Changing your view of retirement

Deciding when and where to retire should be one of the most exciting times in your life. Sure there’s a lot to consider. But once you’ve weighed up all the options, made a choice based on exactly what you want for your future, and your friends and family are on board, then all that’s really left is a lot to look forward to.

A Lend Lease retirement village is not an aged care facility, a nursing home or any other old-fashioned misguided myth of retirement living. And you won’t have to downsize to a pokey, lonely little unit. Our villages are places where you make the most of every minute of your work-free future, in the company of new and old friends. You enjoy just as much independence as you’re used to and it’s a place your family will love to visit.

So why wait? The most common remark made by new residents is that they wish they had made the move years ago.

To help you decide on the best retirement option for you, work your way through our planning ahead checklist, which will assist you with the various stages involved in organising your retirement. It’s retirement, put simply.

The costs involved

It’s incredibly important that you are absolutely clear about your present financial circumstances, so that you know what you can realistically afford in retirement. There will be three major costs that form the basis of your agreement with a retirement village.

These are:

  • The initial purchase price
  • The monthly service fees
  • A Deferred Management Fee (DMF). You might have heard the DMF referred to as an exit fee or departure fee. This is a fee that will be paid later on, at the time your unit, villa or apartment is resold. It covers the deferred costs involved with all the benefits and facilities you enjoy as a resident of your community. You should consider it as part of the overall purchase.

Choosing where to live

Many people like to choose a village that is close to family and friends, so that it’s easy for them to drop by and visit. You should also consider whether or not you’d like to stay close to the suburb you’re living in now. On the other hand now is the time to enjoy that sea change, tree change or ME change! We have a wide range of locations to help you live your retirement dream.

beach walk

When to look

A growing number of so-called retirement community residents have moved in while they’re still working, with no intention of ever giving up work completely. And more and more of our residents are in their mid fifties. After all, when this kind of lifestyle beckons, why wait?

couple viewing

The size of your new home

Retirement homes come in a range of sizes, from one bedroom to four. The best place to start is to compare what’s on offer with your current home and to ask yourself whether you would like to downsize. Initially, a lot of people don’t like the thought of living in a smaller space, but remember that a smaller home offers lots of benefits like reduced housework, general chores and maintenance.

However, if you’d like to have family and friends come and stay, you’ll want to make sure you have an extra bedroom.

 Houses

The facilities you've always wanted

Moving to a retirement village is often the chance to surround yourself permanently with facilities you’ve only ever enjoyed on a resort style holiday. Swimming pools, tennis courts, lawn bowls, croquet...there will be a Lend Lease retirement village with the facilities you want.

Use our location finder to find out which Lend Lease villages have what you are looking for.

tennis player

Once you’ve answered the questions in our checklist, there’s no doubt you’ll have a few specific Lend Lease villages in mind. So give us a call on 1800 550 550 and our friendly, professional consultants will be happy to discuss any of the points further.