Since 2016, the way Australians in their 50s and 60s approach work, home life and community has changed – and so too has what they want from their homes.
One of the clearest shifts has been in working life.
2025 data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that people aged between 55 and 64 have had the fastest-growing rates of employment, reflecting a move toward working later in life.
Alongside increasingly active lifestyles and flexible routines, this is changing what over-50s want from their homes. The preference is no longer simply for smaller homes, but for homes that work harder and smarter.
"One of the biggest changes we’ve seen is that life after 50 is becoming much less defined by traditional ideas of retirement,” says Andrew Coulter, Chief Operating Officer of GemLife, a provider of Australian over-50s lifestyle resorts.
"They’re looking to rightsize – to find a home that is easier to maintain but still gives them the space, quality and functionality they want for the way they live.”
A decade later, the company says the shift from traditional ‘downsizing’ towards ‘rightsizing’ is one of the clearest changes it has seen in the over-50s market.
GemLife has seen firsthand how the expectations of Australian over-50s have evolved over the past decade.
From downsizing to rightsizing: What buyers want now
The realestate.com.au GemLife Downsizing Australia Report, drawing on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Survey of Income and Housing, found that 85% of households aged 55 and over had at least two spare bedrooms.
"In practical terms, people often reach a point where the family home no longer suits the way they live,” says Mr Coulter.
“They may have bedrooms they rarely use, gardens or pools that require a lot of maintenance, or simply more property than they want to look after.”
While their homes might have more rooms than they need, many over-50s aren’t simply looking for less space, but for a lifestyle that better suits them.
According to the Downsizing Australia Report, a lower-maintenance property and better quality of life were the leading reasons downsizers wanted to move.
“That’s why I think ‘rightsizing’ is often a better description. People aren’t necessarily trying to have less; they’re deciding what they want more of,” Mr Coulter says.
“That might be more time to travel, greater financial freedom, less home maintenance or better opportunities to stay active and meet people.”
While expectations around downsizing have evolved, Mr Coulter says that the desire for independence, freedom and connection have remained consistent.
“Community is probably the clearest constant. We’ve seen it from our earliest communities through to today. What’s changed is the scale and variety of ways those connections can form,” he says.
“The infrastructure has evolved. The need for human connection hasn’t."
For some downsizers, rightsizing can mean more time and freedom to travel.
Land lease communities: How the model is changing
For over-50s seeking lower-maintenance homes and active communities, land lease communities offer a different housing model.
In a land lease community, residents own their own home and lease the land, paying a weekly site fee. They also keep any capital gains when they sell and avoid deferred management fees or stamp duty.
The land lease sector has matured considerably over the past decade.
“Land lease communities have moved increasingly into the mainstream as a housing and lifestyle choice for over-50s, and with that has come greater sophistication in the homes, facilities and broader lifestyle offering,” says Mr Coulter.
As the sector has matured, there has been a greater focus on accommodating the different ways residents want to live, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
That includes more flexible home designs, better connectivity for people who are still working, and a greater focus on sustainability, travel, health and wellbeing.
Over the same period, GemLife has grown to 33 established, selling and future resorts across Australia.
Mr Coulter says that while the quality of its homes and resort facilities has remained fundamental to GemLife’s growth, the company has increasingly looked beyond the traditional resort offering.
For example, Explore by GemLife gives homeowners access to a dedicated fleet of motorhomes, while Rise by GemLife, a partnership with Amplar Health, is a 12-week programme with one-on-one coaching designed to give homeowners practical, personalised advice as they age.
“We’re looking beyond the physical elements of a resort to how we can support homeowners to live well in whatever way matters to them,” he explains.
Health and wellbeing have become part of GemLife’s broader lifestyle offering.
What the next decade holds for over-50s
As the sector looks to the next decade, a new generation of over-50s is entering the market.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines Generation X as those born between 1966 and 1980, meaning even the youngest members of this cohort are heading into their 50s.
“Generation X is now firmly entering this market. At the same time, people are working longer and the boundaries between work, retirement, travel, family, health and leisure are becoming less distinct,” says Mr Coulter.
“That makes it difficult – and probably unwise – to try to define one version of what the over-50s lifestyle of 2036 will look like.”
Longer working lives, technological changes, new approaches to health and wellbeing, and a greater focus on sustainability could all shape what over-50s expect from their homes and communities.
Mr Coulter says responding to those changing expectations will be central to GemLife’s approach over the next decade and beyond.
“Our job is to keep listening and evolving. Some things we consider innovative or premium today may simply be expected in another ten years, while opportunities will emerge that we haven’t contemplated yet,” he says.
“Our challenge for the next decade isn’t to decide how people over 50 should live. It’s to keep creating the homes, infrastructure and opportunities that give them the freedom to decide that for themselves.”