Housing Market Update

Queensland real estate will top capital gains across the country for the next two years, new data shows. The National Australia Bank third quarter Residential Property Survey found Queensland had overtaken Victoria as “the strongest state”.  NAB Chief Economist, Alan Oster, said the state “is doing wonderfully well”.  “It’s warmer than anywhere else”.

Foreign buyers made up 17% of the state’s new property market with owner occupiers and investors at 34% each, and owner occupiers expected to rise slightly next year.  For existing properties, “demand was strongest for houses in the inner city and middle/outer ring and for inner city apartments”.

“Capital growth prospects over the next 12 months improved for houses in all price points below $1million, with prospects assessed as ‘good’ in all price brackets”, NAB said of Queensland.  Major events such as the G20 and 2018 Commonwealth Games would only lift the state’s profile.

Mr Oster said Queensland house prices were expected to rise 2.9% on average next year and 3.2% in 2 years.  (Courier Mail article Thursday, 16 October 2014 by Sophie Foster)

Music by the Sea presents Kavisha Mazzella

If you enjoy really good folk music, make sure you mark your diary for Saturday 1st November when Aria Award winner, songbird and folkloric explorer Kavisha Mazzella headlines for Music by the Sea.

Passionate about justice, Melbourne based Kavisha was awarded an Order of Australia in 2011 for her services to singing and song writing, reflecting the experience of refugee, multicultural and indigenous communities through performance.

Singing original songs, the lyrical ingredients of her style mixes a delicious blend of humour, poetry, social justice and spirituality.

               

This Saturday, November 1, 2014, 7:30 – 10pm at Sandgate Town Hall

You will find ticket prices and bookings at www.musicbythesea.com.au 

Looking down Brighton Rd toward Sandgate Town Hall, 1940s. Not changed a lot really

IT’S HOT OUT THERE!

As we move into the hot temperatures, it’s a good time to be prepared for the unknown as we have had some unseasonal conditions.  The recent lightening spectaculars we've enjoyed in the evenings have been absolutely amazing, but we must be mindful that storms can prove to be very dangerous and a dry season has been predicted so take care and be prepared!

With only 8 weeks until Christmas, our preparations are under way for the season.  Each Christmas we like to support a great organisation that helps others.  The past couple of years we have been fortunate to have the Salvation Army choir sing for us at our Christmas Party so this year we have decided to set up a Wishing Tree in our office to help with the wonderful work they do in our community, especially at Christmas time.  We believe that those less fortunate should enjoy the same as everyone else!  Our Wishing Tree will be erected on Friday, 14 November 2014; anyone in the community wishing to donate can drop gifts into office to place under the tree.  Please don’t forget to mark the appropriate age group and sex on the gift.  All gifts will be given to the Salvation Army just before Christmas.

There is still a short supply of properties on the market with some homes selling quicker than others.  There is no right or wrong reason why one house sells over another!  Buyers are abundant as attendance at open home inspections increased over the weekend.  Maybe the media coverage of Brighton has worked after all!

A meeting this evening about Cabbage Tree Creek Revitalisation

Open to the public an event tonight at QCYC in Shorncliffe.

Kerry Millard MP Member for Sandgate will be holding a forum this evening about Cabbage Tree Creek Revitalisation.

Speakers from Transport and Main Roads Boat Harbour Team will be attending.

See the poster opposite for more details

Great Expectations

Brighton has become a hot topic as it is forecast to be one of the top ten suburbs to buy in!  Brighton, similar to the surrounding  suburbs of Sandgate, Shorncliffe and Deagon is fast becoming a destination and offers great infrastructure and a wonderful environment for everyone.  

This area is  serviced by the Shorncliffe train line, main bus lines, close to the main arterial roads and houses some very popular early,   primary and secondary schools.  While being only 17kms to Brisbane CBD and close to Brisbane Airport, Brighton is nestled on the coast in the Bramble Bay precinct and overlooks Moreton Island.  

This area also offers a vast array of arts, music and healthy lifestyles, with many  eateries, coffee houses, restaurants, medical, financial institutions and other small retail and service industries—Brisbane’s best kept secrets!

Information sourced from RP Data shows a mixed result for the period from 2004 to 2013.  2002 to 2004 was the peak increase in prices for this entire area and since then there has been slight increases and in some cases Brighton has out performed Brisbane City Council.

There is absolutely no guarantee that there will be an increase in buyer activity, however, this exposure does place a seed in people’s minds and will bring them into an area that they may not have even considered previously.  The experts have only just found it, we know it, and we’re open to having people discover us! 

There is still not enough homes for sale.  Currently on www.realestate.com.au there are 70 properties on the market for sale in Brighton, around 40% lower than expected.  The other surrounding suburbs are similar with low supply.  High demand would   normally raise prices up, but in this case, that’s not happened yet!

If you need any  assistance with your property needs, please don't hesitate to call our office on 3269 1555.

So Much is Happening

Omg!  For those that watched the Block Finale on Sunday night what a surprise.  The highs and lows of real estate! One minute the excitement of going over the Reserve to the lows and disappointment of just reaching the Reserve.  You have to feel sorry for them after putting their lives on hold and all that hard work, I have a feeling that this won’t be the end of the saga!

Brighton has been mentioned as one of the top suburbs to watch out for. Well we’ve already known this for sometime and now that the seed has been sown into buyers minds, we’ll wait and watch to see the impact on the community.   

How exciting to see so many events in the area. The hardest thing is which one to attend!  Well done to all the organisers it’s not easy!

With flowers blooming and the warmer temperatures looming it is a good time to prepare the gardens for what they say will be a dry season.  Having transplanted a large Cycad,  which by the way is easier said than done,  allows time for it to settle into it’s new home before it gets too hot, as it will never be moved again.  The marks on the arms are proof!

With only 70 days until Christmas it’s nearly time to prepare for the festive season, what a great time of the year!

What to Do ...

Little is known of some individuals and their contribution to our community.  The unsung heroes that go about their duty unnoticed and don’t want or ask for the accolade they so rightly deserve.  They are the volunteers, the carers, and the people giving hope - a big thank you to you all! 

We’re pretty lucky to have such wonderful people within our community and we just wanted to give them a mention.  Now turning to our local property market, did you know there are a number of different ways to sell a home?  There is auction, tender and listing with a price (also known as private treaty).  Having options is great, but as a seller you also need to know the overall success rate of all forms of selling in your market.

The media shows a higher than normal success rate for action clearances.  Regarding of what the media is saying, our local area auction results (sourced from rpdata) paint a different picture.  From 1 September 2013 to now, there were 75 auctions - of these 41 properties were passed in, 14 sold on the day, 6 sold prior to auction, 4 after auction and 10 withdrawn.  Overall, during this same period there were 700 properties sold.  You do the sums on auction results in our local area, hmmm!

Ultimately, buyers are astute in their buying power and prefer to know exactly what a home is listed for.  We’re not against auctions but we do have to look at all aspects of selling before anticipating and advising on the best possible outcome for sellers in the current market.

If you’re selling and undecided about what to do, our team is more than happy to assist with all your property needs.  Please don’t hesitate to call if you would like help!