Why this Gold Coast couple is moving west
Leading national developer Villawood Properties is asking care workers across Queensland to consider relocating to the flourishing Scenic Rim region in exchange for enticing rebates at their newest community, Eucalee at Gleneagle.
Under Villawood’s generous Care Worker Support Program, eligible care workers can save $10,000 on a new home at Eucalee. This saving, when coupled with the Government’s $30,000 First Home Buyer Grant and First Home Guarantee, can see essential workers receive a generous foot in the door needed to purchase their first home.
Central Gold Coast couple Joshua (27) and Zoe Chiswell (29) both care workers, are recipients of Villawood’s care worker grant, assisting them to purchase a 750 sqm block at Eucalee set to house a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a big yard for their Border Collie.
“When we started looking for a home two years ago, we were faced with skyrocketing house prices and issues getting finance, and we soon realised we weren’t going to be able to afford a home where we currently live and work,” said Joshua, an occupational therapist.
“We are grateful to have found a great piece of land at Eucalee and we’ve ended up getting as much financial help as we possibly could from Villawood and the Government which has made buying our first home possible.”
The Gleneagle community, which borders Beaudesert, has just released the first lots in Stage 4 following the sellout success of the first two stages, with Stage 3 now 80 per cent sold.
Zoe, who currently works as a registered nurse on the Gold Coast and plans secure a new position in the Scenic Rim once their home is complete, says the couple felt positive about the community at Eucalee as soon as they visited the sales office.
“We were initially drawn to Eucalee because we had a little knowledge of Villawood’s other developments and we liked the strong community aspect and the fact their communities are focused on high quality amenities and plenty of green space,” says Zoe.
“The blocks at Eucalee were really well priced so we’ve been able to comfortably afford the build we opted for while adding some extra landscaping details which is something we wouldn’t have been able to do without the extra assistance from the Care Worker Support Program.”
Villawood’s scheme aims to connect care workers with growing communities that are in need of essential services while providing financial initiatives to support care workers to achieve their goals of home ownership.
The Scenic Rim is a region on the rise with Oliver Hume research projecting population growth in the area to exceed 24,000 people in the next 16 years with 29.2 percent of this population over the age of 65 years of age, and more than 3,000 people of this demographic in need of the services provided by care workers.
Villawood Properties Queensland General Manager, Michael Williams says it is important essential workers are supported to settle in growing communities like the Scenic Rim that require their vital services now and in the future.
“Recent research shows that Queensland nurses, and teachers among other essential workers now face up to a 30-year wait to get their foot on the property ladder indicating that wage growth for essential services has unfortunately not kept up with soaring property prices,” says Mr Williams.
“These statistics indicate that essential workers need a leg up to help them secure their own home and by doing so we are not only settling care workers within a community, but we are also future-proofing a region to ensure it has the services it needs to be a vibrant and connected place to live.”
The Care Worker Support Grant commenced in 2018 and was recently awarded the prestigious 2024 UDIA National Awards Excellence in Marketing prize. The scheme has already helped hundreds of essential workers purchase their own home in their local community, enabling them to live close to their workplace.
