Independent Retirement Village & Downsizing Adviser in Brisbane
Not sure where to start?
You're not alone.
Deciding whether to downsize, move into a retirement village or stay where you are with a few changes is one of the bigger decisions of later life, and most people only face it once. There is plenty of information online and it's hard to know which of it applies to you.
I help people across Brisbane and South East Queensland work out which path suits them, whether that's a retirement village or a unit, townhouse or smaller house, then compare the options properly and look after the family home along the way, at a pace that suits them. I'm paid by you and by no one else, so the advice is yours alone.
Start with the free Downsizing Checklist
Six stages in the order most families move through them, from the first conversation at home to the months after the move, with worksheets of questions for your financial planner and accountant and for your village tours.
Already weighing up a retirement village or a land lease community? My free guide, Village or Land Lease? How to Choose in South East Queensland, compares the two side by side. Still deciding whether to move at all? Start with should I downsize or stay at home?
Your free Downsizing Checklist
Please enter your first name and email and I will send you the checklist straight away, with a copy to download on the next page. You will also receive my monthly newsletter on retirement living in South East Queensland.
Where would you like to start?
Most people arrive here with one of these questions, and each one links to a plain answer.
How we work together
There are three things you can count on when we work together.
A valuer's eye on the numbers
I'm a Registered Property Valuer, Licensed Buyer's Agent and Town Planner with more than 25 years in Brisbane property. A village's entry price, what it costs to leave and what your family home is worth are all property questions, and you'll have them read the way a valuer reads them.
Local knowledge, village by village
I work across Brisbane and South East Queensland and keep the Lighthouse List, my own record of retirement communities across the region, current through direct contact with each village. When a village comes up between us, it's one I follow closely and can talk about from what I've seen.
Paid by you and no one else
You pay a fixed fee for my time and I accept nothing from villages, real estate agents or any professional I introduce you to, so there is no one else's interest in the room when we decide what suits you.
How I can help
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Choosing a retirement village
I will help you shortlist villages that suit how you want to live, inspect with you or on your behalf and explain how each contract works when you come to leave, then introduce a specialist lawyer and a financial planner before you sign. More about choosing a village
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Finding a smaller home
If a village isn’t the right fit, I shall search for a unit, townhouse or smaller house that is, assess what it’s worth before you make an offer and negotiate the purchase through to settlement. More about downsizing
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Selling the family home
As your vendor advocate I will help you choose the selling agent, set the asking price from a valuer’s point of view, review the campaign and stay across the sale from the first appraisal to settlement day. More about selling
“Sam at Hazel & Fred was calm, kind and incredibly patient. He made something that felt overwhelming suddenly feel manageable and gave us the support to make the right decision.”
Beck and her partner moved from their Bardon family home into a retirement village.
From the blog
Every move starts with a conversation
If you'd like to talk it through, start with a 30-minute phone call. Tell me where things are at and I'll point you to the options worth looking at, whether or not that includes me.