The New Year is always time where people take stock of their situation, so it’s no surprise that this is one of the busiest times for retirement village searches.
And it seems like they’re only getting more popular.
Take a look at the graph above.
It’s data from our sister site Villages.com.au, which shows how many people in Australia are searching for retirement villages.
We expect to see a jump in enquiry in the third week of January, and last year it peaked at 3,690 searches on one day.
But as you can see on Monday, Google recorded 4,028 searches on Villages.com.au – 9% higher than what it was at the same time last year.
Interest high, but negative perceptions remain
Despite this interest, villages do have an image problem.
Last year, our DCM Research program identified that positive views of villages declined from 37% in 2018 to just 27% in 2020.
The findings show this is being fuelled by the idea that villages are too expensive or the homes are too small – but this is simply not the case.
Don’t be discouraged by negative perceptions
For us, there’s a reason why villages are becoming more popular, even if there is a perception issue.
Villages provide well-designed, age-appropriate, social and affordable housing and when you visit a village and see it for yourself, the lifestyle advantages become quite clear.
The message? Don’t let the haters skew your perception. 2021 might be the year to make the move.
