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At 72, Ingrid Baas-Becking is busier than she’s ever been.She’s big on lunch dates, sings with a choir and loves walking her puppy, Ellie. It’s a lifestyle made possible by where she lives, in the very centre of Canberra at Sundown Villas: a community of 80+ homes in Symonston, literally on the site of the old Sundown Drive-in.<img alt="6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0-20230919023141035433-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0.width-800.jpg" width="800">“It’s honestly Canberra’s best-kept secret,” Ingrid says.“The location, the sense of community, I love living here.”The conditions for buying and living at Sundown Villas are unique. Firstly, the owners – Australian real estate fund managers <a href="https://www.lincolnplace.com.au/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lincoln Place</a> – prefer you to be over 50.<img alt="6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0-20230919023141723031-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0.width-800_iG7P42V.jpg" width="800">You must pay for your home with cash, but there is no stamp duty. You then enter a land lease arrangement, paying around $180/week to live in your home. Water costs are included in the weekly land lease fee.The main condition is that you can’t move your home; it must stay in the park.The park is made up of one, two and three-bedroom homes that size-wise are “somewhere between a cabin and a regular-sized home”. Ingrid refers to her home, <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a two-bedroom, one bathroom home she has currently listed for sale</a> – as a “small home”. <img alt="20230920_145526" class="richtext-image full-width" height="1066" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/20230920_145526.width-800.jpg" width="800">“I grew up in Holland, so it suits me well,” she says.Priced from $200,000, it’s an affordable way for people to own their own home.Ingrid is only selling because she’s moving in with her partner Fay, a few houses up the street.Life at Sundown Villas can be as busy or relaxed as you like. The park has a swimming pool, a community hall and barbecue facilities, and visiting family and friends get a discount at the Sundown Motel located right next door. <img alt="6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0-20230919023141903208-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0.width-800_FwtExQV.jpg" width="800">But what Ingrid loves is the quiet.“We’re surrounded by a really rural landscape here, it’s beautiful,” she says.“On the whole, because it’s mostly elderly residents, it is very quiet.”Around 40 brand-new homes are being added to the park over the coming months, with a price guide of $520,000 for a three-bedroom floorplan. New barbecue facilities are being built (at the moment, residents of the villas share with motel guests), the park’s roads are being re-sealed and the landscaping is being upgraded.<img alt="6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0-20230919023143068155-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299-image-0.width-800_IwCfvk4.jpg" width="800">“In a way, it’s like buying a caravan,” Ingrid says.“You don’t get the land and you can’t have a mortgage, but no stamp duty and a super simple settlement makes a huge difference to people.“I’ve loved living in this little house.”Number 6 Conifer Avenue, Symonston, is for sale between $230,000 and $250,000.<a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/6-conifer-ave-symonston-act-2609-86299/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View the full listing.</a>

1 news articles with tag symonston

‘Canberra’s best-kept secret’: What life in a lifestyle park near Fyshwick is really like