Retirement villages: Where do I start?

Retirement Living Independence Lifestyle Retirement

90% of residents rank the ability to remain independent as the most beneficial aspect of communities for over 55s.

Retirement Living Council of Australia

Retirement living can be a fresh and exciting beginning to the next phase of your life, and is one most Australians look forward to reaching.

To finally have more time to yourself and to be able to spend it doing what you love most – be that a bit of travel, a variety of hobbies or simply relaxing with a good book.

Once you’ve decided to take the next step and enter retirement, what next?

Retirement living is an increasingly popular choice for Australians over 55 wanting to sustain active, enriched and independent lives.

According to the 2018 PWC/Property Council Retirement Census, more than 184,000 older Australians call a retirement village home, and the Retirement Living Council of Australia report over 75% of residents are happy with their choice

Of course, where we live plays a major role in our happiness and wellbeing, and we each have specific priorities and reasons for considering a move into a retirement village. It’s important to carefully consider these while you consider potential new homes.

A great place to start is to make a list of your must-have and nice-to-have features in your future home. Here are a few thought-starters:

Location: Is it near friends and family? Or perhaps a sea or tree change is on the cards.

Features: Does it offer access to sporting amenities like a golf course or a pool?

Pet Friendly: Do you have a family pet that will be moving into your new home with you?

Outdoor Activities: Is there a community garden to help out in? Or maybe a walking track?

Parking: Will you keep your car? Or is there a community bus that you can use?

Additional Support: Does the village offer home care assistance?

Futureproof: Does the village also have an on-site aged care centre? This may provide you peace of mind knowing you can carry on living in this community as you age.

Once you’ve identified all the things you would like in a retirement village, it’s time to research the options available.

IRT’s retirement village calculator makes the first steps of this journey that little bit easier by helping you to compare properties, understand pricing options and receive a quote to help you when considering our villages.

1. Search details

Enter your budget, the number of bedrooms you’re looking for and which suburb or region you’re interested in living

2. Browse details

Browse the properties that match your criteria and compare the various features and pricing options

3. Review pricing

Our calculator clearly shows you different pricing options for your selected retirement village

4. Property details

Once you’ve found a retirement village that could be your new home, you can view more information on the property

5. Download a quote

You can then download a quote and choose to request a call back from our friendly and knowledgeable customer service team

After you’ve chatted to a member of our team, you can take a tour of any village that interests you. An IRT sales consultant will guide you through the property and answer any questions you have.

We understand that the decision to move into a retirement village isn’t made lightly and encourage you to also seek independent financial advice.

Discover the right IRT Retirement Village for you and take the next step towards active and independent living for over 55s.