Brisbane property market

[markp]

Hi Everyone,

 

My family and I are on the verge of deciding to move from the UK to Brisbane. We're hoping to live in one of the family friendly suburbs not too far from the city. Can anyone give any advice on the property market? Is it changing much? Are prices going up? Staying flat? Also, is there a good time during the year to buy? We're trying to work out when to move and I'd like to try to buy at the best time.

 

Thanks is in advance for any advice.

 

Mark

[shefg]

Hi mark

When you say you do not want to be to far from the city what distance are you thinking about? If you want the comfort of being around other Brits then North Lakes is the obvious choice however this is about twenty kilometres from the CBD and is heavy traffic all the way during rush hour. We live in Bridgeman Downs which is 14 kilometres from the CBD. This is a nice area, however they seem to be allowing houses to be built on any spare land around us at the moment and no doubt in time it will look like just like any other suburb in the northern suburbs.

 

i am no expert on the housing market however I understand prices have risen steadily throughout 2014, and the houses around us have been selling rather quickly. I understand the months either side of Christmas are the quietest for buying.

 

one thing I would consider is the Aussie dollar strength, I was watching Sky business this week and they are tipping up to two interest rate cuts in the first six months of this year which should weaken the dollar further, if you have a decent amount of sterling to convert then a weak dollar would help to off-set some of the price rises that have happened.

 

good luck with the move

shefg

[fish.01]

Hi Everyone,

 

My family and I are on the verge of deciding to move from the UK to Brisbane. We're hoping to live in one of the family friendly suburbs not too far from the city. Can anyone give any advice on the property market? Is it changing much? Are prices going up? Staying flat? Also, is there a good time during the year to buy? We're trying to work out when to move and I'd like to try to buy at the best time.

 

Thanks is in advance for any advice.

 

Mark

 

Like shefg said Dec/Jan is holiday season and quiet. Brisbane is predicted to be one of the stronger markets this year, coming from a lower base. Brisbane has family friendly suburbs from 2km onwards so it all depends on your budget....inner city is most in demand and most expensive and gets more affordable as you go out (roughly)....North Lakes is around 30km+ from the city btw.

[srg73]

Simply put, the property market is a nightmare, prepare for a very bumpy ride as the purchase process is very different and purely rotates around greed and money!

 

I would not buy until being here a short while, ensure your happy with your work, locations and transport links. Inner city, expensive, lucky if you get a back yard etc. Check out Queenslanders and decide if they suit your needs...they are not for me! You need to know if your a North or South sider, North Lakes is a distance and not a nice drive, are you prepared to pay the tolls etc etc.

 

Regarding the market, we are told it has been quite flat however things may strengthen given the continued low interest rates and investments being made in the city. Everybody wants investment properties and rents are high however many go in quite blind to landlord outgoings and responsibilities and let properties which are very poor condition. My final point is that real estate agents are very amature and employ every trick in the book to drive the price up. They will tell you what you want to hear and the property particulars are like the UK 10 years ago ie not regulated.

 

I am very glad of my Chartered professional building qualifications as it allows me to cut through much of the rubbish.

 

S

[fish.01]

Lots of properties with queenslanders have back yards...I found inner properties with yards easy to find or avoid depending on your tastes. Like anywhere I have found some agents are decent and some are not. I wouldn't live in anything but a queenslander now, imo they are by far brisbanes nicest homes despite any drawbacks, but yes everyone has different tastes.

Edited January 26, 2015 by fish.01

[markp]

Thanks Everyone. We're hoping to be up to ten km away so that I can bike to work. My wife is from Qld so we already have a good feel for it, although we're coming to Oz on holiday soon so that we can check out the bris suburbs.

 

We like the look of queenslanders. What are the down sides? Cold in winter?

 

Thanks for all your advice.

[Sunflowerx]

Hi Markp,

 

We are also a Queensland/UK couple, visiting and moving soon.

 

Brought up in Briso, I love the look of the Queenslanders, but we are not choosing to live in one. The main reasons they don't suit our lifestyle;

1. often sound heard throughout the house due to wood floors, ceilings and walls, as well as the ventilation areas above the doors of the rooms

2. layout, often the main living area or dining area is in the centre of the house with the kitchen, bedrooms and slept/converted part of verandah off to the sides. We prefer the living area near a large window with a view outside.

 

On the plus side, Queenslanders are well designed for the hot weather, so are cool. (e.g. on stumps). If the block has not been divided and the Queenslander moved to one side, than a Queenslander may be on a large size block (800 m2 plus).

Some new builds borrow the Queenslander look, but with a better layout.

 

My family lives in an old Queenslander, and I would say its not very cold in winter. Maybe one jumper and a warm donna (6 tog) at night for July/August. Brisbane has the best climate!

 

We're moving to the inner Eastern suburbs. Within 10 km of the city, family friendly, good schools, but the area we are looking at is a bit pricey.

 

Hope this helps!

[fish.01]

Hi Markp,

 

...2. layout, often the main living area or dining area is in the centre of the house with the kitchen, bedrooms and slept/converted part of verandah off to the sides. We prefer the living area near a large window with a view outside.

...

 

Having looking through hundreds of them in the last few years you will definitely find some styles with the living still in the centre but I think the majority have verandahs and decks with the living flowing onto the outdoor space these days. Even the one's that didn't start that way many have been converted to do so. The one's that don't are harder to sell so changing tastes forced people's hand over the last few decades. Living flowing onto a deck is almost the first thing many buyers look at and expect with a qld'er now so they are everywhere.

 

This style of reno is very common:http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-paddington-118246959

Edited January 26, 2015 by fish.01

[markp]

Thanks both of you. I think the Queenslanders look great and could live with the noise... I think! So SunflowerX, your partner's British? How did you find the UK?

[markp]

Just spent the day in Brisbane and really liked it. We only saw three areas today but Redhill was a particular favourite. Loved the green, hilly streets and it was very quiet, despite being really close to Waterworks road and, apoarently, only 3ks from the cbd. Do any of you live there or know it well? What do you think? Are the buses to the cbd ok? On the basis that we liked Redhill, what other places might you recommend?

 

Thanks.

 

Mark

[fish.01]

Just spent the day in Brisbane and really liked it. We only saw three areas today but Redhill was a particular favourite. Loved the green, hilly streets and it was very quiet, despite being really close to Waterworks road and, apoarently, only 3ks from the cbd. Do any of you live there or know it well? What do you think? Are the buses to the cbd ok? On the basis that we liked Redhill, what other places might you recommend?

 

Thanks.

 

Mark

 

I live a few minutes walk from Red Hill so know it very well.

 

The buses you get would depend on the part of Red Hill you were in. You might be close to Waterworks and then you would get the 379/380/381 combo along Waterworks Rd (+ other routes) which are fine in peak work times, though they were cut back by the council last year so can be a bit pants in quiet off peak times. Hoping this will be improved as it is currently an inner city abberration compared to other off peak inner city routes (i.e. sometimes will only run every 30 mins on a quiet evening time for example).

 

 

If you live near Latrobe Tce you have access to the excellent 385 BUZ which runs on these times:

 

 

• 6am - 11.30pm

• every 10 minutes or less during commuter peak times

• every 15 minutes or less at all other times

 

 

AND the ever better Maroon City Glider which runs 24 hours on the weekend:

 

 

• every 10 minutes during peak times and 15 minutes off peak

• 18 hours a day from Thursday to Sunday and 24 hours a day on Friday and Saturday

• throughout Friday and Saturday nights at 30 minute intervals after midnight

 

 

In peak you even have a few more routes along here as well.

 

 

 

Personally I would aim to be walkable to be the great Caxton/Given/Latrobe Tce's to have weekend morning walk up access to all the unique little shops/cafes etc:

 

 

Source: http://twe.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/upload/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/TWE-Paddington-Deli-Epicerie-1.jpg?w=1100&h=550&q=90&a=c&zc=1

 

 

 

Source: http://www.visitbrisbane.com.au/~/media/generic/precincts/paddington/paddington_antique_centre_ultra.ashx

 

 

Not sure how old your kids are but the Red Hill pocket has both an excellent Red Hill Creche & Kindergarten in the old Ithaca Town hall (cnr of Enoggera Tce and Kennedy Tce):

 

Source: http://www.thefotofanatic.com/Photography/Forums/Your-Brisbane-Past-and-Present/i-SJ652L9/0/O/bris_proj-175.jpg

 

 

Source:

 

 

There is also a Kindy Patch childcare behind the Presbyterian Church on Enoggera Tce:

 

 

 

and the well regarded Ithaca Creek primary school (Lugg St):

 

Ithaca Creek by fish.2, on Flickr

 

 

The Primrose Tce area running along the back of the school has some lovely houses:

 

Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr

 

 

 

There is a lovely hidden little local park, Woolcock park, where everyone meets for coffee mornings, birthdays, east egg hunts, annual fairs etc while the kids have a run:

 

Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr

 

 

 

If you like you can cycle to work to the city centre or Fortitude Valley starting at this park. It is a circuitous route takes you mostly along flat off road paths leading through parks along the creek ways. The bikeway has many really peaceful and pleasant parts...great for work de-stressing:

 

Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr

 

 

Untitled by fish.2, on Flickr

Edited February 1, 2015 by fish.01

[markp]

Thank so much for this. It's incredibly helpful.

 

Mark.

[Sunflowerx]

So SunflowerX, your partner's British? How did you find the UK?

 

I love London and my friends here. I feel more like a British expat moving than Brisbane local returning home.

Have you decided which cricket/rugby team to support?

 

Looks like you are considering some great areas. Red Hill/Paddington are nice areas. Have you also looked at Ascot/Hamilton?

We are moving to Bulimia/Hawthorne, views, nice cafe/restaurant area, close to the CBD.

[markp]

Yeah, Ascot and Hamilton are also on the viewing list, as are Bulimba and other suburbs in that area.

 

As as for cricket / rugby teams, no idea yet!

 

Cheers.

[srg73]

Redhill and Paddington are nice, expensive areas and can be very hilly. Ascot (where we live) is nice, around Racecourse road is great, upper Ascot/Clayfield is very expensive. Transport links are great(bus, train and city cat) but can suffer from being near Kingsford Smith Drive and Nudgee Road, both busy and form boundary to Ascot.

 

Bulimba is nice, very expensive and has horrendous traffic problems as does much of the inner South. The roads were to be upgraded (not sure following election results) but would be a year or so before improvement seen. Have a collegue in East Brisbane which is an inner South area and takes her 1 hour for circa 10km's

 

S

[markp]

Redhill and Paddington are nice, expensive areas and can be very hilly. Ascot (where we live) is nice, around Racecourse road is great, upper Ascot/Clayfield is very expensive. Transport links are great(bus, train and city cat) but can suffer from being near Kingsford Smith Drive and Nudgee Road, both busy and form boundary to Ascot.

 

Bulimba is nice, very expensive and has horrendous traffic problems as does much of the inner South. The roads were to be upgraded (not sure following election results) but would be a year or so before improvement seen. Have a collegue in East Brisbane which is an inner South area and takes her 1 hour for circa 10km's

 

S

 

Thanks for this, S. I'm amazed how helpful everyone has been.

 

We'll have a look at Ascot and the surrounds when we next head to Brisbane. I think we're most likely to end up around there / Redhill, although Bulimba etc are still on the list to view. Didn't realise how bad the traffic is there though. We'll need to make sure we investigate all of these places at peak times.

 

Windsor sounds interesting too... with good transport links?

 

Anyway, thanks for the advice.

[Guest]

Thanks for this, S. I'm amazed how helpful everyone has been.

 

We'll have a look at Ascot and the surrounds when we next head to Brisbane. I think we're most likely to end up around there / Redhill, although Bulimba etc are still on the list to view. Didn't realise how bad the traffic is there though. We'll need to make sure we investigate all of these places at peak times.

 

Windsor sounds interesting too... with good transport links?

 

Anyway, thanks for the advice.

 

Windsor is good, as is Wilston and Newmarket. Not as nice as the others mentioned but still very good and more affordable.

[Sunflowerx]

I certainly agree with the suggestions on the areas.

 

I remember Brisbane 20 years ago when I could drive into the centre of the city for 9 am and park! Impossible now! The transport does worry me after all the great transport links living in London on the central line. We love Bulimia/Hawthorne where we will be, but being bordered by the river, makes transport tricky. We are aware that Wynumm Rd is horrendous in morning traffic. We plan to use the Rivercat, (which we are aware is not really time efficient) and the train from Morningside. Great to hear that about planned road upgrades!

 

We like being in areas that are close to the north and south roads to the beaches, but again I'm aware that the traffic on these roads on Friday afternoon and Sunday evening can be horrendous.

 

Ideally we would have also have chosen Ascot like you srg73, (a hilly part with city views), but in Bulimba/Hawthorne we can get a bit more for our money. The compromise is that transport is less convenient. How are you enjoying Racecourse Rd and Ascot?

[fish.01]

I certainly agree with the suggestions on the areas.

 

I remember Brisbane 20 years ago when I could drive into the centre of the city for 9 am and park! Impossible now! The transport does worry me after all the great transport links living in London on the central line. We love Bulimia/Hawthorne where we will be, but being bordered by the river, makes transport tricky. We are aware that Wynumm Rd is horrendous in morning traffic. We plan to use the Rivercat, (which we are aware is not really time efficient) and the train from Morningside. Great to hear that about planned road upgrades!

 

We like being in areas that are close to the north and south roads to the beaches, but again I'm aware that the traffic on these roads on Friday afternoon and Sunday evening can be horrendous.

 

Ideally we would have also have chosen Ascot like you srg73, (a hilly part with city views), but in Bulimba/Hawthorne we can get a bit more for our money. The compromise is that transport is less convenient. How are you enjoying Racecourse Rd and Ascot?

 

It's not too bad, you can still drive in and park at 9am on a weekend if you want. It's only $5 per day: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic-transport/parking-permits/car-parks/car-parking-special-offers.

 

 

No-one expects to drive to work in the CBD unless they have a park provided by work. But the citycat would be so much nicer anyway...just a fantastic way to travel. The views are great:

 

Source: http://www.theworldisabook.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Brisbane-skyscrapers.jpg

 

 

 

 

The express commuter citycat only takes 20 mins from Bulimba to Riverside these days. Even the off peak all stops version only takes 26 mins so not terrible: http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/network-information/ferries/T/citycat/Inbound/2015-02-04?pageDirection=After&pageTo=0800

 

 

Another option is catching the ferry/citycat across from Bulimia to Teneriffe and then catching a high frequency cityglider to the CBD/Valley. They wait at the Teneriffe ferry stop. You can just transfer on to it using your GoCard.

 

Source: http://backontrack.org/docs/CityGlidermap.jpg

 

 

Another option is to use the citycycle from Teneriffe to the city. There is a beautiful riverside cycle path all the way to the CBD.

 

 

There is a city cycle station right next to the Teneriffe ferry stop. You can link it to your GoCard and after you subscribe the first 30mins of any cycle trip is free.

 

 

 

The New Farm riverwalk has opened so it is flat the whole way:

 

 

 

 

It really is a lovely ride..it is part of my daily commute so know it well and I love it:

 

Source: http://photos.homehound.com.au/RWXML/1216/441407/12626483_06_x.jpg

 

 

 

Source: https://russellproctor.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/riverwalk-037.jpg

 

 

 

I drove home from the gold coast on Saturday and it was fine. Most times on the weekend it has been fine for me. It's 4 or 5 lanes each way now so takes a lot of traffic. Long weekends or an accident may changes things.

 

 

Btw, these days you don't need to be as close to the gateway for easy north/south travel....the airport link tunnel connects the west side to the gateway motorway in no time:

 

 

Source: http://www.citynorthinfrastructure.com.au/FileLibrary/2012_bowen_hills_1gallery.jpg

Edited February 3, 2015 by fish.01

[Sunflowerx]

Thanks for the pics fish! Looks really nice. Not sure if I'll ever be able to work out the spagetti road arrangement in north Brisbane.

[srg73]

Ok only our experience.

 

Live in Ascot so have access to Bus, car, rail and boat.

 

Bus, 300 & 301, good service and about 30 mins to CBD. Runs through a couple of bottle necks and does not use bus ways which tend to be around W and S of city.

Car, about 15 mins max during peak due to ICB (inner city bypass) which is a good road but gets busy at Milton road end. I'm lucky and my work provide a parking space otherwise I would be on the train.

Train, Ascot is only served by a part time line, shuts circa 7pm but starts early. With a Go card is very cheap and reliable, 30 mins to Central max.

Boat, the most relaxing way to travel but slowest, circa 1 hr to CBD. Again use Go card and not expensive. We use this at the weekend if out for a few drinks as runs quite late.

Bike, Ascot to CBD is about 40 mins even for unfit me. Stunning ride and completely flat as runs along side the river.

 

Forgot to mention, Kingsford Smith Road will become hell from March for a couple of years due to an upgrade. Also the Clem tunnels, private bridges etc are very expensive and I guess will need reviewing shortly as they are pretty empty.

 

S

Edited February 4, 2015 by srg73

[Guest]

Ok only our experience.

 

Live in Ascot so have access to Bus, car, rail and boat.

 

Bus, 300 & 301, good service and about 30 mins to CBD. Runs through a couple of bottle necks and does not use bus ways which tend to be around W and S of city.

Car, about 15 mins max during peak due to ICB (inner city bypass) which is a good road but gets busy at Milton road end. I'm lucky and my work provide a parking space otherwise I would be on the train.

Train, Ascot is only served by a part time line, shuts circa 7pm but starts early. With a Go card is very cheap and reliable, 30 mins to Central max.

Boat, the most relaxing way to travel but slowest, circa 1 hr to CBD. Again use Go card and not expensive. We use this at the weekend if out for a few drinks as runs quite late.

Bike, Ascot to CBD is about 40 mins even for unfit me. Stunning ride and completely flat as runs along side the river.

 

Forgot to mention, Kingsford Smith Road will become hell from March for a couple of years due to an upgrade. Also the Clem tunnels, private bridges etc are very expensive and I guess will need reviewing shortly as they are pretty empty.

 

S

 

Very good review. Used to drive Kingsford Smith for work (going other way) and it looked quite busy in general going to the city, but nothing as bad as Western suburbs - traffic is crazy there.

 

Clayfield and Wooloowin are great options for public transport because Eagle Junction/Wooloowin stations are served by about 4/5 different train lines never have to wait more than a few minutes at peak times and generally very frequent all day long.

[Keith and Linda]

Ok only our experience.

 

Live in Ascot so have access to Bus, car, rail and boat.

 

Bus, 300 & 301, good service and about 30 mins to CBD. Runs through a couple of bottle necks and does not use bus ways which tend to be around W and S of city.

Car, about 15 mins max during peak due to ICB (inner city bypass) which is a good road but gets busy at Milton road end. I'm lucky and my work provide a parking space otherwise I would be on the train.

Train, Ascot is only served by a part time line, shuts circa 7pm but starts early. With a Go card is very cheap and reliable, 30 mins to Central max.

Boat, the most relaxing way to travel but slowest, circa 1 hr to CBD. Again use Go card and not expensive. We use this at the weekend if out for a few drinks as runs quite late.

Bike, Ascot to CBD is about 40 mins even for unfit me. Stunning ride and completely flat as runs along side the river.

 

Forgot to mention, Kingsford Smith Road will become hell from March for a couple of years due to an upgrade. Also the Clem tunnels, private bridges etc are very expensive and I guess will need reviewing shortly as they are pretty empty.

 

S

 

Slightly off topic srg73, but are you satisfied with your choice of Brisbane over Adelaide?

Cheers Keith.

[srg73]

Keith & Linda, Brisbane has been kind to us thus far and has a whole lot more going on than Adelaide. We love Adelaide however we fear that we would have become a little bored. Brisbane also has some amazing surrounding areas that give the variety which Adelaide would not offer.

 

At at the moment we are happy in Brisbane although warning to everybody thinking of coming over, you will likely end up working long hours, starting much further down the ladder than you left etc. My life in Australia is certainly not a beech.

 

S

[Keith and Linda]

Keith & Linda, Brisbane has been kind to us thus far and has a whole lot more going on than Adelaide. We love Adelaide however we fear that we would have become a little bored. Brisbane also has some amazing surrounding areas that give the variety which Adelaide would not offer.

 

At at the moment we are happy in Brisbane although warning to everybody thinking of coming over, you will likely end up working long hours, starting much further down the ladder than you left etc. My life in Australia is certainly not a beech.

 

S

That's good to hear, I am pleased for you, also agree with all your above comments.