Spring fever hits housing
Buyers busy now to be in by Christmas
A FAMILY home is a longterm investment where a lifetime of memories are created.
Finding a property with the right features, within a suitable Cairns suburb, can be worth the research in the long run.
However it shouldn’t be left to the last minute, according to RE/MAX Real Estate Services Cairns senior sales associate, Ray Murphy.
“There are suitable properties (for families) but there is a lot of competition because they’re not the only family looking to purchase that similar property,” Mr Murphy said.
He said there was added competition in the Cairns market from southern families looking to relocate north.
“They want to try and be settled and have everything in place before Christmas because they’ve got work early January and school starts in January ... so there’s a lot of activity happening right now. “People looking at moving to Cairns will be looking at the property market right now.” Mr Murphy said the psychology of spring made it a desirable period for homeowners to list their properties on the market. “A lot of people are thinking about selling because they’re doing their spring cleaning and tidying up the house anyway. “So people start thinking about moving and upgrading at this time as well. “It’s important when you’re selling your family home that you take all your family pictures down. “Other families are going to be looking at your family home and want to be able to envision their own personal life in that home,” he said. In the Cairns region the most in-demand “hubs” for family homes was either the northern beaches or the southside, according to REIQ Cairns zone chairman Tom Quaid.
“If you’ve got a stronger budget you tend to be on the north.
“So anywhere from Kanimbla, Brinsmead to Redlynch are probably your best suburbs in that you’ve got good proximity to schools and good proximity to shopping in the city and you’re not too far out, it’s a reasonable commute to the city.
“With the northern beaches you either like them or you don’t with regards to the commute.”
He said families on a tighter budget were aiming at settling down in suburbs such as Mount Sheridan, Bentley Park, Edmonton and Gordonvale.
Mr Quaid said another factor for families to consider was school catchment zones.
“If you can get into Freshwater, Edge Hill or Whitfield state schools, they’re all very popular.
“Brinsmead and Redlynch have a lot of demand from a public and private school perspective.”