Gold Coast PROPERTY

Urgent sale needed on this Soul apartment as the owner can’t afford to complete the sale on this off-the-plan purchase in the Gold Coast’s most iconic building. His loss, your gain.

16th floor, best floorplan layout. One of the rare apartments with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths & 2 car parking spaces, and with the opportunity to purchase storage.

Positioned at the heart of the Gold Coast, Soul boasts one of the world’s most vibrant coastal locations with panoramic views of the Pacific ocean – views that will never be built out.

Soul’s luxury apartments will enjoy doorstep access not only to Surfers Paradise beach but to Soul’s $120 million retail development which will showcase designer boutiques and spectacular restaurants and cafes.

Soul is the centrepiece of the revitalisation of Surfers Paradise which is attracting billions of dollars in investment. Upon completion in 2011, Soul will represent the ultimate Australian lifestyle, combining sun, surf and sand with glamour, fashion and fine dining.

The Beach Collection:

3 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
2 car parking bays

Plans for the building feature 5 star facilities like:

Indoor 25m heated lap pool
Gymnasium
Spa
Sauna
Steam room
Sun deck
Outdoor pool
Cascading spa
Sun deck
Landscaped gardens with water features

A PIECE OF HEAVEN IN PARADISE!

See link for further details: http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-qld-surfers+paradise-107156053

Or email info@bordersrealty.com.au

House prices around the future Gold Coast light rail track are set to soar, with predictions some property values could jump $100,000 in the next 12 months.

Industry sources say developers have started to circle properties along the route and homeowners are looking to sell when the price is right.

There is evidence of housing price booms in the United States when light rail systems have been built.

According to a recent Tourism and Transport Forum paper, house prices within 800m of the new light rail system in St Louis, Missouri, enjoyed a 32 per cent premium and the cost of track-side apartments in Santa Clara, California, soared 45 per cent.

Rapid Transit System business advisory member Peter Trathen said he could see some house prices on Queen Street and Olsen Avenue jumping as much as $100,000 in the next 12 months as developers started to move in.

Mr Trathen said clever developers were already planning ahead and getting ready to buy up land along the track route.

“If you amalgamate land and put it to a development the value will be huge,” he said.

“There are massive opportunities in terms of development.”

Mr Trathen said developers were all waiting on the market to improve and when it did there would be a big rush.

Urban Development Institute of Australia senior vice-president Steve Harrison said major Queensland property developers were already scouting for opportunities around Broadbeach.

Smart players in the industry were making plans and investing.

“There’s been a lot of movement around Broadbeach,” he said.

There would be a premium on house prices along the light rail route as developers snapped up properties early for long-term plans.

Mr Harrison said once one developer put money behind a project along the route others would ‘pull their finger out’.

Real Estate Industry Queensland Gold Coast chairman John Newlands said house prices would start to rise around the light rail track but not dramatically.

“I don’t think you’ll see house prices jump from $300,000 to $400,000 overnight,” he said.

“I think you’ll see a gradual 10 per cent growth in prices.”

Queen Street resident Steven Gray said he thought prices would go the other way so was pleased to hear of a potential price rise.

“I’ve been here for a long time,” he said. “It’s a noisy street, so if the money was right I’d sell … “

Upper Coomera has topped the list of Gold Coast suburbs with the most house sales, at 455 in the past year — ahead of nearby Pacific Pines by a hefty 139 homes.

LJ Hooker Coomera real estate agent Dylan Oakley said being nestled between the Gold Coast and Brisbane made the area attractive to people who wanted easy access to both.

“A lot of our clients work in Brisbane and they want to be able to get to the beach on the Gold Coast and other attractions,” he said.

The only other suburb with more than 300 homes sold in the year to February was Pacific Pines according to information supplied by RP Data.

Helensvale, Robina and Ormeau recorded almost 300 house sales each in the same period.

Mr Oakley said the affordability of Upper Coomera was what drove sales in the suburb, where the median price rose by 2.4 per cent in the year to February despite a subdued market.

REIQ Gold Coast chairman John Newlands agreed, saying the same logic applied to all the suburbs that made the top five sales list.

The median house price in Upper Coomera was $420,000, while in Pacific Pines it was $455,000 and in Helensvale the median price was $499,000.

Ormeau was also one of the cheaper suburbs to buy a house at $448,000.

But in Robina the median house price jumped to $532,500, reflecting a rise of 1.2 per cent.

Mr Oakley said there were still opportunities to buy homes in Upper Coomera for under $400,000.

He said the reduction in the first home owner grant had seen a medium-term drop in buyer interest in those houses at the bottom end.

The figures from RP Data showed there were few houses on the market on the Gold Coast below $400,000, with only 10 per cent of the sales in the first quarter of 2010 in that section of the market.

By comparison, in the first quarter of 2009, 21.8 per cent of house sales were for homes below $400,000.

The majority of units on the Gold Coast sold for under $400,000 — 55 per cent in the March quarter, down on 64.1 per cent in the same period last year.

You can see the Surfers Paradise high rises from Barranbali Street and Neptune Court but data shows the locations are worlds apart.

Barranbali Street on Chevron Island claimed the title for the Gold Coast’s cheapest street at a median price of just $219,723 for a unit, while buying a house or unit in Neptune Court, Paradise Waters, costs an average of $3,328,959, according to information from RP Data.

The news was a shock to Barranbali Street residents including Rosie Taylor who said she had ‘travelled the world and lived in lots of places’ before deciding to settle in the central location.

“It is the village atmosphere here that I like the most,” she said.

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Gorge Zivanovic has made the most of his Neptune Court address, knocking down an old house to build a multimillion-dollar home three years ago.

“Paradise Waters is one of the best spots on the Gold Coast,” said the developer.

“It is quiet, central and there are nice people who live here.”

Surfers Paradise’s streets occupied five out of the 10 slots in the most expensive street list but Surf Parade was the only Surfers street in the list of cheapest.

Stockland has released the final tranche of apartments and penthouses in its Allisee waterfront development at Hollywell.

The apartments are within the Broadwater-fronting, six-level Sahana building, which was completed last year.

Stockland previously sold more than 50 per cent of Sahana’s 42 apartments off the plan in 2008 and held back the remainder for this final release.

All have three bedrooms, a separate study and views from South Stradbroke Island to the Surfers Paradise skyline.

Sahana’s first residents Helen and Mike Austin said they fell in love with the water views from their apartment and having the beach at the doorstep.

“There’s no road between us and the beach and the view can never be built out,” said Mrs Austin.

“The lifestyle we have here is just fantastic — my husband is a member of the Paradise Point Sailing club and we also both love fishing.”

After downsizing from the family home, Mrs Austin said she was impressed by the size of their new apartment.

“It’s got lovely high ceilings which give it a real feeling of spaciousness,” she said.

“Another thing I liked about Sahana was the well planned and generous storage in the apartments.

“There are so many cupboards, and an additional storage area in the basement.”

Sahana apartments range in size from 197sq m to 434sq m and are priced from about $1.5 million.

Facilities include three pools, a gymnasium and a tennis court.

The penthouse and apartments are open for inspection each day.

The sales suite is on Columbus Drive, Hollywell.

Carrara properties were the best riverfront performers in terms of price growth last year, according to Colliers International research.

The firm’s Gold Coast Beachfront Riverfront Housing Property Watch report reveals that while main river houses across 12 suburbs achieved an annual capital growth of 5.3 per cent, Carrara almost tripled that with a 15.7 per cent rise.

Paradise Waters remained the Gold Coast’s most expensive riverfront suburb in 2009, although only two sales were recorded.

Sorrento finished a close second with four sales producing the $4.131 million average, followed by Southport where four sales averaged just over $3 million.

“Paradise Waters showed average capital growth during 2009 of two per cent, which is the lowest we have seen there in the 13 years of monitoring riverfront sales,” said Colliers International prestige residential director John Natoli.

“Sorrento’s average price and an average growth rate of 11.1 per cent were buoyed by the sale of Bartinon in Marseille Court for $8 million, the highest price paid for a riverfront home during 2009.

“That sale also helped push the 10-year riverfront growth total for Sorrento to … 525 per cent.”

The report’s author, Colliers International Gold Coast research manager Lynda Campbell, said only Paradise Waters and Southport were achieving average riverfront property prices of more than $1 million 10 years ago.

“In 2009, all riverfront suburbs recorded average prices over $1.1 million, with the exception of Cronin Island and Surfers Paradise where no sales were recorded and Ashmore where the average price was just under $1 million,” she said.

“Price growth has been outstanding with all suburbs experiencing triple figure growth over the 10-year period.”

Mr Natoli said interstate buyers were returning to the Coast’s prestige property market.

“With their markets experiencing increased activity and rising prices, they are seeing value here, and finding price corrections for beachfront and riverfront land have provided some enticing buying opportunities,” he said.

Paradise Point locals have endorsed the latest waterfront development on their shores with most buyers in the $650 million Salacia Waters project coming from the surrounding area.

Data compiled by Ray White New Projects reveals that locals are the primary buyers in the Salacia Waters masterplanned community which is taking shape on the Paradise Point peninsula.

Ray White New Projects director Julian Sutherland said locals had an appreciation for the region and understood the opportunity that the project presented.

“Salacia Waters is the final piece in the puzzle for one of the city’s most prestigious suburbs, so it is no surprise that locals are eager to secure their piece of paradise in a region that boasts all of the lifestyle facilities they already love,” he said.

Mr Sutherland said in addition to local interest, Salacia Waters has had far-reaching appeal with inquiries from as far afield as Dubai, Europe, Korea, Japan, China, the United Kingdom and the US.

Six apartments and three marina berths have sold at the development for a total of more than $7.2 million.

Mr Sutherland said the majority of inquiry was from empty-nesters looking to downsize from large homes and upgrade their lifestyle.

“People are essentially looking to maximise their leisure time and Salacia Waters will offer a range of lifestyle options on your doorstep, including the beach, recreational facilities and parks as well as the project’s proximity to shopping and golf facilities,” he said.

Apartments will range in size from 87sq m to 369sq m and are priced from $430,000 to $3.1 million.

Construction of the 470-home community is well under way with the first stage due for completion later this year.

The sales office is open every day at 17 Killowill Avenue, Paradise Point

Now is the time to buy a luxury apartment on the Gold Coast.

The latest Midwood Queensland Investment Report for the February quarter shows there are more than 1000 medium and high-rise apartments for sale on the Gold Coast, and with just 58 sales in this category since December, it has never been a better time to get into the luxury market and negotiate a sweet deal.

Midwood Report author Bill Morris said the number of apartments on the market equated to two and a half years’ worth of stock, allowing prospectors and buyers to shop around for a good deal.

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Mr Morris said prices for new luxury apartments had fallen by as much as 20 per cent in the past year.

“Anyone looking at buying an apartment in the $600,000 to $3 million price range has a lot of room to negotiate a good deal at the moment,” said Mr Morris.

“The amount (of stock) on the market is partly due to the amount of residual stock in projects that have gone into receivership, such as Freshwater Point in Broadbeach and Southport Central.”

And there was better news for those who have the means to pay in cash, with an even greater discount possible, according to Mr Morris.

“If you’ve got the cash you could walk in and pay 30 per cent less than the current asking prices, which have already been discounted,” he said.

Mr Morris predicts prices on luxury apartments will continue to drop for up to two more years, or until the supply runs out.

Mr Morris said the huge number of terminated contracts at Coast Marine Parade in Labrador and Southport Central III in Southport had contributed to the lousy sales figures for new high-rise apartments for the February quarter.

Cattleman Evan Richards and wife Sally believe they achieved ‘good value’ when they purchased a three-bedroom, 400sqm apartment with Broadwater views and a 15m marine berth at Stockland development Allisee in Hollywell earlier this year for $1.85 million.

“Stockland make quality apartments and I think this is a one-of-a-kind apartment, the outlook is sensational, it’s close to the M1 and in a growth area full of new infrastructure,” said Mr Richards.

“It’s a safe and secure place to come home to after a day managing 300 head of cattle.”

Article courtesy of the knowledgeable Bill Morris @ Midwood Australia. Visit him @ The Midwood Report