THE nest is empty, the lawn needs mowing, the handy-man to-do list gets longer and accumulating stamps on the passport seems much more appealing.

Trendsetting baby boomers are on the move, selling their big four-and-five-bedroom family homes for apartments and trotting off around the globe.

Powe Property agent Lucas Sexton said the semi or retired homeowners were flocking to Cairns to take advantage of the market.

"This time of the year is particularly popular with retirees but this year I feel they can see the value in the market and they’re making the most of that," he said.

"There’s a mixed variety of homeowners looking to downsize on the market; you’ve got those who aren’t quite ready for an apartment so they settle for a smaller home but then you’ve got those who want to buy an apartment so they can just lock up and travel when they want to.

"Our beautiful winter weather is still attracting southerners but we’ve also seen an increase in retirees from Darwin and Perth as we can still offer them the same weather conditions and lifestyle but our market is more affordable which then allows them to have extra cash to spend on themselves such as overseas holidays."

Former Sydneysider Charles Hill was an empty-nester and decided it was time to put his life-time of hard earned cash into relaxation and doing what he loves – travelling.

"The benefits of having a place like mine or smaller is you can lock it up and go.

"So many people live in these big old houses that are a lot of upkeep. I guess people hang onto them because they’re used to it and homes, especially family homes, hold a lot of memories.

"Once you make the move you don’t regret it. There are plenty of options out there if they’re going to downsize."

Source:
The Cairns Post
Saturday, July 16, 2011