Retirement age might be 60-plus, but there’s an emerging trend for “Over 50s” to pack up their homes in favour of communities traditionally reserved for those in their twilight years.
So much so that they’re not even called “retirement villages” any more.
Rather, developers are preferring to call them “lifestyle communities” for over 50s. And if 50 is the new 40, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was just one big party.
Chambers Pines, an over 50s lifestyle community at Chambers Flat, has seen a 15 per cent increase in sales, all from people still in the workforce.
Sales manager Lynda Ruddell said the change in demographic proved over 50s villages weren’t just for retirees. They were for people looking for a vibrant community lifestyle.
“Many of our residents are in their 50s and although our community has typically been home to retirees, we’ve seen a noticeable increase in enquiries from a younger demographic who are still working,” she said.
“It’s a great opportunity for younger buyers looking ahead to their retirement while retaining their independence, and our residents are really a social bunch— there’s no shortage of fun.”
Deb Welch and her partner Chris Frehmann, some of the youngest women in the community, are both still working but were looking to downsize to find an easy solution to transition comfortably into their future retirement.
“We’re big travellers and often found that when we came back from trips, we weren’t using our whole house – we decided that we really wanted to downsize, and we found Ingenia Lifestyle,” Ms Welch said.
“We usually travel overseas every year but with COVID-19 we haven’t been able to, so we’re saving even more – we might even use those savings to retire earlier,” she said.
Chambers Pines is managed by Ingenia Lifestyle, a company which offers a land lease model which the company argues offers a stress-free option enabling tenants to focus on social and lifestyle goals.
“Transitioning into our retirement was definitely on our radar when we moved here,” Ms Frehmann said.
“It’s been a smart financial decision for us to own our own home and pay the site fees knowing we’ll have this security as we get older.’
“Everything gets looked after here, we don’t have to worry about upkeep on the gardens or the pool – we can spend more time being social, which everyone certainly knows how to do here!”
