NEW SURVEY. Downsizing your home sounds like a great idea for empty nesters and baby boomers preparing for their next stage in life. It can free up home equity to fund a better lifestyle in retirement, and allow a changeover to a newer, lower maintenance and well designed home more suited to current and future needs. The ideal is to downsize the mortgage and upgrade the lifestyle.
But in the Australian residential housing market, the reality may not stack up financially when considering the cost of buying a suitable replacement property, along with the substantial transaction costs involved. Even when the property changeover price point equation works out, the next thing to consider is whether releasing equity in your home as a lump sum will affect your pension eligibility, breach complex superannuation rules, incur an unexpected tax bill, or add to the cost of future aged care.
We are conducting a new survey on downsizing intentions, so we can use the results to inform government policy-makers and make sure the needs and requirements to support babyboomers and retirees planning for their future is fully considered in the upcoming Federal government budget preparation. We are particularly concerned about the impact of changes to the age pension eligibility test, super rules and transaction costs play in preventing people from downsizing their home.
Please complete this short survey using the link below – it is anonymous, and you can go in the draw to win a $100 visa card. No identifying contact details will be retained. We are working with LJ Hooker as a joint exercise to create a report, lobby decision-makers and publicise the findings.
Click on this link to complete the survey.
