What do we do?
With over 3,300 retirement villages or over 50’s communities in Australia today, we don’t believe choosing the right one should be a game of chance. We offer a safe, 100% unbiased easier way for you to move from your home and buy and move into a retirement village you choose, with peace of mind while saving you up to $15,000 in the process.
Quite simply, most people don’t try to do their tax returns alone without the help or advice of using an accountant or try to understand and interrupt the important information and best strategies to make the right decision, without help this can be a costly mistake.
We work through the complexities, bias and confusion that await you as you start the long journey of understanding and evaluating your ideal retirement options, we start by listening to you and understanding what you want and don’t want in a village, we then shortlist your best options saving you time, energy and the frustration of sitting through hours/days/weeks of multiple inspections to only hear there unbalanced sales representations aimed only at trying selling you that particular village, and never being told the full picture or the shortcomings that every village has, as well as all the potential traps. Remember, it’s made confusing and hard to compare apples to apples deliberately.
We are your assurance policy.
What don’t we do?
We are 100% independent and unbiased, the village you choose is your decision, we do not make the decision as to which village you determine suits you, that decision is always yours we offer guidance in evaluating your options as to your ideal village and have no vested interest or alliances with ANY village whatsoever.
We are not financial advisers or solicitors, we are experienced retirement village specialists, we strongly recommend you also seek independent legal, contractual, and financial advice at the right time which is after all the comparing and final decisions are made only not before. We work closely with professional partners, sharing insights they may not be aware of on your behalf, or can refer you to professionals who specialise in this niche retirement village sector.
We are your assurance policy.
Why use us?
We will:
- Most importantly be here to listen, to find out what your concerns are and what’s important to you.
- Save you up to $15,000 overall in the process with the strongest negotiating advantages.
- Do the comparison research and due diligence for you.
- Help you find the right village within your budget.
- Give you straightforward forward unbiased opinions and information.
- Work with you and help remove the uncertainty, stress and confusion.
- Work for you, not the retirement village, providing 100% unbiased information.
- Negotiate with the current homeowner (seller) in the village and or the operator.
- Be with you every step of the way through the process.
- Compare retirement villages based on “apples to apples”.
- Make you aware of potential pitfalls, their costs and future impacts.
- Give you the strongest negotiating advantage, achieving the best price and terms for you.
- Do the research and due diligence on your behalf.
- Ask the hard questions and find out the answers.
- Have access to privately listed, “Off Market” village homes.
- Remove the emotion, uncertainty, doubt and insecurity.
- Offer introductions to a range of specialised advisors.
We are your assurance policy.
Why we do we offer this service?
The most powerful service we can offer is ‘Unbiased Truth’.
We started off to be the voice of seniors, retirees and their families and believe today’s retirement village options should be ‘Fairer and more Affordable’ and must deliver ‘Financial Value and Returns’, not just losses. We encourage an open transparent and competitive marketplace, which gives you the customer more confidence, power and control to make better decisions, putting you first, not just the profits of the retirement village operator.
We are 100% unbiased and independent, we do not accept any paid advertising, sponsorships or referral fees from ANY village. We do not work for or have alliances with ANY of the retirement village operators and we have NO vested interests or preferences as to which retirement village you choose or doesn’t choose. We simply provided you with all the balanced information to make an informed decision.
From working in the retirement village industry for over 20 years and knowing how they work from the inside out rather than the outside in, we felt an ethical responsibility to dedicate part of our business to offering a simple service that compares retirement villages on a balanced ‘Apples to Apples’ not ‘Apples to Lemons’ base.
We are strong advocates for fairer more affordable retirement options and believe more people should be living full, happy and contented lives in retirement villages. The main reasons holding people back from deciding to move into a retirement village are the fear of costs, future losses, negative perceptions and confusing and complex mixed biased messages and information. It does not need to be like that!
We help you make this big decision, the best decision, by making fully informed decisions.
We are your assurance policy.
Who is this service for?
This service is specifically designed for people who have already made the decision and are excited to make the move into a retirement village. Or people who have a ‘shortlist’, who can’t quite decide which is the best retirement village option, and the best ‘home’ in the village for them.
It’s helpful for people, who are confused, nervous, unsure or paralysed by fear for a range of personal and financial reasons if this is you?
Whilst it’s still helpful for people who are just thinking about moving.
Call us today, as this is when the real work must be done! Before you buy, sign or commit to anything upfront, our service will provide you and your family with peace of mind, knowing someone is looking out for you while saving you thousands of dollars, stress, and time.
We are your assurance policy.
How do you protect me?
Everyone has different motivations and reasons to consider before committing to one of the biggest decisions of their life, being downsizing and moving from their family home and upsizing their lifestyle into a Retirement Village.
One of the biggest barriers you may face is trying to compare all the various options, absorb, understand and evaluate the conflicting and complex information you are trying to process from visiting all the different retirement village options and offers that are available today. It can be said that it’s what’s left ‘unsaid’ that counts. Understanding this goes deeper than just checking the contracts and agreements from a one-dimensional legal perspective. Buying into any retirement village you are leasing (renting) and never actually own it all, it’s not a real estate transaction, is very different to buying general real estate, this is very new and unfamiliar ground, especially if you have not been involved in the property market for many years.
Ask yourself, can you afford not to get our insight? The last thing you can afford to do is pick the wrong village, misunderstand something, or get caught out with unforeseen costs down the road at a stage of life where you can’t recoup losses or shortfalls.
Your decisions today can have a significant impact on your ‘nest egg’ and your family’s legacy in the future.
We are your assurance policy.
Isn’t this service what my Solicitor or Financial Advisor does?
Absolutely not! Solicitors, accountants and financial planners have a specialised area of expertise in their field that can be one-dimensional and they are bound by legal, contractual and compliance restraints that limit what they can and cannot say. It’s fair to say they have not had any real-life experience working inside retirement villages from a residence perspective (not just from a desk on the outside) on the ground day to day, year to year experience, nor have they been responsible for residents and their families long term after they buy. We have, that’s the difference we offer a totally different ‘residents’ perspective.
As well very few have had experience in understanding the actual ‘Retirement Villages Act’ which is an independent comprehensive Government legislation.
We work closely with them sharing insights they may not be aware of on your behalf, so you benefit from both areas of expertise while we work together with other specialist advisers to achieve the best outcome for you.
We are your assurance policy.
What are our Star ratings?
Let’s remember, the price you ‘pay’ only represents one part. The actual ‘value’ you get is what counts.
Our Star rating is designed for you the purchaser and is based on research and experience, rating a wide range of retirement villages on overall value and future returns and outcomes, not just the purchase price alone.
We are your assurance policy.
What are our costs and how do we save you money?
YOUR INVESTMENT TO HELP US, HELP YOU:
We are confident you will value the safeguards and potential saving our service provides, for an investment of only $1,800 plus GST.
As an independent buyers advocate service, we are appointed to represent your best interests we have saved clients up to or over $15,000 in the process and more in the future in the move into a village and, we can achieve significant savings, generally more than the best price you will be offered.
We do all the leg work for you, saving you the most precious and priceless commodity of ‘time’, navigating to find the right retirement village is daunting and complex and requires.
Many retirement villages rely on this level of complexity and confusion to make it hard to understand and almost impossible to compare retirement villages based on ‘Apples to Apples’.
We are your assurance policy.
What is our 100% Money Back Guarantee?
Our 100% Money Back Guarantee:
If after your appointment with us to compare your village options, you do not see –
- The value in the comparisons and insights provided.
- We were unable to show you SAVINGS of more than our appointment fee of $1,800 at least, in finding and negotiating your preferred village.
WE WILL BE PLEASED TO OFFER YOU A 100% FULL REFUND.
It’s a Win-Win offer where you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
We are your assurance policy.
Why do retirement villages prices & costs vary so much?
Both are fair questions and ones you need answers to.
How would you feel if you paid $100,000 (or more) than someone else for the same or comparable home, in the same village or community? It happens.
Ask yourself, why do some retirement villages and over 50’s communities depending on the market or to get more sales, offer huge price drops or discounts of $25,000 to $100,000 or more? Or offers of FREE $20,000 golf buggies, boats, or $50,000 in free upgrades or furniture and white goods packages? let’s be realistic, these are not genuine savings, yet the cash savings we deliver overall moving from your home into the village are.
Or why did some existing residents not receive these huge discounts? What are the real prices based on? What are the homes worth today? And importantly what will they be worth in the future? And will you win or lose from any capital gains or losses?
Why do they have to “throw in the kitchen sink”?
Comparing all these offers goes much deeper than your solicitor or financial adviser will be aware of.
We are your assurance policy.
How do we remove the emotion?
It is perfectly normal to get caught up in the excitement and emotions of downsizing to this new stage of life. It’s fair to say with this emotional excitement we can tend see and interpret things how we want or need to see them due to emotions that are not always logical or rational. Seeing the upsides and or not seeing the downsides differently is perfectly normal, but ‘rose-coloured glasses’ can affect rational and logical thinking, and which can become costly.
We can emotionally detach, clearly looking at the best options without being clouded with these normal emotions, we offer balance without rose-coloured glasses.
We are your assurance policy.
Is any retirement village perfect?
Life after Covid raised many new concerns, and this marketplace is confusing, complex, crowded and changing dynamically. Today more than ever it’s vital that you have access to unbiased, balanced information.
Finding the right fit for you can be overwhelming, daunting and full of mixed emotions and information, don’t let these very natural feelings hold you back from making a great life decision or the lifestyle you will enjoy.
The last thing you can afford to do is pick the wrong retirement village and the wrong time for you, misunderstand something or making the wrong decision, by overpaying or getting caught out with other unforeseen costs, terms or conditions years down the road that you didn’t understand at the time, especially at a stage of life where you can’t recoup these shortfalls or losses, we help protect your hard earnt savings and your family’s legacy.
We are your assurance policy.
How do I know if I have the best retirement village?
Let’s be honest, no retirement village is perfect, and life is about compromise, we realise there are certain aspects in anything you buy that you will not compromise on and others that you are open to considering. There is no “one size fits all” naturally, any retirement village salesperson will tend to only emphasise all the positives aspects, often skimming over important underlying issues, downsides, extra or future costs or things to look out for or avoid, yet often it’s what’s left ‘unsaid’ that counts.
We add a vital layer of protection to raise and avoid potential ‘unforeseen’ traps and provide information and insights that your solicitor or financial advisor will not be across which in the long term could cost you and your family tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, or worse force them to move out early.
We are your assurance policy.
What am I paying for in a retirement village?
Almost all retirement villages are structured under some kind of long-term lease (rental) agreement, and in over 50s communities, you are paying to rent on the land. So, in truth you never actually have any full ownership in real terms, you are effectively ‘paying rent’ in either option and you are just paying for the services and the facilities that come with the village you are buying and investing into, it’s very different comparing it to traditional real estate (your home now) that you own outright you have a freehold title.
We are your assurance policy.
Are all retirement villages the same?
No. Nothing could be further from the truth! They are very different and confusing in many aspects and the key point is to understand the differences to ensure you choose the right one for you, now and into the future.
They all offer:
- Different pricing options and contract types.
- Different pricing, financial structures and options, (up to 10).
- Different capital gains or loss-sharing options.
- Different accommodation types.
- Different designs and sizes.
- Different facilities.
- Different activities.
- Different care and support services.
- Different legal contracts and agreements.
- Different levels of operator control over you.
- Different resales pricing and controls.
That’s why it is vitally important to clearly understand your reasons for moving upfront and what are your likes and dislikes your needs, wants and priorities in the short, medium and long term. Knowing this will eliminate many options, to save you from wasting time, energy and stress.
We are your assurance policy.
Buying into a new village and selling your home at the same time?
We can help you, as it can get complex and confusing, getting the timing wrong in the current unstable housing market and being caught out as many people have, can be disastrous financially and emotionally. We can help you avoid any of these outcomes.
- Selling your home too early and being forced to move out and renting while waiting months to move into your new retirement village home, therefore having the stress, anxiety and costs of doing a double move.
- Missing out on securing the retirement village home you wanted because you don’t have access yet to the money required as you have not sold your home.
- Getting persuaded by the sales rep (who must meet targets) or a commitment that puts you not them into one of the situations above and under undue and unnecessary pressures.
- Getting caught out, may put you in a situation or feeling you will miss out that you are then forced to sell your home for less than its true market value.
- Being put in the position to have to consider bridging finance until your home is sold to not miss out
It’s all about having someone on your side to negotiate both transactions and developing a strategy to avoid this, we can help you when with selling and buyers.
We are your assurance policy.
Should you rely on word of mouth recommendations?
Well-meaning family, friends, neighbours or even friends living in villages recommendations and perceptions shouldn’t be the sole factor in your decision on any specific retirement village.
Every community is different, and none are perfect, life is about compromise and just because you heard a friend is happy in a particular retirement village, don’t make the mistake of assuming what suits them will suit you, as they may have rose-coloured glasses naturally.
And going along to all the exciting and lovely events, morning teas, lunches and functions over the time you are waiting for your retirement village you looked at or is being built and ready to move into. whilst these events are great and designed to have you see it with rose-coloured glasses on. Rest assured this doesn’t portray what it’s like in real life, day-to-day living in the retirement village.
Certainly, talk to residents who have lived there to get an overall options and thoughts, but it’s highly recommended that you take the time to talk to independent specialists who offers an unbiased, balanced perspective. It’s too much of an important decision not to.
Also remember village life is very personal, just because a friend may be totally happy living in a particular village, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be as happy there.
We are your assurance policy.