IGNITE MNC, Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast’s (RDAMNC) annual conference will be held this year at Woolgoola Surf Club on November 2.

RDAMNC’s CEO Kerry Grace said, “Following on from the successful film launch of “Our Spaces’ In Port Macquarie in August RDAMNC will continue the conversation about housing at Ignite MNC 2022.”

The Ignite MNC event is organised around three key themes: ‘Housing’, ‘The Circular Economy’, and ‘Workforce’.

Keynote speaker for the ‘Housing’ theme will be Ian Ugarte, a housing entrepreneur who converts large four bedroom homes into four micro apartments, renting them out to singles and couples at affordable rates, including utilities.

“We have invited housing entrepreneur Mr Ugarte to speak on re-imagining housing, as a well as a panel of speakers who are thinking outside the square on the matter of how we use our domestic spaces,” Said Ms Grace.

“Ian is a property developer with a difference.”

“He is passionate about creating affordable housing options which looks after the needs of working singles and couples, and we think his ideas could make a difference where it counts here on the Mid North Coast.”

Mr Ugarte said there is an ‘upside-down’ housing market in Australia, where 60-80 percent of the houses built are large four-bedroom/two-bathroom properties, while 60-80 percent of the rental market is made up of singles and couples.

“This results in a supply-demand mismatch, where singles and couples are rattling around in houses too big for their needs, which reduces the availability of these larger homes for families who do need the extra space'” Mr Ugarte said.

“There is an opportunity in the oversupply of these larger houses to convert those large homes in to four micro apartments, including  a bedroom, a bathroom, a sitting room and kitchenette, with a shared kitchen and laundry, with the rental price including utilities.

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