Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Deed I do. I find that I am learning more about our beloved country than I ever did when I lived there and getting a good handle on what each area has to offer, property prices etc. and conversely, the disadvantages of certain places.
In my property search around Lewes, it appears that the whole town/village of Peacehaven is for sale and even though it is right beside the sea, seems quite unappealing. I am wondering what is causing the mass sale of properties there? Flooding? "Chavs" :D from Brighton? I also find the properties that I could afford in that area quite bland and although they would be quite serviceable I am looking for something that, at least to me, really feels like home and has some uniqueness, as that little cottage in the Cotswolds did.
I have to be careful as there were several properties that would "do" but I know that ultimately they would not be satisfying to me.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

I get the impression that Peacehaven is a characterless blob with no real heart with streets criss-crossing akin to downtown Manhattan. Can't tell why there are so many selling-up.

Some areas around Brighton have horrific chav and yob culture problems but I'm not exactly sure where.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Ah yes, I remember Merrydown! :lol: Saturday nights at the King's Head in Bedford - wall to wall people smoking Gauloise Disque Bleu. :D

I am really looking forward to the accessibility of good wines at a reasonable price in the UK. I had a conversation about it with the chap at the local liquor store and he agreed. He said that the best French wine in the UK was about 1/3 the price that we would pay for it here.

We do have a good selection of ciders here. The Okanagan ones are too sweet for me. I prefer a nice dry English type of cider myself. The Okanagan does have some wonderful award winning wines though.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Oooohhh! That takes me back a bit! I remember my French fiance smoking Gauloise! I LOVED the smell of those cigarettes.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Well ,we came to this tiny town about 6 and a bit years ago...hoping that it would be better for the children :)

In some ways it is ,but anyway we are done :rofl:

My husband grew up here ,left in '78~ decided never to come back ...he took himself to Brasil and travelled the world with work .
We met in '94 (in Japan ) he followed me back to the UK where we stayed till '05 .

Things have never been that great for us here ,family wise ~job wise ...the list goes on right ?

I think we were very brave to attempt it ,now we have to give the UK another chance .
My Mum will be 70 next year ,I want to be closer to her and my sister (she lives in Norway ) My Dad has offered to put us up till we get on our feet ....not that easy as my DH is 52 now ;)

Well, that wraps it up (for now) ~there is a lot more but I think it would become like a novel if I continue :rofl:

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

With all the ferry routes into France you can run over and grab loads of cheapo but good in the duty-free shops in Calais, Dieppe, Roscoff too, when you're running low and Majestic doesn't have it on special.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

I'm not sure what you have gleaned from your searches over the last week but I get a sense that the Cotswolds is way up there with Buckinghamshire as a highly priced area in general.

Back when property prices dipped after the financial crisis first hit in 2007 there were anxious buyers who leaped into buying their Cotswolds dream homes early as they hadn't seen the prices on offer at those levels for such a while on quality homes and simply didn't want to miss-out on the opportunity to buy what they could now afford.

Check this listing of the reasons people move home in the UK.

#1 and 2 fit with my understanding that it was to move into a "dream" home.

1. More Space

2. Upgrade/change

3. Schools

4. “The neighbourhood’s changed”

5. Job relocation

6. Coupling up

7. Splitting up

8. Less space

9. Retirement

10. Health problems

11. Work required – One person’s ‘do-er upper’ is another person’s nightmare, so some people leave it to those who want to take on the project, and move on to pastures new.

12. A project – Property renovation is more popular than ever, and with plenty of old houses in the country there are plenty to choose from! Similarly, building your dream home from scratch is also quite popular.

13. Family

14. Releasing equity

15. A change in lifestyle

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Yes, a novel for me, too ;)

Good for you in giving it another shot in the UK. I think this country, the USA, may have been good at one time for earning power in certain fields but for the majority those days are long gone. When that power disappears, you begin to see there's little left.

I think you are doing a very wise thing in going back while you still have family back there who can help you get back on your feet. Believe me, if I had someone I could stay with for a few months until I found a job, I would be long gone.

I think DDL and her spouse are around the same age as you and your hubby and they found jobs. You will, too. :)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

But I am just 39 :rofl: but you are right ~they did find work :)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Then, if you are only 39, I think it would be even easier to find a job over there. I really do.

I just KNOW this will work out for you and your family :)

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

For Ronnie Corbett and British humour fans!

ttp://www.flixxy.com/my-blackberry-is-not-working.htm

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Didn't work.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

Has anyone worked out the necessary for living in the UK such as what is your budget for buying or renting and are you comfortable with the answer?

We have written on here about the places to eat with fine food but do you think you will have the excess money to do all that? Just sayin'

A damper is going over there to work which is different than going over there to play. Just sayin'

Where am I coming from? Well I looked up and did the conversion to dollars for the different places to rent and with the council tax it could ad up to 50% of the income. That brings me to another thing and that is about the pension over there and if I read it right they receive pittance in comparison to the US.

Now some of those who have returned have been fortunate to go home to Mom but my Mom isn't around anymore so we would be on our own and there are few things worst than seeing all the good things and knowing you can't have them so thats why we are on this list. Its like marriage and before you get married you have to have your eyes wide open and then after your married you have to keep them half shut.

I am looking forward to the time I can return but I have to be realistic.

Note to Linda. We all three of us were out pulling weeds today for the second day and I think we can finish it tomorrow but I think the idea of a condo and no gardening sounds good for the future in the UK.

Cheers

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CCIQ8wIwAA#

Try one of these indispensible garden tools. It will save you days of weeding.

Re: OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK - Part II
 

I am on the same page as you with this one, Cheers. I will be making the move alone and I have to be able to support myself over there, should I manage to make the move before the age of 62. It's very worrisome. My parents had a lovely home over there and I had a university education. I would like to think I can return to a similar standard of living. I don't want to be living in or anywhere near what I remember as those tenement flats that Glasgow used to have - may still have them, for all I know. Sometimes it feels as if I can't win here and I won't win there either. It's a topic of great concern. I'd like to go there with job in hand but it sounds just about impossible to do from this end. Even then, what will be the income and what will be its buying power.

Regarding your other topic, do they have condos in the UK nowadays?