After a lifetime of work, Jozef Devriese and Jenny Dumortier decided their large home had become too much house for the life they wanted. The couple, both 76, sold their place in Gits, West Flanders, and moved about 146 miles away to a chalet in Biron, in Belgium’s Luxembourg province.
Their story is not just about finding a cheap home. It is about a quieter retirement choice that many older homeowners eventually face. How much space do you really want when spare rooms, repairs, and weekend chores start feeling like a second job?
A bargain in the Ardennes
The couple paid barely €140,000 for a two-bedroom chalet that was ready to move into, according to the report. That equals about $164,000 using the European Central Bank’s euro-to-dollar reference rate for May 13, 2026.
The land measured 3,000 square meters, or about 32,300 square feet. That is roughly three-quarters of an acre, enough space for privacy, fresh air, and the kind of quiet that can feel priceless after years of working life.
“Even then, we thought it was a bargain,” the couple said. The purchase happened 13 years ago, so the number should not be read as a current real estate guide, but it explains why their move still catches attention today.
Why they left Gits?
Their former home had four bedrooms, an office, and a double garage. On paper, that sounds comfortable. In daily life, it meant upkeep, cleaning, repairs, and a lot of space they no longer needed.
The couple said the house required too much maintenance, and they no longer wanted to spend their retirement dealing with it. “We wanted to enjoy life,” they said.
That line is simple, but it carries the whole story. Retirement is not only about where people live. It is also about what they stop carrying, from household clutter to the constant pressure of maintaining a property built for another stage of life.
Not quite emigration
Their move was not a move abroad in the strict sense. They stayed in Belgium, but shifted from one region and rhythm of life to another, away from their old home base in West Flanders and into the Ardennes.
Still, the story touches a bigger question for many retirees. Should the next chapter happen near the old neighborhood, closer to family, in a cheaper area, or even across a border?
Deutsche im Ausland e. V., an organization that supports German speakers abroad, says retirees may sometimes find lower rents, cheaper medications, lower care costs, or more comfortable senior care in another country. But that promise comes with a warning. A lower price tag does not remove the need for planning.
The rules still matter
For people thinking about a cross-border retirement inside the European Union, the legal side can be easier than moving across the world. But it is not automatic in every detail.
The European Union’s Your Europe portal says pensioners can live in another EU country if they have full health insurance in the host country and enough income to avoid needing public support there. After three months, some countries may also require residents to register with local authorities.
That sounds dry, but it matters. Nobody wants to discover a missing document after selling a house, moving furniture, and trying to settle into a new village.
The budget comes first
A retirement move can look like a lifestyle decision, but it is also a math problem. In practical terms, that means comparing pension income, savings, home sale proceeds, insurance, taxes, moving costs, and an emergency fund before falling in love with a listing.
The $164,000 conversion is also only a modern reference point. Exchange rates change, bank fees vary, and a home bought 13 years ago may not reflect today’s local market.
That is why the real lesson is not “go buy the same chalet.” The lesson is to understand the full cost of the life you want, not just the sticker price of the house.
Language and health care
Money is only part of the move. Language can be easy at the supermarket and much harder at the doctor’s office, especially when someone is sick, worried, or dealing with official forms.
For retirees, that can become more than an inconvenience. A new home should feel peaceful, but peace is harder to find when every appointment, insurance question, or legal notice becomes a translation puzzle.
Health care deserves the same attention. Before moving, retirees need to know who covers them, where they can get treatment, what paperwork is required, and how care would work if one partner suddenly needed help.
Family ties still count
Jozef and Jenny have not cut off their old life completely. They still go back occasionally, including when Jenny has a hair appointment, and they use those trips to stay with their daughter.
That small detail makes the story feel real. Retirement moves are often presented as clean breaks, but many people still need a bridge back to family, familiar routines, and the places that shaped them.
For older couples, that connection can matter as much as the new address. A beautiful setting is valuable, but so is knowing who can visit, who can help, and how far away home really feels when life gets complicated.
A smaller home, a bigger life
A chalet on nearly three-quarters of an acre still brings work. There is land to manage, weather to deal with, and the normal wear and tear of any home.
But compared with a large house with four bedrooms, an office, and a double garage, the move gave the couple a simpler way to live. Less house can mean fewer obligations, and fewer obligations can mean more time for ordinary pleasures.
At the end of the day, that is what makes their story travel beyond Belgium. It is not just about a bargain in the Ardennes. It is about choosing a home that fits the life you actually want to live.
The main report by Carina Blumenroth has been published in Focus Online.
