BUYING FRENZY
QUEENSLANDERS GATHER PACE:
MUSICIAN Julian Clark instantly fell for the charm of his new Queenslander in the Far North.
The Parramatta Park threebedroom house, which he bought for $480,000, attracted a swarm of potential buyers through the doors on an open weekend this month.
“You just don’t get anything like it, when you walk into a house and get a right feel for it,” Mr Clark said.
“It ticks all the boxes as far as what we were looking for and inside the house is really nice.”
The 17 Denbeigh St property is the latest sale that shows buyers’ affinity for the sunshine state timber house classic is not waning.
Mr Clark, a father-of-five, is an “empty-nester” – the term coined for parents whose kids have moved out of home – and has lived in a Cairns North rental property with his wife Donna for the past year.
He said the number of people who inspected his new house was “insane”.
Elite Cairns’ inner-city fringe specialist Zoe Wicks said inner-city Queenslanders in the $350,000 to $500,000 price bracket were in hot demand, as evidenced by the 53 potential buyers who inspected Mr Clark’s new house.
“To have 53 people is huge,” she said.
“We are getting into the busy selling season so there is a lot of demand.
“People are now appreciating the value of Queenslanders in the inner-city and people are enjoying the character.”
The realtor offers a walkthrough painting service for Queenslander houses.
LJ Hooker Edge Hill sales consultant Phil Maris said Queenslanders had always had a following – an affinity brought on by nostalgia. He said affordable prices were also a contributing factor to the strong demand.
“The old ones pluck at the heartstrings,” he said.
“If you look at a street with Queenslanders in it – it is warming to look at.”
Mr Maris listed Earlville as a haven for Queenslanders.
The sales consultant said many homeowners were “sitting on their hands”.
“What I am noticing, people are doing a lot of work with Queenslanders and possibly doing them up for a market swing,” he said. Grab your Real Estate Guide in today’s Weekend Post.