Tree change, sea change, or stay in the big smoke?
What are your plans for retirement?
Are you planning to stay in the general area where you currently live, or do you have plans to go exploring and discover new places and perhaps put down roots somewhere a little less familiar – maybe in Australia or perhaps overseas?
Often retirement to another place is driven by financial reasons. It may be cheaper to buy a place up or down the coast and put a few extra dollars in the bank to help with the costs of living in retirement.
The government have introduced, from 1 July 2018, downsizer contributions which is the ability to contribute surplus proceeds from the sale of the family home to superannuation without being constrained by some of the general restrictions that otherwise prevent older Australians from getting money into super once they have retired.
Many of those sleepy coastal resorts that were attractive retirement destinations a generation or two back have now become just as expensive, if not more so, than the capital cities.
What does the future for retirement living look like for today’s baby-boomers and Gen X?
From what we have observed, there is a trend for people to remain living in a capital city or large regional centres. The idea of relocating seems to have diminished, perhaps brought about by familiarity of surroundings, family commitments, established friends and community involvement, health and other support services, and in some cases the fact that many retirees are deciding to remain engaged in the workforce to some extent, and move into full-time retirement later in life.
A recent study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 71% of people intend to retire after the age of 65, and 23% of people age 45 or older don’t intend to retire until 70 or older.
The tree change or sea change may have been a passing fad. Something that was popular for a time and then faded into the background.
If you are thinking of relocating, whether it is down the coast, interstate, or to another country, move by all means. But before selling up and burning your bridges, think about renting for six months or so. Then, after becoming familiar with the location, if you really like it you will have a lot of local knowledge and even a network of new friends that may make the buying process just that much easier.
Source: Peter Kelly | Centrepoint Alliance