12 Apr 2022
Tags: Retirement, Retirement Living, Home Improvements, whole life housing, Kent, Ashford, Ageing Population, Affordability, planning for retirement
Future proofing your home: consider it an investment much like a pension
Alex Davies, Managing Director, Hobbs Parker Estate Agents, speaks from personal experience on a subject few of us like to think about and considers the benefits of planning for the future.
“They'll have to carry me out in a box”. If only I'd had a pound for every home owner that has told me that. But the reality is often much harsher, reducing down to two blunt choices: should I stay in my own home when I'm no longer able to look after myself or should I sell up and move to a care home or somewhere better suited to my needs?
At 54 years old, some might think this is a premature question. The hopeful answer is yes, perhaps it is early, but none of us knows what is around the corner.
Call it thinking ahead without knowing when ahead actually might be.
Over the past few years, I have watched my 92 year old father grapple with deteriorating health and mobility. He has had spells of respite care in a couple of residential homes, which by rights were the best place for him. But they really didn't suit a proudly individual man who values his privacy and sees himself as still mentally agile and capable.
I'm sure that care homes for the elderly are an agreeable option or necessity for many, but for others it is more a matter of individual choice or hard finances.
My visits to the care homes were eye-opening: fantastic staff doing a great job but they were operating in older buildings struggling to facilitate the complex requirements of the residents.
Dad's own home for the last two decades has been a 1930s built 4 bedroom semi. With a downstairs shower room and a re-jig of the dining room into a bedroom, along with – most importantly - brilliant morning carers, we just about manage, but his house is not really adapted in a proper sense.
In ill health or old age our precious homes are not always suitable for our changing needs and many of us don't like to think about it let alone plan for it. So realistically what are the options?
Firstly, are you fit and resilient enough to undertake the task of moving? If so, it's probable that there is somewhere more suitable to go to – smaller, easier to maintain, closer to shops, buses and GP surgeries or nearer to family. But plan ahead and make the move before you are forced into it (and whilst you can still nip up the stairs) – don't be panicked into what could be a hasty, stressful and costly move.
The practical alternative is to actively future proof your home well before your hour of need. And if you can't predict when this will be then do it now and consider it an investment much like a pension. In a rising property market, money put into home improvements will probably re-pay itself two-fold – by adding to the value of your home and by affording you the choice to remain in your own home for longer, avoiding or at least postponing possible care home fees: an investment that buys time and enhances property equity.
In property terms what is future proofing? The answer is multi-fold, not least as there is an element of double-guessing what your future care needs may be. A lot depends on the type of home you live in; how easily can it be adapted? Can you afford to stay or do you need to free up funds for the cost of personal care? If you do decide to sell later, future proofing enhancements could well suit your buyers and allow them to see your home as their own 'whole life' move.
Accept the challenge and get expert help. To get you started, consider these questions:
- How could I live downstairs? Might a stairlift help?
- Can I make wheelchair friendly alterations?
- Do I have space for an overnight carer?
- Will I be warm enough when I move more slowly?
- Can I lower the running costs for when I'm on a fixed income
- Would better technology help?
Future proofing your home doesn't mean turning it into a residential home for the elderly or a hospital ward. Many improvements and alterations can be carried out incognito and used and enjoyed whilst you are fit and healthy.
A ground floor wet room is a practical option for the elderly, families and pet-owners alike. Air source heat pumps save on energy costs. Extra insulation and double glazing add value, warmth and comfort as well as reducing noise and traffic pollution. Boosting floor space with a modest extension might mean a study or guest room for now, but a downstairs bedroom for the future. And who would notice if your doorways were a bit wider than usual?
Modest changes may make it easier to stay put for longer too – use clever or voice-activated apps for controlling lights, heating and even door entry. Infra-red sensors for flushing toilets or turning on taps. Use renewable energy sources where possible to keep down fuel bills. All these changes are good (even fun) to use now and equally are appealing to new buyers further down the line.
In a converse bit of property lore, here in our part of Kent we sell more new-build homes to older buyers, many retiring or downsizing, than to the young people and families for which builders have designed them. It means that many of us are living in houses designed for our younger selves, all of which adds to the sense of disconnect and confusion about housing options for an ageing population.
I don't pretend to be an expert in this field, but I do know that life has a habit of catching us out. What we need is more dedicated housing and communities built for those with needs or future needs; housing that is both attractive and cost effective, In the meantime, I shall be scrutinising my own home, making changes, and also hoping to only leave it when carried out in a box.
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Suitable future-proofing properties currently on the market:
3 Caroland Villas, Smeeth, Kent TN25 6SB - £455,000
Character semi-detached house completely refurbished:
3 bedrooms
2 receptions
Garden + off-street parking
Village location
Future-proofing ranking = good
Already has a downstairs bathroom and there is a choice of using the dining room or sitting room as an extra bedroom
83 Poppymead, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent TN23 3GL - £475,000
Large family home with drive and garage to the rear and, unusually, two front doors:
5 bedrooms
Large main reception room, plus additional upstairs sitting room
Two en-suites + family bathroom
Future-proofing ranking = good
The second front door would allow separate access for carers; and upstairs is already being used as a self-contained 'flatlet' complete with kitchenette
7 Lourdes Manor Close, Sellinge, Kent TN25 6BU - £550,000
Immaculate, modern executive detached house in a quiet cul-de-sac:
3 bedrooms
Large attic room
Spacious kitchen/diner
Conservatory
2 bathrooms
Future-proofing ranking = workable
There is a separate sitting room and a handy downstairs cloakroom
162 Sandyhurst Lane, Ashford, TN25 4NX - £565,000
Deceptively spacious, detached chalet style bungalow in a semi-rural, edge of town location:
3 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
3 receptions
Future-proofing ranking = excellent
All the work has already been done, with a large ground floor master bedroom with en-suite plus a wet room. Perfect!
Sakura, Charing Heath, Kent TN27 0AU - £750,000
Dramatic detached chalet style bungalow offering flexible living and an easy walk to the pub:
4 bedrooms
3 bathrooms
3 reception rooms
Future-proofing ranking = excellent
There is already a sizeable ground floor bedroom and a glamorous shower room.
For further comment or to interview Alex Davies, please contact Sally Randall on:
E: sally.randall40@gmail.com
M: 0797 1095078
T: 01233 860670
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