Location a key factor when choosing to downsize to an apartment

LOCATION is important when people are looking to downsize to an apartment, according to research by WA Apartment Advocacy (WAAA).

Downsizers look for a range of features including:

– being close to public transport;

– near rivers, parks or natural features;

– near a cappuccino strip/retail;

– close to a major centre such as Fremantle or Perth.

WAAA director Samantha Reece said they were looking for suburbs that offered vitality to fill the spare time they had (because of reduced home maintenance) once they started living in an apartment.

“While they may be reducing the size of their living space, when they traded a house for an apartment, the focus was now more on upsizing their lives,” she said.

“These seniors stated that when they chose their apartment, it was driven by location and by living in a vibrant hub, they felt more motivated to get out and do things they hadn’t before.

“While we have been focused on creating retirement villages in the suburbs and trying to maintain seniors’ connectivity to their historical community, we should be more focused on creating apartments in locations that have a vitality and choice of activities. By removing the initial barriers of distance, these seniors were keen to walk or take public transport and experience life to the fullest, and this is what is keeping them young at heart.”

When it came to apartments features, respondents said storage was important.

“(They) spoke about the need to provide added storage because while they were downsizing, they have a lifetime of belongings that are precious to them,” Ms Reece said.

“They were also keen to look at sharing services, such as a concierge, among a number of developments so that they could enjoy premium services at reduced strata fees.”