Guides and Resources for Downsizing and Retirement Living in Brisbane

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Every guide I have written about downsizing, retirement villages and land lease communities in Brisbane is on this page. It is all free, it is all plain English, and none of it is paid for by an operator.

I am a Registered Property Valuer, Licensed Buyer's Agent and Town Planner with 25+ years of experience in the Brisbane and South East Queensland property market. I'm not selling you a property, nor am I tied to any retirement village, operator or placement broker.

Start with the guide if you are still weighing up which type of community suits you. Otherwise go straight to the topic you are thinking about right now.

Village or land lease? Start with the guide

My free 16-page guide walks through the two models side by side: how ownership works in each, what you pay going in, what you pay while you live there and what happens when you leave. It is the question I am asked more than any other, and it is worth settling before you look at a single community.

The downsizing checklist

A free six-stage checklist for Brisbane families, covering every item that matters in the order it matters. It includes a one-page printable summary, a worksheet of questions for your accountant and a worksheet of questions to take on a retirement village tour.

Retirement villages

How to Choose a Retirement Village in Brisbane: 10 Questions to Ask
The ten questions worth asking about cost, contracts, community and care before you decide.

Retirement Villages: What to Know Before You Start Looking
The right starting point if villages are a new idea.

Retirement Village Contracts in Queensland Explained
Leasehold, deferred management fees and land lease models in plain English, including cooling-off rights.

What it Really Costs to Leave a Brisbane Retirement Village
Exit costs go well beyond the deferred management fee. Here are the five components, and the 18 month rule.

Downsizing

Downsizing Advice in Brisbane: Where to Start and What to Know
A practical, unhurried guide to the first step.

5 Common Mistakes When Downsizing in Brisbane (And How to Avoid Them)
The five I see most often, and what to do instead.

The Complete Downsizing Checklist for Brisbane Families
The full six-stage checklist as a readable guide.

How to Choose a Low-Maintenance Home for Retirement in Brisbane
Property types and suburbs that suit an easier next chapter.

Land lease communities

What Is a Land Lease Community? A Plain-English Guide for Brisbane Buyers
How the model works, what you own, what you lease and what it costs.

Retirement Villages vs Land Lease Communities: What's the Difference?
Ownership, costs and lifestyle compared, so you can tell which model fits.

If you already know your question

Reading is a good start, and sometimes you already know which road you are on. If retirement villages are the decision, my retirement village adviser service is where to look. If it is a land lease community, start with the land lease adviser page. If the question is really about leaving the family home, the downsizing adviser page covers how I work through that.

When you are ready to talk it through

Most families reach a point where the questions stop being general and start being about their own situation. A conversation with me is 30 minutes on the phone, with no obligation and nothing to sign. We talk about where you are and what would help next.