The Cairns Post

WHAT YOUR PROPERTY IS WORTH IN LATEST LAND VALUATIONS:

- PETER CARRUTHERS peter.carruthers@news.com.au

PARRAMATTA Park is solidifyin­g its reputation as an increasing­ly sought-after location in the Cairns property market.

Median land values in the small inner-city suburb, which has a population of 3508, escalated by almost 20 per cent over the past three years.

Values across several suburbs close to the CBD have shot up by more than 19 per cent after the latest round of analysis by the state’s valuation service.

Median residentia­l land values at Parramatta Park increased by 19.6 per cent from $185,000 to $221,250 between 2016 and 2019, with ValuerGene­ral Neil Bray attributin­g sharp increases across a number of suburbs to “demand for well-located residentia­l land within the city”.

Cairns City land values shot up by 19.5 per cent to $260,000, while Cairns North land values increased by 19 per cent to $235,000.

Median land values at Edge Hill and Whitfield rose by more than 15 per cent, to $305,000. Cairns’ most expensive land can be found at Ellis Beach, with a median value of $405,000, but the northern beaches suburb had only a 5.2 per cent value rise.

Parramatta Park homeowner Ian Haynes said his confidence had been buoyed by the discovery regional areas were defying the metro downward market trend.

“A positive sign. You look at the market in Sydney, it is all coming down, so it good to see the regionals holding their own,” he said.

Land at the tiny pocket of East Russell, near Babinda, was the biggest mover in the 2019 land audit, jumping 29.2 per cent to $155,000.

“The rural residentia­l and rural markets have generally increased, and some areas like Kanimbla, reflected moderate increases in median values due to demand for well-located residentia­l land within the city,” Mr Bray said.

The Valuer-General indicated land valuations were used by councils to determine what to charge in rates, however Cairns Regional Council confirmed new land values would “not have a significan­t effect on council rates overall”.

Mayor Bob Manning said the new land values would be taken into considerat­ion but would not dictate a rate rise. “Each time land values change across the region, we respond by adjusting the rate in the dollar accordingl­y,” he said.

See the full list of Cairns land values at cairnspost.com.au

 ?? Picture: STEWART McLEAN ?? CONFIDENCE UP: Ian Haynes, at his Dunn St home at Parramatta Park, said the valuation rise was a positive sign.
Picture: STEWART McLEAN CONFIDENCE UP: Ian Haynes, at his Dunn St home at Parramatta Park, said the valuation rise was a positive sign.

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