This New Homes Week, the UK’s leading retirement housebuilder, McCarthy & Stone, is putting the spotlight on retirees, with five steps to successfully downsizing to a luxury newly built home.
Experience the lifestyle:
Downsize with confidence by experiencing the lifestyle you could ultimately enjoy in a newly built apartment. At McCarthy & Stone, we offer the opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ and to spend a night or two at your chosen development.
Not only does this give you the chance to take a closer look at the build quality and specification of the homes available, you can also meet your potential neighbours, get a feel for the social events and activities which take place at the development, and even get to know the local area a little better.
Plan early:
An early reservation on a retirement property or apartment gives you the pick of available plots; and it’s worth considering buying off plan so you can be sure to secure the property which has the best aspect and layout for you.
We offer a deposit as low as £500 to reserve your new home; and a dedicated Customer Support Executive is there every step of the way to ensure your move runs smoothly, and to update you on each stage of the construction.
Consider a Smooth Move service:
Take some of the hassle out of downsizing by taking advantage of the Moving Solutions services some retirement developers offer. Our Smooth Move scheme has removal experts who can pack homeowner’s belongings, help de-clutter if they wish, transport everything safely to their new home, and even do the unpacking too! We can even provide handymen to help with tasks such as hanging pictures, mirrors etc. – so your new apartment feels like home in no time.
There’s help at every stage too, as the scheme sees us contribute £2,500 towards estate agent fees and £1,000 towards legal fees, subject to the terms and conditions on its website.
Reduce your outgoings:
After you’ve downsized to a retirement property or apartment, take advantage of free advice on the benefits you might be entitled to. Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions reveal the retired population fail to apply for over £5 billion in benefits they are entitled to, because they are not aware of the financial support available to them.
We offer a free, confidential entitlements advice service which has helped homeowners claim over £5 million in benefits over the last five years. All McCarthy & Stone homeowners have access to support to help them understand which benefits they are entitled to and how much financial support they can expect to receive. Even if they are not entitled to receive certain benefits straight away after downsizing, if their situation changes in the future it’s worth a conversation with our dedicated Entitlements Advisors.
Spend more time doing the things you love:
Use downsizing as an opportunity to free up some of your spare time to concentrate on the hobbies you enjoy, or to spend more time with family and friends.
With all McCarthy & Stone apartments, the external maintenance and upkeep to the communal gardens is taken care of, so homeowners don’t have to lift a finger. Apartments are specifically designed to be as low maintenance as possible, and there are dedicated House Managers, 24-hour emergency call points, and secure entry systems in place, meaning homeowners are free to come and go as they please, or to lock up and leave for a summer holiday knowing everything is safe, secure and completely taken care of.
Can downsizing your property change your life: www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk/life-and-living/explore/lifestyle/downsizing-can-it-change-your-life/
For more information on our portfolio of Retirement Living, Retirement Living Plus and Lifestyle Living apartments, please go to www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk or call 0800 201 4811.