QLD North Brisbane

Yes, this is true..hence my earlier posts on other threads about brisbane being full of *****s...not meant to be disrespectful to brisbanites ( well..not fully ) , but a similar observation of being slow to move when things such as infrastructure engancements are planned- and quick-draw sydney investors snap it up...a lot of that has happened throughout 2015

 

Yep....those local *****s....don't seem fussed. Once the first trains pull at Kippa....the look on their faces will be priceless....

 

The definition of *****s is Definition of *****
So i guess its just a bit inflammatory lol..

 

I think this is more a function of demand rather than 'slow to realise'
There are less people looking for IPs and less money here. Sydney has the world looking to invest there plus the investors from the millions that live in Sydney and Melbourne.

 

Maybe Sydney's just too darn expensive (i.e. lacking nice affordable areas) that when the NWRL train line was announced, people realised they could cope with shocking traffic in the Hills a little longer while they wait for a train line to come in, which makes the Hills much more popular than it was before. (And it was already popular.... great area for families). Its a nice area, green, leafy (though smaller blocks of land not so much), low crime but the lack of transport options was really severely holding the area back. The roads don't cope and there's buses to the city that take anything from 40 minutes to around 90 minutes and painful bus rides home.
So there really was a huge demand once the train line started into being. Actually I think Carlingford and Dundas picked up with the proposed Parramatta to Epping to Macquarie to Chatswood train line... but the Parramatta to Epping section was never built. It was a gamble... if it came off, buyers would be estatic. If not.... well... it's still not a bad place to live. Plus in any case there's been massive growth since. A train line to connect Parramatta to Carlingford to Epping would still be a nice to have, but I don't see it happening as there are other priorities.

 

Said in Tongue and Cheek....

But hey who is complaining....at least the Brissie market is steadily rising...unlike the NSW market where it is going to hell in a hand basket!

 

Actually Whitecat I think Brissie people are more prudent and conservative with their finances...unlike in NSW where there is more of materialistic culture. And also agree that Sydney and Melbourne have migrant money.

But on a more positive side....Brisbane will not have the same level of bust which Sydney will...and parts of Melbourne.

 

Did Richlands and Springfield grow in value before or after their train line went in?

 

Hey @Whitecat, re.com.au reports base on rpdata seem to show median prices in places like Strathpine and Bray Pak growing through 2008 into 2009/10. See screen grab.

You can get these charts at this link for any suburb:

Strathpine Investment Property Market Data

Someone on the ground might have a better feel for the area though. I've only really been looking and researching in the last half a year.

 

Hi everyone, I am looking to buy my first IP. Looking around Mango hill area and need a little advice on the area And its surroundings.

With few developments going on around the area (Costco, ikea, new train line), it seems like it's a family friendly suburb and where I personal would want to live in (I am from Sydney btw). I am looking for a long term view of capital growth and obviously some decent yield.

1) Townhouse prices around 360-380K with houses around 450-470k range, with this price difference which is a better long term investment

2) is it easier to rent a house or town house, what are the factors that driven tenants choice

3) which side of the town is better, will living closer to train station a big pull for people in qld (similar to Sydney)

And can anyone please recommend a good buyers agent around that area.....

Any advise will be appreciated.. Thanks

 

@gary176

I brought in the area mid last year and went with a 4 year old house as opposed to a town house..why a house you ask?

The area has some growth drivers IMO as you have mentioned but this area's demographics is absolutely geared towards a young family environment.

Also developers have built a large supply of town houses along the new rail line to try and take advantage of this new train line.

 

Thanks a lot coota9,
from a house prospective, what is a normal price range (for old and new) and rent returns. On domain seems around 450-500k..

What sort of house tenant prefers. Any particular side of the suburb I should be looking to buy, e.g good schools or shopping centre assuming it's a family suburb. Also will you recommend any surrounding suburbs. Also what is driving employment around the area....thanks for your advice.

I was reading that redcliffe is another area of interest to investors but may be a bit too expensive.

 

You just made me lol when you said "Redcliffe" and "expensive" in the same sentence.

 

Sorry not very aware of that side, can only tell with what's asking prices on domain are for area closer to beach

 

Great overview

 

Me too! Expensive? What types of properties are you looking at on Domain?

 

I am posting a summary of the personal messages I have sent in the last week in case anyone else can add more info for our friends from Sydney.

As far as the types of housing we like up here, generally brick is more popular than timber and the bigger the better. There are only a handful of traditional Queenslanders left and they are NOT investment material. Neither are the gorgeous lifestyle beach houses on the Scarborough Peninsula and canals.. So don't even think about buying them.

There are different types of renters, and they seem to prefer different housing. On the whole, no one likes units or townhouses except maybe singles. We bought a townhouse (when there weren't as many) and it sat vacant for a few months one time when the locals were happy to pay the same rent for a 2 bedroom asbestos dump around the corner that had space for the kids to ride their bikes around it. I also get several Mexicans renting for a short time until they buy their beach house - high turnover is another peeve.

Houses - there appears to be just as much demand for lowset three bedroom as there is for highset or 4 bedroom homes. We have many people who have mobility issues and they dont want any stairs or sloping land. Who wants to be getting a baby pram up a flight of stairs? Most of Moreton Bay region is fairly flat. Brisbane is very hilly.

We like land, lots of it and big sheds. We dont like granny flats and apartments. We also like outdoor areas, covered is mandatory. If you have stairs, then indoors is better than outside stairs only. Good drainage is nice. So is fences - everyone has a dog or kids and if not, they don't want anyone else's dogs and kids on their land. So once you determine your suburb, then you can simply reno to suit the demographic for the house you end up getting.

We aren't used to having strangers on our turf, as I said above I just don't see granny flats or separate rooms to rent having much demand. Tenants can get separate dwellings of their own for the same price or less than a GF rents for in Sydney. We don't seem to have as many Indian and Islander families as Logan has but this demo is always growing. I believe this demographic loves the highset houses with several rooms underneath. There will always be families from all cultures who love the big high sets so all their rellies can stay too. My Indian friends like the biggest houses they can get and as close to Brisbane as possible. They live in Bridgeman Downs and Carseldine (BCC) but their newlywed kids may go for Strathpine.

The people who live and work in Moreton don't tend to commute to the city as much as people from Sydney would travel that far. If buying at North Lakes or Redcliffe, you will get many people working remotely, tradies who travel all over and those who work locally. There are those who work in the city - but I suspect they will tend to want to live closer in - so Strathpine and Bray Park will be appealing.

Avoid low-lying land and try to get an elevated position that gets all the sea breezes. Don't bother with the very cheapest houses unless you are very brave - no one would want to live in a hardiplank house if they can get a "real house" instead. If a house is close to a creek and has all new Electrical WIRING, kitchen cupboards and floor coverings, it has probably been flooded.

 

Just a reminder that these are my opinions only and it is always possible that I don't know everything.

 

I've just come home from a slow drive around parts of Strathpine and Lawnton. It did my head in. I basically followed the river and still reckon Strathpine is nicer than Lawnton.

I was surprised to see that Lawnton is getting a little bit of a facelift. Lawnton is not just HC and flood prone, there are sections elevated even higher than the part where I used to live. They too are sprinkled with HC but hey, some of the old houses are getting painted and nice gardens put in. On the other hand, there are at least a hundred places begging for some TLC and a few are on the hill. I only saw a couple of for sale signs though. I withheld the urge to ask the nice people out walking how the crime rate is these days, you can check on the police website. The townhouse jungle really close to the train station was scary with everyone I drove past checking me out.

My prejudice about the place would stem from living close to the station when I was there and the constant disruption from cretins walking past and throwing things into my yard. Given the number of hoon cars and unloved homes, I don't think much has changed.

 

There are still a lot of well-loved homes backing onto the river at Strathpine, and new housing being built along Graham Rd. I would still guess you are pretty safe as long as you follow the basic assumptions of housing near a creek or river -- look for the properties that are built up above the road height rather than sloping down from the road and avoid Harvey St near Coorabin st and anything similar. Check the flood zones around Poet's Corner and the back of the shopping centre.