.
Property news about locations where they don’t wish to live or buy a home carries no relevance to them. Similarly, property news regarding property types or sizes that don’t interest will be unimportant to them.
However, the way the property market is connected might mean these matters have a bigger influence on your attempts to move than you think.
You might not think downsizing is relevant for your next move. It could be you think downsizing is only for elderly people looking to buy a more manageable home, or people looking to move to a more affordable property.
These circumstances are common, but there is also connectivity to other buyers and vendors.
If you are looking to buy a larger home, your ideal house might be one placed onto the market by a downsizing household.
If you are looking to sell your home as you move to a larger property, the ideal buyer for your current property might be someone who is downsizing to your current size.
Therefore, downsizing is a key issue in the housing market, and at Williams of Petersfield, we will keep you informed with what is happening right now.
A study by Audley Group indicates a growing number of older homeowners are considering downsizing sooner than they intended to. Admittedly, this research has been carried out by a retirement homes developer, so there is a likely bias to their findings.
The survey of people aged 55 or older found:
- 34% of respondents wished to live in a better area
- 29% of respondents wanted to live closer to their family and friends
There is growing demand for retirement property
According to the Associated Retirement Community Operators, again a body who have a vested interest in the market, suggests 85% of retirement property providers experienced an increase in sales and lettings in autumn 2020 compared to the previous year.
The same study also provided the following returns:
- Higher sales and lettings in 2020 compared to 2019 were stated by 30% of respondents
- 25% of respondents said they saw sales and lettings at least 50% higher in this field
Rightmove information also suggests a movement in this manner
While there has been considerable focus on larger homes, Rightmove information suggests bungalows have been in significant demand. Their findings suggest:
- The number of properties sold in 2020 was 7% higher than for 2019
- There was a shortage of bungalows listed for sale, falling 10% on the 2019 figures
- By comparison, the drop for houses was only 3% in this time period
- The average asking price for property rose by 4% to £317,583
At Williams of Petersfield, we aim to support the Petersfield community as much as we can, and we know this is an extremely trying time. A lot of people are looking for support and guidance, and if you have any property or housing related questions, we are more than happy to assist you, so contact us today.