Tweed Coast real estate’s day in sun

THE Tweed Coast is emerging as a property hotspot as investment in infrastructure and remote working open up the opportunity to live outside of city centres.

Data from realestate.com.au reveals a higher than normal level of enquiry for regional areas across Australia during March, with Wollongong, Port Macquarie and Orange topping the list.

The number of searches for property in Tweed Heads and

Byron Bay were in the top 10.

LJ Hooker Kingscliff agent Nick Witheriff said the online search data was in line with increased buyer enquiry for properties on the Tweed Coast.

“We’ve seen a good increase in enquiry off the back of COVID-19 with people realising that they don’t have to be working and living in the cities,” he said.

“People see they could be living a beautiful lifestyle, with a walk along the beaches in the morning, and not be subjected to traffic congestion and all those things that come with city living.”

The recent surge in interest comes on top of a steady increase in owner-occupier ratios from Kingscliff to Cabarita over the past two years.

“This pocket here on the Tweed Coast is a very popular place to live,” Mr Witheriff said.

“Ninety per cent of owners in these suburbs now live here and that’s a really big shift to what was previously below 50 per cent.”

The influx of new residents is attributed to huge investment in new infrastructure, affordability, proximity to the beach and easy access to nearby centres.

“The new hospital that’s under construction is a huge part of that, we’ve also seen shopping centres, schools, and the introduction of aged care and child care,” Mr Witheriff said.

“Access to the airports and road upgrades mean you can be half an hour to Byron Bay and 15 minutes to the international Gold Coast Airport.”

Just down the road, a bespoke home in the Byron Shire town of Bangalow attracted 200,000 online views in seven days, making it the most-viewed in Australia.

The four-bedroom home at 6 Burrawan Place sold for $1.769 million via online auction last Friday.

Braden Walters of Belle Property Byron Bay – Lennox Head said two of the five bidders had never set foot in the house, including the new owner, who is from Sydney.