When the shoe no longer fits

Sometimes our homes can get too big for us, meaning it’s time to downsize. Here, we speak to those involved with the process

- James Fisher

IT happened really quite quickly I think,’ says Nick Hewer. ‘I’m going to be 80 in February, so something clicked. The clock went “tick” and we realised that we can’t keep on managing this.’ To most people, the idea of owning a property such as Nick’s Park Farm, with its seven bedrooms, swimming pool, tennis court and 12 acres of land in Northamptonshire, would be a fairytale. It’s easy, when flicking through the pages of property advertisements and editorial in this very magazine, to get jealous about the space and lifestyle on offer. But at the same time, for many, including the former Apprentice adviser and Countdown host, there comes a time when it all gets a bit too much. ‘At the moment, we’ve got two gardeners coming twice a week, and it’s still a struggle to keep the grass down, or the hedges cut, or keep the pond clean,’ he adds. For as much as you admire the beautiful properties for sale in these pages and may think ‘who would dare leave such a paradise’, the answer may often be people looking to downsize.