Should You Continue Work When In Retirement?

According to research more than a third of UK adults will continue to work when in retirement.

More than 16,000 people in 15 countries were interviewed and showed that only 29% of UK workers will completely stop working when they are in their retirement age, while 36% said they will work part time or will be looking for a temporary contracts and 14% hope to work in some capacity during retirement. Many of these people are likely to start drawing income from pension in order to supplement their part time earnings.

The shift in government pension reforms is aimed to provide greater pensions flexibility in terms that people will be able to take money from the pension pots before retirement age. However, it is likely that people who do not earn enough might use income from their pension in order to supplement their part time income. 

Another change in pension reforms is that people are allowed to continue making pension contributions of up to £10,000 each year, therefore although people are allowed to take money from their pension pots, they are allowed to top pension pot still.

The survey has also revealed that only 12% people planned their retirement, while 39% have no plan. According to Macmillan, it is important to have a retirement plan as the pension reforms has changed so it is important to make the best of pension income.

Searching for retirement destinations?

Increasing numbers of retirees are relocating to resorts and coastal towns according to one of retirement rentals company. Most popular destinations in the UK for seniors this year include Bournemouth, London, Cheltenham, Eastbourne, Exeter followed by Pool, Porthsmouth Torquay, Bromley and Southport.

People who are willing to sell property in Oxford or other towns before Christmas and consider moving to assisted living homes should start listing their property on the market by 28 September on average according to Move with Us. Some property sellers might need to put their property on market even earlier – those living in North East should list property around 9^th August, those in Wales 18^th August.

Inside one of the most exclusive homes ONE HYDE PARK

The building in London is one of the most exclusive and super private home called One Hyde Park. One Hyde Park is the first residential building in London that will merge super luxury hotel services with residential living areas.  

The luxury new development is based in the heart of London overlooking Knightsbridge and Hyde Park. The building was completed in 2011, featuring steel-and-glass material and containing 86 apartments and 3 exclusive boutiques within 4 pavilions. Some of the units were on the world’s records with a square foot priced at £7,500. 

Apart from super luxurious apartments in London centre, building’s residents have an access to communal gym as well as pool. Some apartments have incorporated a private gym facing Knightsbridge. Moreover, a spa can be found including a nail salon, a massage room, showers with body jets, thus residents can enjoy spa treatments without leaving home. The residential development has been built considering every aspects – including perfect location, the views over Knightsbridge and Hyde Park. 

Augmented Reality Property App - Best Way to Sell Properties

New home builders can now take an advantage of a new digital marketing app. The old ways of marketing and promoting properties with a glossy brochures or show home are being replaced slowly with a new ones that allows customer to view houses or apartments via Virtual View. The app allows a smart phone or tablet to take a picture of a paper version and get a 3D image of the object together with social media feeds, street view and Google maps. People will be able to zoom and look at the property closer and read and write reviews instantly. The creators of this virtual app app are not expecting this new digital marketing app to become popular way instantly, they hope that the new way of viewing properties will definitely be popular in the future. 

The Older Generation and it's Impact On Society in England

The ratio of people over 65 has increased dramatically in the last 50 years and is likely to increase even more in the next 10 or more years.

It is predicted that 1 in 4 people will be aged 65 or more, while people aged over 85 will take 7% of the population.

Therefore, as the numbers of older people increase dramatically, the costs to support people who need healthcare will rise accordingly. The previous head of the NHS has claimed that the likelihood of crisis will be the result if the system will not have an increase in funding.

Thus, as the numbers of an increased older population is rising in England, it is important to make sure that the rising demands will be met. 

(theguardian, 2014 June)

Quality of Care Service Should be Improved

The good care guide suggests that children are getting a better standard of care than elderly people with 88% of nurseries and 91% of nanny agencies achieving top approval ratings in quality of care, care homes only receive 78% in contrast.

31% of home care agencies are described as having poor or bad levels of care. Another third described them as poor or bad value for money.These results reveal a lack of investment in the care industry with calls for a drastic change to quality of staff, feedback and other areas.

A lot of the public opinion suggests a belief that the care industry is more focused on money than quality of care. Complaints of poor care and mismanaged medication are frequent, poor communication and rough staff.

High turnover for carers, zero hour contracts and unfair expectations are said to be a major cause of this. Care needs more investment and while childcare is rapidly improving and seeing massive investments, care for the elderly is not.

However, the growing number of assisted living developments are designed to provide the best quality of service to older people.

Rise in Houses Prices Doubles

House prices continue to increase - house prices from 2013 May has increased by 11.1% compared to 2014 May. According to Nationwide, a home price on average is £186,512. Also it is expected that demand for homes is likely to stay strong as the labour market condition is improving and mortgage rates are low.

House purchase activity is mostly driven by first-time buyers that take around 48%. Most of the first-time buyers are over 30 years old -  it is expected that the phenomenon will not change soon as younger people still face problems with employment opportunities also student debts makes it unlikely to see increasing numbers of first-time buyers under 30.

Later living apartments In the UK

Retirement villages are still considered to be a relatively new development in the UK (Croucher, 2006), however the impact they give on people’s health and quality of life in general is significant.

It not only provides decent apartments to elderly people but also contributes to people’s health status and quality of life that is delivered through socializing.

Also since there is a shortage of homes suitable for later life in the UK, the number of retirement villages is increasing each year. These villages varies from large to smaller ones. Bigger retirement villages usually provide a wider range of activities and facilities.

Later Living Apartments in Somerset provide 1-2 bedroom apartments in beautiful and convenient location.

Later Living homes in Woodbridge, Suffolk offers 1-2 bedroom apartments that are cosy and bright, designed by professionals.

Retirement apartments Suffolk

Independent living apartments in Sussex are one of the most popular locations for retirees. 

 

Interesting Facts About Aging

People tend to get happier when they get older. 

According to a new research that was based on 340,000 Americans aged between 18 and 85 has revealed that people become happier in their later age. The life is quite content for people aged 18 – people tend to be concerned about all negative things that happens, however it is mainly till the age of 50. After the age of 50, people tend to see the world not as troublesome as before 50.

 

People who think about falling over usually fall over more frequently.

Stay positive – negative things might cause negative consequences. 500 people aged 70-90 were surveyed by the University of South Wales, and revealed that people who were usually anxious about falling over actually do that as often as those who were not worrying about it.

The teeth of older people gets less sensitive

The reason is that the inner hard tissue becomes stronger - as it is formed between the teeth enamel and nerves it does protect teeth from being too sensitive.

Expected world population of older people rise

It is expected the world’s population of people aged over 60 is going to increase by 11% between 2000 and 2050, meaning that the number of people aged over 60 will increase from 605 million to about 2 billion.

The need for long-term care is going to increase

As there will be more people who live longer (more people will get to their 80s and 90s), the need for care is expected to increase significantly. Because of the increasing number of seniors who will not be able to live independently as they will have limited mobility as well as mental and other health issues, there will be an increase in home nursing, assisted living, retirement villages and other care institutions. 

Britain's Most Expensive Locations for Property

According to a research, the price of 1 sq.metre of property in Chelsea and Kensington is around 13 times more expensive in comparison with the properties based in the cheapest locations. The most expensive locations in Britain covers London boroughs together with South-East part of the country. 

Housing market faces a challenge as it is lacking the new constructions, therefore the demand is not met, therefore the increasing price levels in property is constant until the demand is met, especially in the South area. 

According to Halifax house price figures, the most expensive price for 1 sq.metre was £10,854 for the property in West London. Other most expensive locations are considered to be Fullham & Hammersmith and Westminster with the price of around £8350 per one square metre. 

As Halifax results have shown, the property price per square meter has increased by 13% since 2009 in Britain, while the most significant increase was for Great London with a percentage of  34. 

Although some parts of London seems to be the most expensive in Britain, the price of property in South East is also high. 

The Efficient Homes – Operating With Little Waste

I have found an interesting article on Time magazine (7^th- 14th July, 2014) by B. Walsh about energy saving homes in the US so I have decided to share it with you.

A significant contribution towards environmental issues has been addressed by a community in Austin, Texas. In this community more electricity is produced rather than used, which is an outcome of solar roof panels installed in apartments. For example, so called Green House which is on an energy experiment generates more than 75% of the power it uses. The owners of this property are able to track the electricity used in real time, meaning that they can see changes in levels of electricity whenever someone open a refrigerator and a light bulb is on.

The benefits of tracking electricity used at home helps to understand the patterns and solve further problems. As the usage of electricity is monitored for hundreds of households in Austin, researchers can identify why and when electricity is most used and then provide that could make our power less harmful to the environment as well as less expensive.

The special devices allows researchers to see the exact amount of electricity used on selected subjects in real time, also observers can see how the use of electricity changes regarding day time, weather patterns or possibly the change in power price.  

Home developments apartments

Apartments for sale near Seaford

Wonderful new apartments designed by the award-winning architects available near Seaford, these developments are well located and are close to the picturesque beaches. Apart from an exciting landscape that this area is famous for, the residents of Hortsley apartments can also take an advantage of the local community that are welcoming and friendly.

Apartments are ideal for older people as it not as crowded as Eastbourne or Brighton and it still has an amazing view by the wonderful coastal scenery and it is perfect location where the pace of life is relaxed.

More information about the property available near Seaford are available on Hortsley website.

Hortsley Apartments