Mary explains why Spring Part-Exchange was the best way to sell her home

Moving home at any time of life is a big decision, but for those looking to downsize like Mary, it can be an even bigger decision that can be many years in the making. Deciding to make the move into a smaller, more suitable property, took Mary several years as she juggled the pandemic and her own health issues, to finally find the right time.

With a lifetime of memories to leave behind in her Victorian Nottingham terrace property, it was a difficult decision for Mary to move and one that was full of mixed emotions. But, when the time was right, Mary wanted to live somewhere with the security of someone always on site and not have to worry about the upkeep and expense of an older, larger property anymore.

“I wanted to move for a few years but just couldn't find the right time. I’d seen several attractive McCarthy Stone villages in the Nottingham area, and it was always in the back of my mind that the stairs in my home were not getting any easier, I had some additional health issues and the maintenance that went with my old Victorian house was getting more and more difficult to keep on top of.”

Making the right choice

With four McCarthy Stone sites locally, including a brand-new development that was in the final stages of completion, Mary weighed up which village would suit her best. The development that had caught Mary’s eye was in the popular area of West Bridgford, only 6 miles from where she had lived in her Nottingham terrace for 50 years.

“I don’t drive, so I had to carefully weigh up the pros and cons of each village to make sure I could still get out and about. I visited each on several occasions to give me a better idea of their facilities and what activities were on offer to find which one would suit me the most. I also had to consider nearby bus routes, train stations and how close they were to shops and other local amenities – this was really important to me as I didn’t want to move and be in the middle of nowhere,” explained Mary. “I still wanted to be able to travel or see friends and family easily, so the right location was key.”

Once Mary had found her ideal village, one that ticked all the boxes in terms of location and facilities, she selected a two-bedroom apartment that gave her the flexibility needed to have an office space set up in the second bedroom to continue with her volunteer work for the local council that she could do from home.

Making the move

With the perfect apartment now chosen, Mary wanted to make the move as sooner rather than later and to make the move as stress free as possible, Mary chose to use McCarthy Stone Part-Exchange partner Spring for the sale of her Victorian terrace.

“Choosing Spring’s Part-Exchange was the best way for me to sell my home, it meant I didn’t have to wait to find a buyer via an estate agent, nor did I have to juggle viewings or worry things might fall through and be back to square one. I found it so reassuring using Spring, they answered all my questions really quickly and the team were very helpful. I found dealing with one point of contact and then one solicitor for the sale and purchase, just made everything a lot easier. Plus, I knew my sale was guaranteed and would not fall through, so gave me peace of mind about the whole move.”

A helping hand

To help make Mary’s move into her new apartment even easier, Spring offers a free ‘license to occupy’ feature as standard, which gives sellers access to their existing property for up 28 days post completion. This additional time allows for better planning and an easier move, a feature that downsizers like Mary find particularly appealing.

“Having the extra 28 days to move out of my old house and into my new apartment was wonderful. It was so helpful and made things a lot less stressful. I was able to pop backwards and forwards during that time to measure up for curtains and even took some of my belongings on the bus, or got my friends to help me here and there. It was a massive help and a really great feature of the Part-Exchange service.”

Happy and settled

Now settled in, Mary is enjoying her new life at West Bridgford and is happy that she finally made the move to suit her semi-retired lifestyle.

“I feel really happy here, it’s a very comforting place to be. The location is fantastic and you can socialize as much or as little as you want. The McCarthy Stone house manager is always available and helped me sort a few teething problems when I first moved into the apartment very quickly and efficiently. I’d definitely recommend Spring’s Part Exchange service to anyone who wants to move and downsize, it’s a great option and really suited me and my circumstances. I think Part-Exchange in particular is perfect for those who are elderly, live on their own or don’t have family locally to help with their move – it just takes away a lot of the worry and stress.”

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