Shane Cresser

Making the Decision for change

After Joan had spent many years trying to convince Willie that it was time for them to make a Seachange and move to the Gold Coast, you can imagine her surprise when Willie announced that it was time to put the home in Carlingford Sydney on the market and make the move. “I don’t know what triggered Willie to finally agree but he has made me very happy” Joan said.

After putting the home on the market is was a huge relief that a buyer was found in a matter of weeks. “I decided that the Gold Coast was the place to be so I began searching on the internet and found Seachange Village Arundel. I was so impressed I emailed immediately and had a return phone call within a matter hours. After speaking to one of the sales people Wayne, we were given the right information to make an informed decision and felt quite at ease that Seachange would be the place for us. After speaking with Joan we called again and asked for contracts to be sent that day.”

Four weeks passed, Willie and Joan packed up and left Sydney with their Caravan in tow. They arrived at Seachange in the morning and wanted to see the place before they moved in. “I was so nervous but after walking into the community clubhouse we immediately knew that we had made a great decision. We were met by the smiling faces of the residents and we were simply in awe of the facilities that Seachange had; our expectations had more than been met and finally I felt like I was going to enjoy my yester years” Joan said.

Willie and Joan are the epitome of what Seachange Village stands for. They are active over 50’s that are social and want to make the most of the years ahead. “We have been so excited since moving in. We have already made new friends with residents and funnily enough made contact with someone from Sydney that I played golf with 20 years ago. My caravan is parked onsite, I have already begun to use the clubhouse and can’t wait to finish unpacking and relax” said Willie.

If you have been thinking about making a move why not make contact with Seachange. We understand that making move is tough in today’s market but we are more than happy to show you through our 5 star facilities that are second to none and we are sure that you will not find anything like this on the Gold Coast. We have several different options with homes priced to suit every budget without a compromise on quality

Seachange Village Arundel has again been recognised for their efforts by winning the 2010 HIA-CSR ‘Best In Queensland’ Award for ‘Residential Lifestyle Housing’. Click here for more details.

Seachange also won the 2010 HIA-CSR ‘Top GreenSmart Energy Efficiency’ Award Gold Coast/Northern Rivers . Click here for more details.

The ‘Best Residential LIfestyle Housing’ and the ‘GreenSmart Energy Efficiency’ categories are for homes designed and built to meet the needs of a specific group within the community, which was the over 50’s market. The award recognises the quality of workmanship, design efficiency, visual appeal, innovation, energy efficiency and market relevance.

Seachange Village was also successful in winning both the state and regional awards in the 2009 HIA-CSR Queensland and Northern Rivers/Gold Coast Special Purpose Housing of the year Awards and now adds these further awards to their rapidly growing portfolio. Click here for more details.

You can be assured when you purchase a home at Seachange Village you are purchasing a home recognised as the ‘Best In Queensland’.

HIA Press Release

Smart green initiatives can save on energy bills and people are becoming more aware of the roles we play in contributing to
climate change.

Looking at smarter ways to cut energy bills is of particular interest to Brian and Diane Dawson, residents at Seachange Village Arundel. 

“When we were looking at purchasing at Seachange we were advised of the many features designed to make the homes
more energy efficient and comfortable but its not until we were able to see the results that we were convinced” said Brian. Our first quarter water bill was $44 and we were delighted so imagine our surprise when the last quarter’s bill came and it was only $31.

When we lived in the high-rise apartment our water was costing us $130 a quarter so we have saved a considerable amount of money. Each home has a 3,000 litre water tank linked to the washing machine and toilets and this has resulted in these savings. We have also found our electricity bills have dropped by $25 a quarter since moving to Seachange Village” beamed Brian.

“Having individual water, gas & electricity meters allows us to have some control over these costs. We have found the home stays cool in summer and with the cooler days and nights we find the home keeps its warmth in. We worried we would miss the breeze off the water when we moved to Seachange but there is plenty of airflow between the homes and there is always a nice breeze around the village”. said Brian.

The resorts master plan and home designs were part of a green brief that has resulted in all Seachange homes in the over 50’s lifestyle resort having a 7 star energy rating certificate which translates to cost savings on energy and water efficiency.

This rating has been achieved through attention to detail and smart design features of homes including: natural ventilation, shading with wider eaves, insulation in all external walls and roofs, treated glazing, light coloured roofs and walls, ceiling fans and well designed outdoor areas.

In addition, water conservation plays a big part at Seachange with all rainwater on the site directed via a bio pit to a central two-million-litre tank where it is filtered and redirected for garden irrigation throughout the village.

Energy efficient design features are included in all Seachange homes as well as standard inclusions of 2.7m ceilings, two bathrooms, stone benches and ducted air-conditioning.

Anyone wanting to view the resort facilities and lifestyle are invited to visit the Welcome Centre, open daily at 299 Napper Rd, Arundel or call 1800 652 797 to attend a free morning tea.

 

BUILDING industry executive Philip Goodman doesn’t need to read the results of recent research to know that having a pet-friendly workplace can alleviate stress. He’s living proof.
Mr Goodman’s pet Maltese terrier Pookie has been the Sorrento resident’s workmate for more than 11 years and the duo make a great team.
“Pookie is a real icebreaker for visitors who are often quite surprised to see her bed and toys next to my desk,” said Mr Goodman who took on the role of development manager at Arundel’s Seachange Village over-50s lifestyle resort late last year.
“She doesn’t wander, has never had an `accident’ in the office and on a personal level is a good distraction and a reason to take a break and give her a walk at lunch time.”
Given Mr Goodman’s attachment to his cute little dog it wasn’t surprising he pushed for Seachange Village, which will eventually contain nearly 400 homes and an expected 700 residents, to be a pet-friendly enclave.
The Animal Welfare League of Queensland has recognised this `trail-blazing’ policy with a special certificate.
AWL president Denise Bradley said people moving from suburban homes into over-50s resorts, retirement villages and gated estates, was one of the biggest reasons for pets being surrendered to its shelter.
“It is very distressing for people to have to give up their pets because they want a change in lifestyle,” she said. “We see then hugging their pets in tears when they bring them in to the shelter.”
Ms Bradley said it was now AWL policy to encourage developers of both low rise and high-rise developments to make their projects pet friendly.
Mr Goodman said pets moving into Seachange Village had to be less than 10 kg, council registered de-sexed.

“We like to meet each pet before permission is given,” he said, adding that exceptions might be made for slightly larger pets on compassionate grounds if they were elderly animals.
Seachange, which recently opened its luxurious multi-million dollar country club, had several dogs, some cats and a parrot already living there.
“Around 30 per cent of our residents have a pet,” he said.
“The whole concept of Seachange is that we are building a community and as far as we are concerned pets are an important part of the community.”

This will give you a bit of an insight as to why we choose Seachange. 

Having lived at Crestwood Heights, Molendinar for nearly seven years we have formed many friendships within the immediate area, especially those at Musgrave Hill Bowls Club. In that time we have also been considering over 50’s retirement/resort villages but were concerned that we couldn’t find anything close by.
We moved our thoughts away from ‘retirement’ villages because of their charges as well as a big hunk of your asset they take out when selling, such as large exit fees and refurbishing costs.
We found out that an over 50’s resort was to be built in Arundel about two years ago and waited for this development because this was exactly where we wanted to be. Close to our friends, clubs, many shopping centres, hospitals, 5 mins from Helensvale railway with direct access to Brisbane Airport and eventually Coolangatta Airport. When we found out what type of over 50’s complex SEACHANGE was going to be, we wasted no time in registering for a cottage.
We had many designs and facades to choose from, making the house designs very appealing.
I cannot commend the Seachange staff and Management enough as no issue has been too difficult for them to handle.
We are very excited to be part of this secure gated complex and are eagerly looking forward to no garden and no pool maintenance but just to enjoying lawn bowls, swimming pools, club facilities and the everyday opportunities to interact socially.
For us, SEACHANGE has/will have the lot!

WE SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE FOUND WHAT WE WANT IN “SEACHANGE” AND CANNOT WAIT TO MOVE IN ON 3rd NOVEMBER 2008.

Kind regards
Anne & Owen Richter-Smith
17 October 2008