Victorian village operators are reporting greater interest as restrictions lift – with single people proving to be the source of new leads.
VMCH Retirement Living Manager Liz Hickey says the latest lockdown did have some impact on a couple of the operator’s regional sites.
In Torquay, 97km southwest of Melbourne, there was a shift in couples moving out of village back to metro Melbourne to be closer to their families and avoid being ‘locked out’ of the city.
“That left us with some larger stock as there were couples that were leaving so they were three-bedroom units,” said Liz.
But the village also saw the reverse with a number of single people moving to the village for a sea change and to be closer to family in Torquay.
“There was difficulty then as we only had three-bedroom stock,” said Liz.
Its site at Bacchus Marsh, 49km northwest of Melbourne, also saw sales affected.
But with restrictions now eased, Liz says the operator is already seeing new leads coming through.
“Overall, we’ve had surprisingly strong enquiry when each lockdown ended,” she said.
VMCH is also progressing on two retirement villages in its development pipeline including a 108-apartment village (pictured above and right) at Studley Park in Kew, 5km east of the Melbourne CBD, on a site where it has a school and disability respite centre.
The planned development is currently undergoing a feasibility study with sales and marketing to launch in 2022.
