Jim and Carol make their downsizing move in Whitley Bay

Moving home is a big decision, especially if you have lived in a property for a long time. But, if ill health is affecting daily life, or your mobility isn’t what it was, a property can quickly become unsuitable or even a burden.

For Jim and his wife Carol, after living in their sea-side home in Whitley Bay for 45 years, the time had come to move somewhere new that could cater with their ongoing health needs. Not wanting to move too far from the area they knew and loved, the couple began to search for a local retirement community that offered the help and support if they needed. “We had lived in our 3 bed-semi for over 45 years; it was a lovely property, and we really liked its location,” explained Jim. “It was ideal for our family, quiet, but still close enough to all local amenities. Unfortunately, with our health declining in recent years, we both felt it was sensible to think about downsizing and move to a retirement apartment on one level.”

Finding the one   

Staying in a familiar location can very much help downsizing and reduce anxiety around the move, especially if you have ongoing health needs. You get to keep the same doctor for your medical appointments, plus staying local keeps you close to existing support networks of family and friends. And, with the beautiful Whitley Bay coastline on their doorstep, Jim and Carol had their eye on one particular development that ticked all the boxes for them both. “The McCarthy Stone development we chose was very close to our old house, so kept us nice and local to everything. There was a one-bedroom apartment that we both liked, and it offered all the facilities we wanted; it was ideal,” said Jim.  

Keeping things simple              

With their new apartment chosen, Jim and Carol discussed their options with the McCarthy Stone on site. “We explained that we hadn’t put our own house on the market yet and where not in a position to move, so the team suggested we use Part-Exchange,” said Jim. “The Part-Exchange service was offered by McCarthy Stone’s partner, Spring. Using Spring meant we would be able to make the move we wanted and not have to worry about selling our own home in the process. We felt using Spring’s Part-Exchange service would be very convenient for us, and decided it was the right way to go. We had an offer from Spring within days, which we accepted, and the sale of our Whitley Bay semi began very quickly.”

Making the move less stressful

With their home sale guaranteed with Spring, Jim and Carol where able to plan their downsizing journey into their dream retirement apartment by the sea. As a standard feature of Spring’s Part-Exchange service, homeowners are granted a complimentary ‘license to occupy’, which gives access to the old property and the new McCarthy Stone apartment at the same time; meaning moving-out day, doesn’t have to happen simultaneously with moving-in day.  With up to 28 days included in a ‘license to occupy’, you can move when it suits, meaning more time to get organised and far less stress. “We used the license to occupy feature from Spring to help us move, it was very convenient indeed,” said Jim.

A new outlook

Now settled in their new apartment, Jim and Carol are looking forward to this new chapter of their lives.  “The move went very smoothly, we didn’t have any problems at all,” said Jim. “Our new apartment is great, and we love the view we have as it gives us the ability to see what’s going on in the world. I’m glad we’ve made the move and using Part-Exchange made everything a lot easier. Spring where very good at keeping us updated throughout our sale, and I would recommend using Spring’s Part-Exchange service to our family and friends”.

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