Retirement Property Open Day Coming To Windsor
An Open Day event is being held on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 January at Castle View, a new age-exclusive development just a mile from the centre of Windsor.
Castle View Windsor is a retirement village where the emphasis is on living rather than retirement, offering a range of contemporary one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments priced from £375,000.
Post-Christmas traditionally brings an uptick in interest in downsizing to retirement property, often resulting from families getting together during the festivities and spending more time with aged relatives giving rise to concern about how they are coping living on their own.
Concerns are about whether an elderly mum, dad, aunt or uncle is eating properly, at risk of falling, or simply less able to care for themselves, their home and garden, along with the big one, are they lonely especially if having lost a partner?
“Getting to grips with the issues of ‘getting old’ is never easy,” said Robin Hughes, CEO of Castle View, Windsor. “It’s highly emotive, and accepting the need to downsize and getting the timing right is hard.
“But there is a whole new and enjoyable life to be had. Taking the decision and making the move while you’re still able will ensure there is a better, less worry-filled life to be enjoyed. And there is certainly an argument for downsizing sooner rather than later to help ward off the risk of becoming lonely. ‘I wish I’d made the move sooner’, is so often said by our property owners.”
He added: “We can foresee an increase in demand for retirement living property in 2022. There must be thousands of people in their 60s and 70s who put off moving due to Covid. Throughout the past two years those in this retirement age demographic were understandably risk averse. They didn’t want to go out and look at new properties, and certainly didn’t want anyone coming in to view their current home. That is now starting to change, and I predict that this bulge in latent interest will sweep through the sector during the year as these prospective downsizers decide they have put off moving for long enough, and that now is the time to get on with it.”
Find out more at www.castleviewwindsor.co.uk.
Carole and John Hodges
Case study: Carole and John
Keen gardeners Carole and John Hodges now have an L-shaped balcony surrounding their apartment at Castle View full of plants brought from their old house, along with lots of new ones bought locally.
“If I knew how strong the balcony was, I’d have brought many more with me!” said Carole, 79. She and husband John, 80, moved to Windsor in May from their large bungalow and garden near Stoke Mandeville, which had been home for 35 years.
“Moving house and downsizing after so long was awful,” said John. “It was emotional and difficult getting rid of things in the middle of Covid, and everything brought back memories. It wasn’t easy, but we settled in quickly and have absolutely no regrets. We do miss our old neighbours, but it’s lovely having people around us here, along with the facilities such as the bar and restaurant, and everyone is so friendly and welcoming.
“We can walk to the doctor and dentist, and we’re looking forward to further exploring Windsor and the Great Park. We see a lot more of our daughter and grandchildren too, which is wonderful.
“In fact, it was our daughter who arranged everything. She identified Castle View as somewhere she wanted us to move to as it was being built, and sold us on the idea very early on. We were starting to struggle with the old place, and we certainly don’t miss the garden maintenance and worry about cleaning the gutters and other external jobs.”
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