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THINGS are looking up for the retirement living sector with more vertical villages and added on-site services on the cards.
Baby boomers are driving the trend towards retirement living in high-rise apartments, with almost a third of all planned new retirement communities including multi-storey vertical village components.
That’s according to new data from the Property Council of Australia, with baby boomer retirees showing more of a preference for apartment living.
The annual PwC/Property Council Retirement Census for 2018 shows nearly 30 per cent of new villages under development are either vertical or a combination of vertical and horizontal, compared to 15 per cent of existing developments.
It also found 97 per cent of new developments have at least five facilities or services available for residents, including health services, emergency call systems, social programs, cafes and community centres.
This year a record number of participants took part in the census, with contributions from 52 operators across 610 villages and more than 68,000 units.
MORE FACILITIES, FLEXIBILITY
PwC Real Estate advisory partner Tony Massaro said the results reflect an industry that is becoming more sophisticated.
“The broader range of facilities offered, an increase in vertical villages and greater variety and flexibility of fee structures reflects a determined focus on meeting the demands of the next generation of retirees,” Mr Massaro said.
More than 2000 units a year are set to come into the market over the next four years.
But Mr Myers said despite this “strong pipeline” of units, the industry is still struggling to find suitable land.
Alex McMahon, director of sales and marketing with Queensland property developer Pradella, which operates the Seachange Lifestyle Resorts, agreed.
“Parcels of land that are deemed as a premium location are becoming increasingly scarce,” Mr McMahon said. “And over the past five years, retirees entering the market are a lot more knowledgeable about the options available to them.”
Mr Myers said it is also taking longer, on average, to re-sell units. Mr Massaro added that the average occupancy of villages across Australia is still strong at 89 per cent – mirroring the residential housing market.