The ready-made homes with a $30,000 price tag
IN a city where the median house price stands at $622,000, a modest home for just 5 per cent of that – BYO land – sounds tempting.
John Christie set up ModnPods in 2016, providing modular and container-based building options for residential and commercial customers.
The Labrador company initially provided buildings to customers in New Zealand, Fiji and across Australia but in a booming Gold Coast property market Mr Christie is now focusing his attention closer to home.
Prices begin at $31,000 for an open plan 20-foot unit, which could be upgraded to include a bathroom with toilet, shower and vanity, for $35,000.
A 40-foot unit costs $50,000, including one bedroom and a kitchen. Two-bedroom units cost $55,000.
Mr Christie said all the units were certified to meet Australian standards, came fully-assembled, and once councilapproved were able to be placed on land as a secondary dwelling.
“I’m really basically trying to build up the Gold Coast first,” he said.
“I would like to be the leading manufacturer for affordable housing, specifically granny flats, and then break into the commercial industry.”
Mr Christie said he was motivated by the desire to provide an affordable housing option.
“On the residential side, I saw housing prices rise. The really noticeable ones were Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast. I personally want to help out and contribute something, and I want to keep it affordable.”
Mr Christie, a Bond University MBA graduate, has worked closely with the university’s entrepreneurship program Transformer during the development of ModnPods.
He said Transformer provided him with access to marketing support, and legal and contracting advice.
Mr Christie said he was also keen to prove that entrepreneurs did not have to leave the Gold Coast to make their business a reality.
“There’s quite a few people starting them (businesses) here, I think it’s a little more difficult, but you don’t have to go to Sydney or Melbourne.”
He was also encouraged by the opportunities available for entrepreneurs through events like the global start-up competition Pitch@Palace, founded by HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in 2014. Entrepreneurs can showcase their ideas by entering the regional final for this year’s Pitch@Palace competition at Bond University on November 27.