Property developers and agents have a new way to reach the real estate market’s most active and motivated buyers with the launch of Downsizing.com.au, which is Australia’s leading over 50’s property portal.
Downsizing.com.au was founded as Seniors Housing Online by NSW-based sisters-in-law Catherine and Amanda Graham in 2003. It has built a loyal following among clients and consumers and served millions of Australians looking for retirement property.
Now, the company has announced a new website, brand, and an expansion into the general downsizing real estate market, including new apartments, villas, and townhouses.
The new initiatives follow a period of rapid growth, with the company recording a 116 per cent increase in property listing views and a 36.6 per cent increase in buyer inquiries submitted about listed properties between June 2018 and June 2019.
The strongest percentage audience growth was in the emerging downsizer hotspots of Hobart, Canberra, Perth, Melbourne, and Newcastle.
“The changes we are announcing today cement our position as Australia’s number one destination for all over 50’s property,” Co-CEO of Downsizing.com.au, Amanda Graham, said.
“Our new website is built to generate leads for advertisers, including retirement community operators, property developers & real estate agents.
“We are maintaining our traditional focus on retirement property, such as retirement villages and land lease communities, but also now expanding into listing all downsizer-friendly homes.
“We are making this change because baby boomers are doing things differently and want to look for a wide range of accommodation options.
“Baby boomers are downsizing with vastly higher lifestyle expectations and greater freedom of choice than prior generations. When you downsize today, you aren’t scaling down your life so much as setting yourself up for a happy and fulfilling future.
“What’s more, research shows that downsizers are the one group that has continued to buy and sell, even during the real estate slump. Many are sitting on real estate gains of more than 400 per cent, so can buy a new home and also put some of the downsizing windfall into their super.”
The company has launched a refreshed, mobile-ready website, including a range of new product offerings.
For instance, advertisers such as real estate agents can now promote themselves and their services and also take advantage of a sponsored social media boost product to amplify attention to their listings.
The website also includes a new online newsroom that the company plans to make into Australia’s most trusted source of news and advice about retirement living and downsizing.
Experienced journalist Mark Skelsey, the former State Political Reporter and Urban Affairs Editor for the Daily Telegraph, has been named Editor.
The company has also launched five weekly newsletters for New South Wales and the ACT, Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, and South Australia and the Northern Territory. Sponsored content and featured listing opportunities are available across each one of these newsletters.
Market Opportunity
● Many older Australians are sitting on substantial wealth to fund their downsizing purchase. They have seen the value of their homes grow 412 per cent over the last 25 years alone. Of the older homeowners who have not yet downsized, about 15 per cent have strong intentions to do so.
● There have never been more Australians in the downsizing age group, and the population is set to continue expanding throughout the rest of this century. In June 2018, some 8.3 million Australians were aged 50 and over, 11 per cent more than the 7.51 million five years earlier.
● The number of Australians aged 65 and over now comprise 15 per cent of the population. That is a historic high and is up from 9 per cent in 1977 and 5 per cent in 1927. By 2057, there will be 8.8 million older people in Australia, making up 22 per cent of the total population. By 2097, 12.8 million people or 25 per cent of Australians will be aged 65 and over.
