Hi Max, nice of you to join us and ask a question so close to my own heart.... RETIREMENT VILLAGES.....
I concur with Dave. On the good side of this plan you have great security, companionship, assistance and all the stuff you need as you get older. BUT and its a big but all this comes at a cost and those costs are not insignificant plus the other thing I have found is that a lot of these villages now consider your entry fee (or purchase cost) as a donation and when you leave (by whatever means) these costs from $250000 to well the sky is the limit!!! you or your estate looses the lot. So while your plan is a very sound one in principle it is going to require you do considerable research to find a Village that a) meets your needs and has a caravan space and b) that is not going to rip you or your estate off.
One word of advice that I may offer is that getting independant legal advice may seem a good idea to peruse contracts; be careful as many lawyers see things not from your perspective but from the perspective of the "business" that is running the retirement village so I would suggest and urge that ANYONE who is thinking of this sort of move should do so only if they have the mental capacity to read and comprehend the contract themselves or can get a trusted relative without any possible interest in the village to help you go through contracts.
I have just had a nasty experience, parents in law in a village, all kosher they were due their original payment back plus 60% of any capital gain but as they have now for health reasons been moved into "assisted" living they loose the lot - no one except their family lawyer read the contract and it's now MY FAULT because even though I asked to see the contract I was told to butt out, none of your busness etc the axe has fallen and lack of planning on their part is now an emergency on mine....
What did I say about remaining positive thru 2009???????

Yes my sister has done it, from a 1 and 1/2 acre allotment and a big house she moved to one in the Logan shire, Qld
her reasons were very valid, Heart attack, and a husband who could end in a wheelchair at the drop of a hat, so they built  a 3 bedroom home about the same size they had, but it was all easy maintenance, a big sum per week goes in rental and services, to the park, but as already stated that is the cost for the security they have, and there is also room for the van, as she is like me, vert much a gypsy,
not for me, I sold my home and built a base, (a insulated tin shed) with all mod cons here in Qld,  and wander whereever and whenever we wish, as the place is very secure in our absence  
horses for courses,     M&J

enjoy your sunrises

Hi all, my parents bought into a retirement village in Tamworth about 4 years ago. they paid under $150,ooo and built a 2 bed villa. they own the villa and have a 99 year lease on the land. For $88 per week, they have security, the use of pool, community hall, bowling green, social activities and outings and wonderful onsite managers who do so much including taking out the garbage bins. This fee includes rates, water and insurance of the building. They have a small backyard, a double carport, and if they needed it, parking for a van or motorhome. They dont own either and rarely travel, but its all there for the residents.

When they leave, they will sell the property and I think (dont quote me), the village keeps 10% percent of the profit.

I fully intend to follow their path when I eventually retire, but I will have the van to go off enjoying myself, with the knowledge I have a home to go back to, and someone is keeping an eye on it while Im away. Good luck, but do plenty of homework before making a decision.

The three tier retirement village, as suggested by Lynne & Barry, is an obviously good solution for many older people choosing to re-locate prior to need forcing it - having freedom of choice being the all important ingredient for most of us.
However, in Qld it's not so simple, although I don't know how it works in other States. Qld has 3 tier villages, and many do choose to buy into them earlier rather than later, in the belief that they can then be moved into the higher care levels when the time comes.
Not so! Every retirement village with nursing home care is required by Govt to hold beds open for allocation by Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT), and those beds are allocated by ACAT on a needs basis to their clients, not retirement village management or residents.
In other words, being a resident of a retirement village does not give the resident automatic entitlement to nursing home care in that village. In fact, we know of several instances here in SE Qld where a long-term resident of retirement home has become unable to continue independent living, has been assessed by ACAT as in need of nursing home, and then transferred to a facility up to 100 ks from their retirement village home.
When inspecting several retirement villages recently as an options exploring exercise, we asked the managers whether living in the village guaranteed a move into hostel / nursing home levels when needed. The answer was unequivocally NO.....but if you don't ask you won't be told that, and it doesn't appear anywhere in the glossy brochures.
I suppose it doesn't help sell the unit in the first place, and given the extraordinarily high costs of buying into and exiting, this information might deter many would be purchasers willing to pay the costs for the perceived long-term security of the 3 tier retirement village.

Just one other catch..... leases be they for 99 years or whatever are automatically revoked if the owner of the land should change then you could find yourself either having to negotiate a new lease or even worse..... Many Many Many examples of this in the media and one in Canberra recently that involved the sale of a long stay park where there was more intrigue than John Le Carre could invent, in the end the Govt had to find accomodation for the displaced persons.....

maxtheturtle wrote:

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Thanks everyone for your thoughts - the heads up about the contracts and watchng out for hidden costs especially!! We're heading back up towards Bundy soon as think that would be a nice base when we're 'home' (also might be more affordable) so will visit some places up there... would be interested if anyone has looked up that way already?

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Bundy & Rocky seem to be OK..... Hervey Bay and the coast generally seem to be full of retirees trying to escape retirement....But remember wherever you go you need to be close to medical assistance as you get older your health deteriorates and while Birdsville and the isolation may be very appealing (well it is to me) it's a long way to a doctor and the RFDS  gets busy at times and if you are an 80 yo suffering a heart attack an hour wait is tooooooooooooooooooo long.....

 You are to be commended though on giving this some thought, few of us do untill it is too late then we are screwed totally....
The other option that is worth considering is a "Living Will" after great debate and much acrimonoius debate in my family I now have one of these which basically says that in the event that I am rendered unconscious with the possibilty of brain damage that I am not to be resusitatted, this does not mean that if I have a fit or funny turn that my lights can be switched off but if say I am runnover by a tram and in a serious way and in a coma then the master can signal "finished with engines" and I can die with dignity..... That is the one great fear I have in life, ending up as a vegetable in a wheel chair.... My family think I am being very selfish and I say with pious aire that I have given you all everything just let me die in peace and tuff luck about your carers allowance and you'll be comfortable on your pension etc...
In my next life I'm coming back as a big black dog named Gracie....

     "The other option that is worth considering is a "Living Will" after great debate and much acrimonoius debate in my family I now have one of these which basically says that in the event that I am rendered unconscious with the possibilty of brain damage that I am not to be resusitatted, this does not mean that if I have a fit or funny turn that my lights can be switched off but if say I am runnover by a tram and in a serious way and in a coma then the master can signal "finished with engines" and I can die with dignity..... That is the one great fear I have in life, ending up as a vegetable in a wheel chair.... My family think I am being very selfish and I say with pious aire that I have given you all everything just let me die in peace and tuff luck about your carers allowance and you'll be comfortable on your pension etc..."

Basil as very sensible suggestion and one that Barry and I have just done. These days in NSW they are called and Enduring Guardianship.

As part of the process we have re-done our wills, power of attorney and put into place the Enduring Guardianship..Cost us an arm and a leg mind you - bu we now have peace of mind that our wishes we be carried out after we are no longer here or able to make those decisions for ourselves

After having nursed for over 30 years and the last 15 years of that in palliative care, it was an all too often occasion when you saw distraught family members having to make these sorts of decisions when distressed  by grief.  So it was an easy decision for us both.

Just out of interest, Barry's Dad is going into a Hostel, on Monday and within the government confines of the Aged Care Assessment in NSW it is now legally necessary for all residents of aged care facilities to have what is termed an Advanced Health Care Directive - virtually does the same thing as an enuring guardianship.  Even after having worked in nursing that long, I was not aware of this.  It is a fairly lengthy and detailed document involving about 3 appointments with the GP

All peace of mind in the end.