Sales Update – Nov 2021

Ecovillage sales office holiday shutdown

The Ecovillage Team is looking forward to a good break this holiday season and will close the sales office for a month on Friday, 17 December 2021 and reopen on Monday, 17 January 2022. Wormall Civil will be working on Stages 4 and 5 civil construction during this period. The sales team will return ready to release Stage 4 lots to the market in March 2022.

Stage 3 selling at a cracking pace

Stage 1 and 2 are SOLD OUT! As I write, we have 10 lots left for sale across Cluster 3B and 3A, the latter which has been rocketing along since its release in late September. Michelle and I (the Ecovillage Sales Dream Team) are happily run off our feet keeping up with demand and trying to stay ahead of the curve with upcoming stage releases. It’s a wonderful problem to have.

Stage 4 to be released in March 2022

Stage 4 enquiries are running hot but we’re unable to take reservations at the moment. However, the extraordinary level of interest has meant we’re going to bring forward the pre-sale of lots in Stage 4 to March 2022. The exact release date and process are still to be determined and are contingent on a number of factors, namely the civil works program, which is due to commence this month. We will be conducting a preferential sales ballot application for clusters 4B and 5B (as we did for Cluster 3B). More information on this to come in the new year.

If you haven’t already, please make sure you REGISTER YOUR INTEREST on our website, which will put you on our communications database. This is the only way to ensure you don’t miss out on the pre-sale release of Stage 4 and 5.

It’s worth pointing out that bringing forward pre-sales will not speed up the settlement process, which we estimate will occur in approximately August 2022. However, it will mean buyers can sign a sales contract and secure their lot with a $5,000 deposit. During the interim period that follows before lot titles are issued, buyers will be able to focus on designing their homes, engaging a builder, obtaining approvals and generally getting all the paperwork done in advance. This means that by the time lot titles are issued and settlement occurs, lot buyers can leap into building without delay.

Pre-sale of Stage 3 Short Stay Lots

The first tranche of 15 Short Stay lots in Stage 3 are now available and already attracting a lot of interest from potential investors and holiday homemakers. These flexible strata lots can be used as permanent residential, short stay accommodation or holiday homes and are easy care (read: no community gardens) with a lovely northern outlook over public open space, in which we will plant an olive grove, and the Ecovillage’s agricultural lots.

We are offering these for sale as lot-only (includes a 13.5kWh Tesla Powerwall battery) or as part of a fully costed House & Land Package (H&L). We have engaged design firm Arcologic to design a passive solar 2 bed 2 bath home specifically for the dimensions and orientation of these Short Stay lots. This base design will be augmented by optional extras including a loft / third sleeping space and a self-contained 1 bed ancillary dwelling over the carport, which offers an additional income generating rental or just extra space for guests. The H&L Packages will include rainwater tanks, solar panels, inverter, Tesla Powerwall battery and connection to the microgrid – everything you need. These house plans are still in the design phase and will need to be put out to building tender before we can advertise H&L pricing sometime in the new year.

However, the lot-only Stage 3 Short Stay Lots plan and pricing is available now. General information on Short Stays in the Ecovillage can be found on our RESIDENTIAL LOT TYPES page. We will have strata bylaws and sales contracts ready for issue by the end of November. We are expecting lot titles to be issued around January with settlement available from February 2022. Between now and the issue of contracts at the end of this month, we are taking ‘obligation-free’ reservations on lots. A $5,000 deposit will only be required once contracts are signed. We encourage buyers who require finance to gain pre-approval from their lender to streamline and fast-track the sales process for both us and you.

We eventually plan to have an Ecovillage Property Management and Sales office located on Wolghine Square, which will offer full service management of the short stay and tourism zoned accommodation throughout the Ecovillage. While this service will be optional, it will take all the hassle out of property management for investors and offer peace of mind in knowing there will always be someone on site looking after their property asset.

For more information or to reserve a lot, please email us on [email protected] or call the Ecovillage office on (08) 9757 6688.

Commercial lots for sale now

We are now taking pre-sales reservations for our commercial lots in the Ecovillage. The Commercial Lots Plan & Pricing page is kept up-to-date with reservations and all the information you need to know about these two ‘Village Centre’ zoned stratas can be found on the COMMERCIAL LOTS page under the BUSINESS menu.

We expect to have sales contracts, strata bylaws, Local Development Plans and design guidelines ready for commercial lot purchasers before the end of the year. For more information about commercial opportunities in the Ecovillage, give Jo a call at the office on (08) 9757 6688 or email [email protected]

Incubating Food Hub ideas

We originally thought the Food Hub would be one of the last public buildings we developed in the Ecovillage, as it really needs a thriving established community and productive agricultural lots to be viable. However, interest from foodie entrepreneurs is starting to bubble away like a fine ferment. While the 1,000sqm commercial lots are great for businesses requiring bigger premises, many food-related businesses don’t need as much space. However, often they need facilities like cold storage, a commercial kitchen, public toilets, delivery bays, all of which could potentially be shared with like-minded businesses in the right environment.

Ideas are percolating within the Ecovillage office about potential design, development and operational models of the Food Hub. Ideally, there would a mix of spaces for purchase and lease, as well as investment opportunities, and it would be able to incorporate all of these facilities and create a bustling, beautiful, Market Hall-style space where vendors, chefs, residents, locals and tourists can all come and be part of our sustainable food system.

If you have a food-related business or investment idea, and like the sound of this, we encourage you to get in touch with us for a preliminary confidential chat.

Agricultural lots special use zoning application

The AMR Shire is currently assessing our Special Use Zoning application, which would expand the agribusiness opportunities immensely for these agricultural lots. We would love to see agribusiness ventures, such as a microbrewery that grows its own hops or a distillery that grows its own botanicals. Tourism-friendly businesses like this would be an incredible asset for the Ecovillage and the whole region.

We have had expressions of interest from prospective buyers looking into growing blueberries, truffles, native bush foods, hops, hemp and food forests, and that’s just the beginning!

Once we receive in-principle support from the Shire for the Special Use Zoning, we will be able to price and release these lots for pre-sale early next year. If you are interested in an ag lot, please give us a call to discuss.

Micro-clusters become garden lots

We’ve moved away from the plan to group smaller homes in ‘micro-clusters’ along Bussell Highway in Stages 3 and 4 (denoted in orange on the master plan) and are instead developing Garden Lots approximately 1,500 – 2,500sqm in size. Importantly, these lots will have access to abundant, clean water from our beautiful dams, which will enable residents to grow substantial gardens and orchards alongside their homes. This sets them apart from ubiquitous “Lifestyle Lots” that can be found throughout the region, which have no water or additional infrastructure. Like all Ecovillage lots, the Garden Lots will be strata titled, which will enable them to share an electrical microgrid, batteries, deep sewer and all the benefits that come with an ownership stake in Ecovillage Commons Limited.

The Garden Lots are currently undergoing subdivision at the WA Planning Commission, which we hope will be approved early in the new year. We’ll have more sales information about these lots then.