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Viator's latest comments
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27th Mar 2018Viator commented on:
Starting AgainI have moved many, many times, here and abroad. The one thing I have learned in engaging in such an adventure is that adventure rarely comes with certainty. You have to decide which is more important to you - you are never going to satisfy fully the dilemmas posed in your questions. I am male, about to turn sixty. I am very happy with my own company so making new friends was never a priority or concern for me - if it is for you, then living in a rural area (I do) may not be for you, but then there is no guarantee being in a populous area will lead to friendships; it really boils down to how much effort you wish to make. I have lived here for three years, but I am making preparations to leave, buy a place abroad to use as a base, then travel as much as I can before I am claimed by the 'dribble factory'. Having no dependants, I can do that, but you have family - only you know how well that family works and whether you all benefit from being in close proximity. You are in an exciting position, but, as you are finding, it can be mildly terrifying, too. As you are so unsure, and if your finances can bear it, my advice is to rent for a few months in any area that appeals before buying. Good luck.ViewDate:
27th Mar 2018Viator commented on:
MOVING HOME ALONE ......AND TO A NEW PART OF THE COUNTRYHello. I am, by nature, adventurous and love to travel - I think I should have been a cowboy in the 1800s, constantly 'movin' on', I have moved homes many times, including abroad, so view myself as having a fair bit of experience to pass on; I hope the following helps. The two main aspects to your proposed change are selling your home and moving to a different area. A word of caution about selling your home: If, overall, you enjoy your home and area you live in - we all occasionally get a bit fed up with the same daily surroundings - then I would think very seriously before selling your home. I cannot begin to stress the advantages of owning the place in which you live - it is yours, no-one can tell you what to do with it, nor what you can't. Renting may seem viable in this instance, but you surrender a certain peace of mind when you do. Now, to balance that - I rent; I have a very good landlord who appreciates I am a excellent tenant, so there no problems as far as that is concerned, however, I have also had a very poor landlady who started out okay, but then changed completely and made my life a misery for a while - it is pot luck in that respect, though to be fair, the good to 'okay' landlords probably far outweigh the poor ones. Freeing your home's capital is, well, freeing - it is what I did, but I also have a private pension that tops up my funds - you need to consider the long term implications: at present, unless you have a big mortgage, your 'rent' is zero or fairly negligible, I cannot imagine renting anywhere in your proposed area will come in much under £600 per month for rent alone, £7,200 per year, £36,000 over 5 years. - will your new-found finances bear that? You wish to free funds to allow greater expenditure - I can tell you from experience (not mine, a friend's) having a sizeable pot to draw from can lead to temptation, he spent his in a relatively short space of time and is now, in effect, broke. Moving to a new area IS exciting, but it will not necessarily solve your feelings of being 'isolated'. I am very happy with my own company so do not feel a need to seek out acquaintances, and so on, but you are not like that and the problems you encounter at present MAY remain with the added disadvantage of not knowing anyone at all. I am sorry to sound a tad pessimistic, but I have a solid rule of thumb that has served me well: Better to begin with doubts before proceeding with certainty. Much of what we do in life is made or broken by our attitudes, if you truly feel your current mode of living is truly no longer tenable or desirable AND are the sort who can rise to a challenge, then I say grasp it with both hands, if, however - and this is my concern for you - you are just a bit fed up with your circumstances and feel a change will solve that... well, it might, but it also might not. Life, as you are no doubt aware, is very short and needs to be grasped by the throat, my instinct is to say 'do it', but only you know whether you actually want to for sound reasons AND have the tenacity to see it through. Whatever you decide, I wish you luck. I hope this has helped, if I can further assist you in making this life-changing decision, I'd be happy to lend a listening ea along with Fe ' war stories' about the advantages and the pitfalls. Regards, Alan.