Village Homes Realty
This edition of The Village Collective newsletter has been a long time coming! Like many, our best intentions of dispatching a bi-monthly newsletter were thwarted by COVID-19, among other things. But we now have plenty of news that we are excited to share with you.
Sales Update
After much deliberation, we decided to commence lot sales of Stage 1 in May. We invited applications from a small group of long-time supporters and those who had registered for the site tours that had to be cancelled in March. Given the uncertainty posed by the Coronavirus impact, we were unsure what to expect. However, we are thrilled with the response we’ve had from people who have reinforced our belief that a sustainable, community-focused life in the Ecovillage is exactly what we all need right now.
Of the 64 lots available in Stage 1, we currently have 35 confirmed sales across the three residential clusters. Those lots are now marked as RESERVED with an orange dot on the interactive cluster plans 1A, 1B, and 1C on the website.
We are now opening the balance of Stage 1 lot sales to our database. Click here for information on the sales process.
Site Tours and Q&A sessions
As we are now descending into a Margaret River winter, the uncertainty posed by inclement weather makes it too difficult to plan outdoor events in advance. Consequently, we will not be offering group public site tours of the Ecovillage until the weather fines up again in spring. However, if you’re keen to purchase a lot in Stage 1 but need to walk the site to get a feel for the land before confirming your decision, you’re welcome to email us at [email protected] to request a private tour.
With the easing of social distancing restrictions, we will now be able to host bigger groups for a walking site tour and informal Q&A session when the weather permits. When we advertise these events publicly, you will be able to book via the Events Calendar on the website.
Civil works and settlement of Stage 1 lots
Wormall Civil has been working throughout the CONID-19 craziness in an effort to get the roads, drainage and services completed on Stage 1 before inclement weather puts a stop to work. However, early rains and unforeseen delays on the Main Roads intersection have held up progress. However, we are excited to confirm that Main Roads and the Augusta- Margaret River Shire will enable us to bond the unfinished works to facilitate clearance of our subdivision conditions in order to create titles and settlement of lots in October 2020.
Civil construction to complete outstanding works on Stage 1 will resume as soon as the site is dry enough (October / November) and progress through stages 2 and 3 during summer. Consequently, we expect that purchasers will be able to start building their homes in the second half of January 2021. However, once lots are secured with a finalised sales contract and a $5,000 deposit, purchasers are free to get started on the fun stuff: planning and designing their dream home.
Website updates and Information Handbooks
There’s been a lot of work going on behind the scenes lately on crucial documents that form part of the sales contract process. If you haven’t visited our website for a while, it’s a good time to take another look around, especially at the recently updated Document Library and FAQs pages. In lieu of the cancelled presentations and tours, we have created a series of detailed informational handbooks including:
- Project Overview Handbook – project objectives, history and structure, location, site design, lot types, community, etc.
- Ownership Handbook – survey strata ownership, land tenure, Ecovillage Commons Company, strata clusters, governance, strata fees and rates, etc.
- Water Handbook – planning for your water needs, budgets, roof area and tank sizes, water use outside the home, managing water quantity and quality, etc.
- Building Your Home Handbook – cluster and lot orientation, passive solar design, budgeting, BDGs, LDPs, LCA, ancillary dwellings, building materials, bushfire risk, design assessment process, etc
- Residential Energy Supply Handbook – PVs, inverters, smart meters, costs, phases, roof area and orientation, energy efficient appliances, EV charging, microgrid, connections, batteries, production and sales, etc.
If you’re seriously considering a home in the Ecovillage, these handbooks provide a wealth of information that serve to answer many of the nitty gritty questions you may have. Make sure you read these first, alongside the Sustainable Building Design Guidelines before you get in touch with us.
