Your property - stress-free moving

Money

Retirement

Your property - stress-free moving

Mary Wilson reports on a welcome trend — making moving home easier for the over-55s

Dr Bernadette Bartlam, who specialises in gerontology at the School of Medicine, Keele University, says: "How stressful a move will be depends on how willing older people are to move, whether they have strong ties to their home, whether they are in good health or are frail. It also depends on the size of the development and on how much the developers let them become familiar with their new home before they move in, and help them become acclimatised."

For those with financial concerns it is worth enquiring about part-exchange and how a retirement community developer might help towards stamp duty, removal costs and estate agent’s fees. Spencer McCarthy, chairman of Churchill Retirement Living, says: "We have a range of options, both financial and supportive, enabling customers to take this lifestyle choice forward."

Pegasus Homes has a part-exchange scheme, and Archstone Lifestyle Homes offers an "Assisted Sale Service" – it will pay towards sales and moving costs and liaise with estate agents. The company allocates someone to contact the purchaser regularly, to see how everything is going and, on completion day, someone sees them in and helps with any problems. McCarthy & Stone offers a “de-cluttering service”, with all suitable unwanted items being given to two charities.

Kate Simcock, operations director of Richmond Villages, is well aware of emotional problems: "People in their seventies or eighties might have lived in their family home for years, where they brought up their children and with a lifetime of memories.

"It's more than just moving out, it's saying goodbye."

The company offers people the chance to try out one of its villages – for a weekend or longer. "Some people rent with us for two or three months to make sure they will be happy here. This way, they can start to build relationships with the care manager and with other residents before making the final move and don't feel so lost when they arrive," she says. Richmond Villages also offers a "moving in buddy" to help overcome any early problems.

Beechcroft is another company with specialist aid teams. Angela South, sales and marketing director, says a major problem is actually selling the family home, so developers need to be more lenient about the time it takes to exchange contracts. "Once they reserve, we'll give them time to get their own sale under way. We also alleviate worries by explaining the process, recommending estate agents and working closely with the agents, plus reporting back to customers at every stage," says South.

Yet another factor may be the change from living in a period home to a new one. "This means a completely new lifestyle for many, so we offer a Try Before You Buy option," says Sarah Burgess, sales and marketing director of Retirement Villages. Anne Ayres, who is 86, stayed at Roseland Parc, a development near Truro with a wide range of facilities.

"I fell in love with the village over a weekend. Everybody was so friendly and the apartments were beautiful," she says.

In a complex property market it seems that anything a retirement home developer can do to alleviate the stress of moving can be a key factor in choosing where to live and from whom to buy.

The opinions in this article are the author's own and for general information only. Always seek independent financial advice. This article was first published in the May 2009 edition of Saga Magazine.

Further information

Archstone Lifestyle Homes in Dorset and Wiltshire: 01425 481225, www.archstone.co.uk

Beechcroft in Buckinghamshire, Kent and Surrey: 01491 825522, www.beechcroft.co.uk

Churchill Retirement Living in West Sussex, Hampshire, Somerset, Dorset, Surrey, Kent, Essex, Wiltshire, Avon, West Midlands and Staffordshire: 0800 988 0786, www.churchillretirement.co.uk

McCarthy & Stone in most counties and in Scotland: 0800 919 132, www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk

Pegasus Homes in London, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Somerset, Staffordshire, Devon, West Midlands and Leicestershire: 0800 583 8844, www.pegasus-homes.co.uk

Retirement Villages has developments in Somerset, Warwickshire and Cornwall: 0845 521 1857, www.retirementvillages.co.uk

Richmond Villages in Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire: 02476 389630, www.richmond-villages.com