The recent downturn in the property market hasn’t seemed to of hit my family. My sister and I have both moved houses and now my parents and my brother in law are both looking to move.  My brother in law is looking to move away from renting.  My parents are looking to move because of their sudden change in circumstances.

My parents have jumped on the moving house bandwagon.  First I buy a house quickly followed by my sister.  Recently my brother in law started looking for a house.  Now my parents have decided that now all their children have moved out they need something different.

I grew up in a nice detached house in a quite cul de sac, it was good for my parents then as it has an open plan downstairs (easy to keep an eye on the kids) but now that we have both moved out, our rooms have been converted into other things, my room into a dining room and my sisters room into my grandmas room.  The house layout and facilities is no longer practical for my parents and my grandma all living together. 

They do not need the same amount of room anymore, although room for a granny flat, type building would be handy. Since they have paid off the mortgage on the house they own, downsizing would let them to get the cash for their home in order to enjoy life a bit more. 

This is certainly my fathers plan, but my mum would rather get a nicer (therefore more expensive) house and has even looked for some mortgages that offer the best deals.  They should get a good deal, since according to latest news about mortgages there has been a significant decrease in mortgage lending this year, and they have don’t have to worry about being in the position of getting a mortgage while being labelled as having bad credit. 

It will be sad to not be able to visit the home I grew up in, but whether they decide to move up the property ladder or down, I know the move will make them happy, and that’s the main thing.