From the Desk of Mark Jewell.

I am sure you have all heard the real estate catchphrase ‘Location, location, location’ and whilst this normally is used to describe the best places to buy property, we believe it should apply to your lifestyle as well.

Our villages at Haynes and Mandurah were purposely picked with both lifestyle and location at front of mind. We are very proud of the fact that both of our serene locations will enable you to live in a quiet and peaceful community yet still be close to all the amenities you may need or desire – whether it be a trip to the dentist, or a trip to the golf course.

The locations of both communities will continue to be further enhanced with future developments surrounding both projects well underway. At Haynes, the Haynes Shopping Centre is next door, Bunnings Warehouse just four minutes down the road, while Target, Big W, Aldi and Kmart are only a short five minutes away. At Mandurah, it appears that the nearby Spud Shed is going to be redeveloped, with the corner intersection earmarked to be a new Community Hub. That said, while there is plenty of scope for future development around both locations, you can rest assured that our safe and secure communities enable you to enjoy some good old-fashioned peace and quiet.

Safe to say that the delays in starting the project have been very frustrating for the entire team. While we underestimated the time required to jump all the necessary hurdles, many of them have been beyond our control with some being the result of recent changes to regulatory requirements. Additionally, we are sure you are all aware that since we started the projects, WA has also entered a construction boom which has changed the whole building landscape and caused unavoidable delays in many areas.

However, we are fully committed to delivering these beautiful and unique communities and have invested heavily to bring them to life and I look forward to providing further updates as we progress.

In other news, this month’s seminar again was very well attended with another nine clients securing their preferred home and rental price so that they can move in upon completion. For those of you who were unable to attend, our next information seminar is being held at the Cockburn Community Hall on Saturday the November 27 at 10.00am for a 10.30 start. Please note that this will be our last seminar for the year.

Please click on this link to register if you can make it and I look forward to seeing you there.

As always, if you would prefer to chat with me at your home or a local coffee shop rather than attend one of our seminars, I am more than happy to make a time to meet with you and discuss any queries.

Any excuse to have the chance to leave my computer screen and talk to people face-to-face is a welcome pleasure for me – especially when we seem to have finally seen the back of winter.


Project Update

By John Green

At Providence Mandurah, we are still working on the possible extension of the village into the adjoining property to the south. This not only provides us with a few options to extend the village, but also enables us to deal with BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) issues at the same time which is very positive. We have also made some amendments to the master plan, introducing more of the most popular designs based on your feedback. Pleasingly, this slightly increases the number of homes in the village which will help offset some of the higher building costs currently being experienced in the industry.

At Providence Haynes things are also moving along and we are continuing the amalgamation of the two ‘Certificates of Title’. Based on customer feedback, we are also reviewing the product mix and the interface with the existing Urban Quarter development ‘Springtime’.

Development approvals for both projects remain current and there is still a body of detailed design work required to be completed for both villages before construction can commence on site. This work includes civil design for roads, sewer, stormwater, retaining walls, also water, fire, power, communications, reticulation, landscaping, and fencing – not to mention the homes and Clubhouse facilities.

Simply put, we want to make sure we get this project right from the start and are hoping to be able to provide more guidance on timing soon. Once again, we appreciate your patience during this period.


Operations Update

By John Green

Congratulations to all the people who have submitted their applications, been through the process and have now paid their deposits. It’s great to see the number of people securing their futures with long-term leases in our communities.

It goes without saying, but these really are limited opportunities and once all the homes are leased, you will have to wait a long time before another one comes up for long-term rent. So, without putting too sharp a point on it, if you‘ve been considering the lifestyle village option, don’t wait too long or you might miss out.

Having been involved in the lifestyle village industry for almost 25 years now, I’ve seen firsthand how this lifestyle can positively affect people. I’ve seen people move into a village and get a new lease on life, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and being part of a real community with facilities that enable people to do things they’d always wanted to but never thought they ever have the chance.

While I’ve always imagined that a change like this would undoubtedly add years to people’s lives, I never had any real evidence other than my own experience and observation. Well, that was until I recently saw a ‘TED Talk’ by Susan Pinker. Susan, a Canadian developmental psychologist wanted to study why women generally live longer than men except for in a few places around the world where they live to the same age. These places were termed ‘Blue Zones’ by Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner, and they not only have men and women live to the same age, but they also have a higher rate of people living over 100 years old than anywhere else in the world. In her TED talk, Susan visited ‘Blue Zone’ communities and discussed research done on the best predictors of longevity.

Out of the top ten predictors of longevity, the top two were factors of your social life, eclipsing quitting smoking (number 3) and quitting drinking (number 4) as the things that increase life span.

What you may find surprising is that the number one predictor is Social Integration, which is how much you interact with other people during your day. How many people do you talk to daily, including both your weak and strong bonds? That is, not just the people who are close to you, but do you talk to the guy who makes your coffee, the butcher or the people you walk past on the street? Do you play bridge or belong to a book club? Do you play darts or pool or take art classes? This is the strongest predictor of how long you’ll live.

Number two on the list is Close Relationships. These are the people you can call on for a favour, will take you to the hospital if you are not feeling well or sit with you if you are having an existential crisis. These relationships are very important and having these people in your life are a strong predictor of how long you will live.

Susan also discusses the lifestyles that these ‘Blue Zone’ communities have in common and finishes her talk by saying that we need to integrate these social behaviours into our lifestyle. She says that “Building your village – and sustaining it – are a matter of life and death”.

Finally, there is now scientific evidence to support what we’ve been seeing for over 25 years in our communities. I was amazed at the similarities between what Susan was talking about, and how our villages operate. We have a much stronger focus on being social and secure than the suburbs and I believe that’s where a lifestyle village truly shines.

I recommend you take the 15 minutes to watch Susan’s ‘TED Talk’, it is well worth the time.

Information in this article is true and correct as of 10 November 2021.