5 best property website designs that sell a lifestyle
The number of people living in Australia is expected to jump 60 % from 23.8 million today to nearly 38 million by 2050. According to Charter Keck Cramer (Australia in 2050 Research), that means Melbourne’s population will explode to almost 8 million residents by the middle of this century, requiring us to build around 1.6 million more homes.
The CEO of Australia’s largest property advisory firm once asked me how I feel about this change – not just the changes it will bring to our infrastructure, but how I think this boom will affect my days when I am old, and the everyday lives of my future children.
A pretty heavy question for a meet and greet, but it got me thinking about property and how we are more and more influenced to think that it is our home’s location that contributes to our lifestyle, instead of the four walls that surround us.
Because of the current trends in property development, there has been a significant increase in demand for apartment living in Melbourne, with a high percentage of owner-occupiers within the off-the-plan purchasers’ group. The image of a ‘picket fence house’ with a sprawling backyard is becoming more of a dream than a reality for many, as there is a growing demand for affordable entry points for owner-occupiers and renters who want the community lifestyle but cannot afford a house.
What does this mean for people who want to provide their kids the space to run around with the dog in the backyard? Many would say that you can’t have everything, but according to the hundreds of new property development websites currently featured on realestate.com.au that promote new apartments in Victoria alone – you can have the home, the space, and the idyllic lifestyle.
From the $440 million marina development ‘Wyndham Harbour’ in Werribee to ‘Evelyn’ in Ringwood, many property developers now prefer to promote their developments’ lifestyle offering on their websites over the actual features of the dwelling. Through careful messaging and attractive imagery, the websites paint a beautiful picture of your own private space, skilfully crafted to ensure you need not anything else, ever. The more successful websites make you feel like not wanting all that room and maintenance of a house anyway, instead longing for a brand new apartment in a location that has that vibrant village vibe and easy access to a wide variety of amenities.
With nearly 8 million residents living in Melbourne in 35 years and property developers now investing heavily in promoting the apartment lifestyle both online and offline, it makes you wonder why there was ever a need for the backyard, the picket fence or all the space a single-dwelling provides.
Below I have listed five best property website designs that I think sell that complete lifestyle very well.
NEW KINGSLEY APARTMENTS, MELBOURNE
Pascoe Vale – the ‘next Brunswick’. This inner north suburb is ‘hot property’ and is getting gentrified at such a rapid pace that you can hear the fixies and coffee machines squeaking in sheer anticipation. The website copy heralds the development as one that “offers contemporary, urban style apartment living with an exciting cosmopolitan lifestyle to match… a winning combination of contemporary living, a rich heritage and a genuine sense of community.”
HAROLD PARK, SYDNEY
Angled as ‘Glebe’s secret backyard’, Harold Park is a residential precinct in Sydney’s inner west. Surrounded by parks, Harold Park will contain developments ranging from boutique 3-storey buildings to Victorian-style terraces. This is Mirvac developing a new village, complete with retail and dining establishments, all spaced out within vast parklands so a real sense of suburbia is maintained – it is all very green, very open, very villagey. Visit website.
ARIA SWANBOURNE, PERTH
Aria is specifically designed for the sophisticated owner-occupier, with the intention of providing the ‘ultimate urban lifestyle’. The development contains apartments that are like hotel rooms, with a strong focus on luxury and breathtaking ocean views. The website boasts that despite it being out west, the Aria Luxury Apartments are connected to absolutely everything you can possibly hope for. Visit website.
Here are two of my favourite property website designs from Yoke’s own property portfolio that I think succeed at selling an inspirational lifestyle.
EIGHTY EAST, MELBOURNE
With a huge offshore target market and participation in this year’s Luxury Property Showcase held in Guangzhou (the world’s biggest property event showcasing the planet’s most exclusive developments to China’s elites), the campaign’s primary focus was Melbourne lifestyle. It was imperative that the marketing communications presented Malvern East – and Melbourne as a whole – as the place to invest in if you are looking to achieve the most perfectly-curated life. Knowing that Eighty East would be presented to an audience with second-hand information on Melbourne, it was important to convey how it is to truly live in the world’s most liveable city. Visit website (Chinese landing page up, with full website in English coming soon).
101 MALING, MELBOURNE
101 Maling is a highly protected precinct and revered by the local Canterbury community. The redevelopment of 87-101 Maling Road was met with fiery contention from locals in the planning stages, and with the zoning being recently changed, it will be the last development project on Maling Road.
It was important that the architectural vision – the blending of past and future in the building’s design – was reflected not just in the brand name and identity but also on the digital platform. The website rejoices the heritage of 101 Maling and the lifestyle this development offers through stories and archive imagery of butchers and grocers that were in business in the early 1900s. There is a different lifestyle on offer here – it is one that invites buyers to be part of a new history. Visit website.
These days, you tend plants and herbs on a balcony overlooking a landscape that is transforming at a phenomenal pace. What professionals in the property industry can learn from the recent developments is that along with the fast-changing suburbia, the marketing associated with it should evolve at a similar pace in order to meet the demands of the modern consumer.
There will be a definite shift in how we will all live in a couple of decades, with the future fast mirroring that of Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo. It is why exceptional property lifestyle marketing – both online and offline – will be one of the major determinants of most sought-after properties of the future.