Tina had one question before leaving the family home 

After more than 20 years in the same Northern Beaches home, Tina and her husband were ready for less maintenance. They first needed to know they could change their minds.

Tina Crickman and her husband had raised their family, entertained friends and cared for the garden at their large Sydney home for more than two decades.

They had done all the things people buy a family home to do.

But there comes a point when the home that once supported family life begins demanding too much of it.

“There comes a time when you don’t want to worry about these things anymore,” Tina said. “It just means you get to live.”

The couple wanted fewer responsibilities without leaving Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Their five grandchildren, friends and community were nearby.

Minkara Resort retirement village at Bayview offered the location, along with ocean and bushland views. Yet deciding they liked it was different from feeling confident enough to move.

“We had our finances to look at and contracts to read,” Tina said.

The couple needed to understand what they would pay, what the contract meant and whether retirement village life would genuinely suit them.

Aveo’s six-month money-back guarantee gave them the confidence to take that next step. They could move into Minkara Resort, experience daily life in the village and still reconsider the decision.

“The important part for us was knowing we weren’t locked in,” Tina said.

“Having the opportunity to try it out and decide whether it was right for us was probably the most liberating part of the decision-making.”

That was seven years ago.

Tina and her husband are still at Minkara Resort, close to the people and places they knew before moving, but free from much of the work attached to their former home.

Their initial caution is shared by many older Australians. The 2026 Ageing in Australia Community Expectations Report found 50% of respondents were interested in downsizing, with affordability, moving costs and the disruption of relocating among the principal barriers.

Aveo Chief Operating Officer Justine Hughes said people often needed financial confidence before they could properly consider the lifestyle offered by a retirement village.

“They want to understand what the move means for their finances, what they will pay, and how the different contract options work,” she said.

“It is also very important for people to speak with their families and advisers before making the decision.”

For Tina, settling those questions allowed her to consider how she and her husband wanted to spend their time.

“We saw the views and the trees and thought, why would we leave Sydney? It’s just glorious here,” she said.

“It’s like a cruise ship. You can be involved in everything, or you can sit on your own balcony, read a book and watch the world go by.”

Minkara Resort offers one, two, and three-bedroom villas, priced from $220,000 to $1.365 million as of 17 August 2026.

Residents may pay a departure fee and may be required to share any capital gain with the village operator. Those financial arrangements still need to be understood.

For Tina and her husband, confidence did not come from avoiding the contract. It came from reading it, asking the questions and knowing they had time to make sure the life beyond the family home was right for them.