From Downsizing to Rightsizing - Retired Teachers Find Their Ideal Family-Focused Home at Hareshill

Four years after swapping their family home in Kent for a bungalow, retired primary school teachers Julia (65) and Michael (74) found their lifestyle had evolved once again, and they needed a new home that better suited their needs.

Rightsizing Your Home to Suit your Lifestyle

With one son living in Finland and the other settled in Church Crookham with his own family, they decided it was time to "rightsize" into a home that better suited this new chapter of life and meant they could entertain friends and family again.

After moving in with their son and daughter-in-law while searching for their next home, and enduring an unexpectedly long year of collapsing property chains, Julia and Michael finally found their ideal three-bedroom home at Hareshill, a stylish new community by Berkeley in Crookham Village.

Earlier Downsizing from Family home to two-bedroom home

The Hayes’ previous home was a detached two-bedroom bungalow with sizable garden in Maidstone, Kent, where they lived for four years after downsizing from their four-bedroom family home.

Julia comments: "After moving out of London in the 80s to Kent, we raised our two sons in our lovely, detached family home. Somewhere like that naturally holds so many important memories, but for us there came a certain point where our lives had moved on with the wider family and it simply no longer matched the chapter we were in, so we decided to downsize to a bungalow. But we soon realised that Kent wasn’t where we wanted to be, and we would love to be closer to our family. With our grandchildren now aged six and three, we felt it was time to sell up and be closer to our son, daughter-in-law and our granddaughters in Hampshire."

Michael adds: “Though we were in an advantageous position with our mortgage-free search having sold the family home so quickly, over the course of the following year we were let down twice in lengthy buying chains. Those hiccups prompted us to properly consider new-builds as a more secure route back onto the ladder, as we knew we would have much less hassle during the buying journey, and would be chain-free.”

Low Maintenance Benefits of a New Build Home

In total, the couple viewed eight homes in Fleet before they discovered Hareshill. What struck them both was the low-maintenance lifestyle on offer with a home which came brand-new and designed with the finer details in mind.

Julia says: “Our previous home had a large garden that had become increasingly difficult to maintain. Although bungalows are often seen as great for retirement, we wanted a home where our grandchildren could come and stay, and a more manageable garden that wouldn’t take over our weekends! Our new home is perfect for this: a new, low-maintenance home, finished with a minimalist, light-filled Scandinavian-inspired interior that includes large windows and gorgeous high ceilings. The open-plan living space is something we fell in love with straight away because it's so well thought out, with high ceilings that make everything feel light and airy. It’s the impressive attention to detail in every corner of the home that we just love.”

Transport Connections in Hareshill

Beyond the house itself, the easy access to open nature at Hareshill really won the couple over.

Julia comments: “Just five minutes' walk from our new home is Edenbrook Country Park, which is acres of parkland, woodland and lakes; it’s wonderful having that right on our doorstep. Also, within the development itself, once the footpaths and play areas are finished it will all link up beautifully and will be the perfect place to take the grandchildren when we look after them. There will also be play areas and a sports field, which is brilliant for having people over and enjoying afternoons together. Our grandchildren love coming to visit, and the whole family has really taken to it here."

A Friendly Community

For Julia and Michael, the move has delivered exactly what they hoped for in retirement.

Michael says: “We’ve found a stylishly finished, low-maintenance home close to family, but also to our surprise, a genuine sense of community. We were warmly welcomed onto a WhatsApp group with our neighbours, many of whom are of a similar age and stage of life, and we’ve already gone for a meal at the local pub together. That social aspect has been a real gift at the end of our homebuying journey, and we very much look forward to all that our next chapter in Crookham Village has to offer.”

Customer Service Benefits of Berkeley

Speaking of buying with Berkeley, Julia concludes: “We couldn’t be happier with the service provided by Berkeley; from the start of the buying process to the end and beyond, they have been exceptional. They go above and beyond for their customers, and we would highly recommend buying a home from them to anyone.”

New Build Homes at Hareshill in Fleet

Hareshill is a brand-new collection of one-to-five-bedroom homes in Crookham Village, surrounded by beautiful countryside and within walking distance to Edenbrook Country Park. Just a five-minute drive from Fleet Town Centre, the development sits in close proximity to excellent schools, including Calthorpe Park School. Commuters also benefit easy access to London, with a direct service to London Waterloo from Fleet Station in 40 minutes.

Prices at Hareshill start from £675,000 for a three-bedroom home. For more information, please visit the Hareshill development page.