PX helps Derek move his mum Eileen into a McCarthy Stone apartment

There are many reasons to move in retirement, such as having family nearby, needing a more manageable property, or possibly wanting to lower monthly expenses to make your pension last longer. Whatever your reason, when relocating in your golden years, it's important to choose a property that fits your current lifestyle and can better meet your future needs.

After living in the family home for 54 years, Derek’s mum, Eileen, decided it was the right time to sell her three-bedroom semi on The Wirral so that she could be closer to Derek* and other family in Northampton. “My parents bought their home in 1971,” explains Derek. “It was a lovely house in a quiet cul-de-sac, and we were fortunate to have views out toward North Wales. As a family growing up, we had everything we needed locally, but as Mum has grown older, we realised it's just too big for one person, and Mum wanted to be nearer to her family.”

Decision made

After discussing the move as a family, Derek helped Eileen put her house up for sale. “Mum listed her house with a local estate agent, and she had four or five viewings,” said Derek. “We’d started looking at retirement properties near us in Northampton during this time, and we found a McCarthy Stone apartment that was ideally located, great for the shops, and had good local transport links. It was ideal for Mum; she loved it and was very interested in buying it.”

With Eileen’s dream home found, but no buyer on her Wirral property, Derek was unsure his mum would be able to make the move she wanted. “I think the agent overvalued Mum's property and set the price too high, so we didn’t have a great experience with them”, explained Derek. “I explained Mum’s situation to the McCarthy Stone team in Northampton, who suggested we consider Part-Exchange for Mum’s property via their partner Spring. Using Part-Exchange meant Spring would buy Mum’s home directly from her instead of having to wait for a buyer via the estate agent.”

Doing the research

With the Part-Exchange option now on the table, Derek and Eileen carefully considered their options. “I knew the price Mum would get from Part-Exchange wouldn’t be full market value, but the advantages Mum would receive, such as a quick sale and no chain, were appealing,” said Derek. “It also meant Mum would be able to move as soon as possible and not lose the apartment she wanted to buy.”

After carefully weighing up the options, Derek and Eileen decided that Part-Exchange was the best route for Eileen's home sale, and the team at McCarthy Stone put them in touch with Spring. “The overall service from Spring from the onset of Mum’s sale was very good. Paul Martin, who is a Client Advisor at Spring, was very attentive and helped us through the process. Part-Exchange isn’t for everyone, so if mum had the time, we’d wait on the open market, but as mum wanted to move quickly, Part-Exchange worked well for our circumstances.”

With Eileen’s home sale guaranteed with Spring, Derek could help his Mum plan her move to Northampton. "Everything completed very quickly, and the license-to-occupy included in Spring’s Part-Exchange was a great feature. Although Mum didn’t need the full 28 days offered to her, it’s an excellent benefit."

Good times ahead

Derek is happy that his Mum is now nearby, and Eileen feels hopeful and excited about this new chapter in her life. “Mum has settled into her new apartment, and we’re starting to see the benefits of the move,” explains Derek. “Having Mum so close is working out well. She’s already had many visitors, and it's much easier now to pop in and see her because she’s so close. I’m glad we chose Part-Exchange to sell Mum’s house; it’s a good service, and I would recommend Spring, especially if you want a quick, guaranteed sale.”

*Pseudonym used

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