Child Boomers are ditching sea and tree adjustments for metropolis models

Liz and Ian Ramsay swapped the Terrigal dream to maneuver to nearer to household

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The conventional sea or tree change retirement narrative is being rejected as a rising variety of child boomers swap the seashore or bush for metropolis flats.

The enchantment of the coast and nation is fading in favour of downsizing nearer to household and established networks. It has come as a rising variety of retiring child boomers are selecting to maneuver nearer to their grownup youngsters and grandchildren.

This has been revealed as a rising pattern amongst Mirvac’s communities in Sydney, with purchaser information reflecting downsizers now account for almost 40 per cent of its NSW house gross sales.

Back in 2020 they accounted for simply 5 per cent of patrons.

Among these ditching the seashore life-style for greater density residing is Liz and Ian Ramsay, who moved again to Sydney inside 18 months after trialling the ‘Terrigal dream’.

“We moved out of Sydney and did a sea change to Terrigal,” Ms Ramsay mentioned. “The view was amazing but you can’t sit 24/7 looking at the view. I realised how much I like Sydney.”

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Ms Ramsay mentioned they’d thought they might stay an hour away from Sydney and maintain the identical pals and do the identical issues with household.

“But you can’t do anything on the spur of the moment and we were spending too much time on the M1,” she mentioned.

The couple searched for a very long time to search out their good downsizer residence. Ms Ramsay mentioned they had been searching for a single-level home within the space however discovered they had been principally old style or they might have needed to transfer additional out on account of value.

They’re now planning a transfer to Highforest, a brand new house complicated in West Pennant Hills, however are staying in a Beecroft townhouse whereas they look forward to it to be constructed.

The Ramsay’s put a deposit on their three-bedroom house at Mirvac’s Highforest every week after the arrival of their son’s first youngster.

Construction at Highforest has commenced, with completion forecast for 2028.

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Their daughter whose two youngsters they repeatedly look after additionally lives in West Pennant Hills.

Their house will embrace a 40 sqm balcony, offering ample child-friendly area for multi-generational household barbecues.

For Ms Ramsay, who was the one youngster of older mother and father with no residing grandparents,

sustaining shut ties with household is a non-negotiable

“This is the first family I’ve ever had,” she mentioned. “I lost one of my sons at 32 – there’s no way I would want to move away from my two other children and grandchildren.”

Ms Ramsay mentioned it was nice to have the ability to assist her youngsters by serving to with the grandkids.

“I’m a good taxi driver and take my granddaughter to gymnastics, and one day a week we pick her and her brother up from school and go to visit the baby,” she mentioned.

“We have them for sleepovers and a day or two in the holidays.”

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Mirvac Highforest overlooks Cumberland Forest

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Mirvac’s General Manager Warwick Bible mentioned low-maintenance flats have attracted a mixture of downsizers, households and first-home patrons.

“Again and again, we’ve heard older buyers express a strong desire to stay close to their children and play an active role in their grandchildren’s lives,” he mentioned.

“Looking at our internal customer data in NSW, we’re seeing the biggest shift toward downsizers – growing from just five per cent of our apartment market in 2020 to nearly 40 per cent in 2025.”

Mirvac’s Highforest flats embrace a nature-inspired design

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Mr Bible mentioned there may be little housing range on this a part of the Hills Shire, limiting choices for locals who wish to stay within the neighbourhood the place they raised their youngsters and who’ve in flip, settled within the space.

Highforest could have strolling trails that lead into the close by forest and facilities equivalent to a well being membership with an indoor swimming pool, a number of parks and playgrounds.

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“A decade ago it was rare to see playgrounds included alongside apartments, but increasingly we are seeing demand from families and empty nesters for this type of residential facilities,” he mentioned.

Mirvac is about to ship 165 houses and 249 flats together with publicly accessible open areas and a variety of group amenities. The improvement might be a 25-minute drive from the Sydney CBD.

Mirvac is getting ready to launch the ultimate two house buildings at Highforest, providing a mixture of one- to four-bedroom flats.

Following sturdy demand from the primary launch, with building now underway with completion forecast for 2028, the ultimate launch is about for September.

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