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!

Yee Haw!

What a superb day for our local community.  The organisers and volunteers of the Deagon Community Picnic Races have to give themselves a big pat on their backs for a great day!  Well done!

The copious amounts of champagne consumed (no wonder they ran out) and sound of the horses thundering down the track was awesome.  I’m sure there were a lot of empty pockets and sore heads on Monday morning.

Our marquee, De Agon Saloon, had 100 people in attendance and all dressed up for our theme - Wild Wild West.  What a day!  We hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed preparing for it!

The next big question is, are we going to back up next year?  Well, maybe, maybe not.  Watch this space!

Our local property market is slowly showing some signs of picking up with homes being listed for sale, however, buyers are cautious in their selections.  Even though homes may list there is not indication of a quick sale, it will all come down to the list price and what each home has to offer.

Our team are more than happy to assist with your property needs, call us if you would like help!

Who Do You Know

It is really astounding the number of people we speak to over a normal week.  On average we would have about 5 groups through each open home for inspection, and we conduct approximately 6 open houses each week - then add the people that we speak to during the week.  On average we would speak to about 150 people per week - multiply this by weeks in the year and we would speak to over 7,500 people!  I’m exhausted just thing about it, but in reality we would speak to a lot more. 

What this shows is not only do we talk a lot, but that we have a lot of contacts.  The old saying is that it’s not what you know but who you know, could apply.

With spring in the air, more homes will start to come onto the market for buyers. So come on out and see what we have to offer as we have some great new listings. If we’ve already met you and we don’t recognise you - please don’t take offence, as you can see we do meet a lot of people!

Appreciate What We Have

A pregnant pause has occurred in our market whilst I was away for a short stay in Ubud in Bali.  What a wonderful part of the world, if you ever have the opportunity to visit it is well worth it!

The temperatures in Bali are very similar to Queensland, and the Balinese have mastered the tropical garden.  Creating this style of garden is perfect for our environment and with so many amazing colour varieties, will enable you to create a wonderful tranquil surround, just in time for summer.

Meanwhile, the media is stirring up the pot by playing the property market (in some areas it is) but locally, whilst our property market has certainly seen better times, it is within a whisker of improving.  With the warmer temps not far away it will be perfect timing if you want to consider selling your home.

Herd Em Up

Previous generations used the railway line to monitor when they could safely move the herd from one side of the farm to the other. Others used it as a guide for coming home from the Friday night drink at the pub.  It was the only point of reference that they had to get home, apart from the light in the window.  These days the railway is used domestically for herding people to and from destinations without so much of a thought about bygone generations.

The Sandgate rail line was one of the earliest built in Queensland. This was the place to be seen with the foreshore packed with weekenders.  Not much has changed over the years as today we see so many people enjoying what we have everyday.  How lucky are we!

Obviously everyone loves living here, but currently there are insufficient properties on the market for sale to cater for the amount of people wanting to buy. Buyers don’t like waiting for too long and if properties don’t trickle onto the market soon, then they will look elsewhere.

The short season (not much of a winter) is nearing completion; Spring will soon be here, with Jacaranda blooms everywhere. Spring has always been a perfect time to sell and if you need any assistance then don’t hesitate in calling us.