Survey shows what over 50's are looking for.

A survey of 1,068 people visiting the Seniors Housing Online website shows what the over 50’s are looking for in a retirement property. Tastes and expectations are changing in the retirement property market now the baby boomers are starting to retire or downsize.

Results show the over 50’s now want larger units: 49.6% say two or more bedrooms is essential and another 35.8% say it is desirable; over 97% want an independent living unit; 78% want it in a community setting with access to facilities such as a community bus, a club house or recreation centre, and a swimming pool, and which is pet friendly (60%).  88% expect a garage or parking space but 85.3% also want to be close to public transport.  While 70.8% say they would prefer to live close to family and friends, a whopping 80.1% say they are prepared to move out of their local area to find the right retirement property and lifestyle.

Many people are not ready to retire from work in their 50’s but they do want to downsize their home and get rid of the mortgage once their kids have grown up. Retirement is changing – more people are transitioning into retirement with part time work, and a significant number of people intend to keep on working indefinitely or even pick up a second career as a volunteer. The focus is more on lifestyle – having the time and money to pursue your interests and do those things you’ve always wanted to do: play sport, get fit, travel, spend more time with friends and family.  Some prefer to move to a different suburb while others are happy to relocate to coastal or regional areas or even interstate to get the lifestyle they want within their budget.

Read more and take the survey - see the article on the Seniors Housing Online News and Information page.

New Seniors Housing Online retirement survey.

A new short survey has been created to assess the impact of current economic conditions on people's retirement plans.  Have you had to defer your retirement plans or cut your budget?  Lost your job and had to retire sooner than expected?  Are you working longer and harder to make up for superannuation or sharemarket losses?  The survey will help demonstrate just how older people are being affected. 

It's anonymous and only takes a couple of minutes - just go to the News and Information page or click on this link to take the new Seniors Housing Online retirement survey.

Online retirement survey results.

Thanks to those who’ve taken the time to complete the Seniors Housing Online retirement survey which shows what sort of retirement property people are looking for. 

The latest results from over 1,000 respondents highlight that people are overwhelmingly searching for independent living villas or apartments in a village setting with two bedrooms or more.  A majority of 66% wanted access to a club house or recreation centre, 60% wanted a swimming pool, over 85% wanted either a garage or a parking space and proximity to public transport, and 60.8% wanted pet-friendly accommodation.

More than 70% said they preferred a location close to family and friends, but 45.1% said that they were not committed to staying in the same area. 59% said they needed to sell their current home before moving.

While 77% of respondents were already retired and 23% were not, a significant 39% of respondents said their retirement plans had been affected by the world financial crisis – in ways such as needing to work for longer, being unable to sell their home, adjusting their income expectations and budget, or returning to work having previously retired.  Some were actually retiring sooner than expected after losing their job.

No doubt there will be further fall-out for retirees in coming months as share market volatility impacts on super funds, Governments impose spending cuts, and economic uncertainty continues around the world. We will continue to monitor the situation and the survey provides a useful (anonymous) snapshot illustrating how people are being directly affected.

You can participate in the survey on the News and Information page.

What sort of accommodation do seniors want?

Seniors Housing Online, Australia’s leading retirement living website welcomes the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) research findings that many seniors want larger homes during their retirement than has previously been assumed.

The AHURI report on “How well do older Australians utilize their homes?” confirms what our website surveys are already telling us – 85% of seniors searching for retirement property want two or more bedrooms. We have more than 20,000 seniors a month searching the website for retirement accommodation to buy or rent, and the reality is that while people may want to downsize the mortgage or access their equity in the family home, they don’t actually want to downsize their lifestyle in retirement.

They want enough space and facilities to be able to enjoy their retirement, and when they spend more time at home they need to be able to accommodate home based activities and visiting family and friends comfortably.

The benefits of downsizing to age specific housing include the security of knowing support services are available in the future should they be needed, as well as providing a resort-style environment, a sense of community and security and freedom from household chores and property maintenance.

Our surveys show seniors are overwhelmingly looking for independent living, with 75% saying this is essential and 21% saying it is desirable. 80% want a village setting; 67% a clubhouse or recreation centre; 59% a swimming pool and 49% a gym. 88% still want garages and parking spaces; and 58% want pet-friendly accommodation.

People are even prepared to move away from family and friends to achieve a better lifestyle in retirement at a price point they can afford, with 43% saying remaining in the same area doesn’t matter; 35% saying it is desirable and only 22% considering it essential.

These are the factors influencing housing choices which need to be recognized by government and private developers to cater for the babyboomer generation as they retire from full time work.

For more see http://www.seniorshousingonline.com.au/