Village Homes Realty
Up to $55K in government grants available for Stage 1 buyers
The Witchcliffe Ecovillage enthusiastically received the Federal and WA governments’ consecutive announcements last week of stimulus grants valued at $25,000 and $20,000, respectively, for the building of new homes and major renovations, plus an additional $10,000 + stamp duty relief for first home buyers.
This financial boost to the housing industry has come at a perfect time for prospective Ecovillagers. Buyers of Stage 1 lots will potentially be able to take advantage of both grants if they meet the governments’ eligibility criteria.
In response, the Ecovillage team has redoubled its efforts to complete civil works, achieve subdivision clearances and attain titles by October to enable settlement of our Stage 1 lots within the timeframe set by both State and Federal governments to access the grants.
Buyers have until 31 December 2020 to have a building contract in place with a registered builder (owner builders are not eligible).
Recent delays on Stage 1 civil works caused by inclement weather and hold-ups on the Main Roads intersection had the potential to delay the acquisition of lot titles until early 2021. However, we have worked quickly to negotiate a temporary solution to bond the remaining road works over winter for which we have the support of the Augusta-Margaret River Shire and Main Roads. This gives us confidence we can achieve lot titles by October 2020 enabling buyers to sign a building contract before the grant deadline.
In the meantime, our future Ecovillagers who have confirmed their lot choices in Stage 1 can spend the next few months designing their homes in readiness for settlement towards the end of the year.
We are so excited by the potential boost these grants offer to our future residents and hope that many of you can take advantage of this financial windfall to enable you to start a new life with us at the Ecovillage. The grants have certainly lit a fire under the Ecovillage team and our civil contractors, Wormall Civil, who are working hard to deliver the project as swiftly as possible to an exceptionally high standard. There is so much action out on site; it’s very exciting seeing it all come together.
For more information on each available government grant visit:
WA State Government grant – https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/building-bonus-package
Federal HomeBuilder grant – https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder
First Home Owner Grant – https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-finance/fhog
