Beats Sydney
Selling up in Sydney and building new on the Gold Coast meant the Allen family could tick off everything on their wish list, including a spectacular waterfront entertaining area with a private beach.
Kelly and Mark Allen had built a house in Sydney’s eastern beaches but moved north in 2019, lured by Queensland’s lifestyle and undervalued real estate.
Interstate migration, along with a spike in international arrivals, were among the key factors holding up house prices on the Gold Coast, along with a limited supply of property on the market.
Australian Bureau of Statistic figures show 30,939 people moved here from other states in the year to 2021, many cashed up from selling assets in expensive southern capitals and faced with huge competition to secure a patch of land as listings fell through the pandemic boom.
The Allens snapped up a dated home on an 829sq m canal-front block in Burleigh Waters the day after it listed in June 2019. They paid $1.2m and demolished the house to make way for a new build.
“We had already built a house in Sydney opposite the beach and it was beautiful,” said Ms Allen, an interior stylist. “Everyone thought we were crazy to move, but the house up here is on a block that is over double the size of what we had in Sydney.
“This was on the water, a huge double block with a view and so close to the beach.
“We could never have done that in Sydney.”
The Allens engaged designer Jayson Pate and builder Rick Addinsall for their home, named “Les Pavillons”.
Now with a change in family circumstances, the 2021-built five-bedroom, four-bathroom house is listed for sale.
It is marketed by Will West, of Lacey West, and goes to auction on April 23.
Property features include natural stone and timber finishes, a resort-inspired 6.25m diameter round pool and tropical landscaping with white sand and a fire pit.
The home features smart wiring with automated CCTV, music, TVS, security, lighting, air-conditioning and irrigation.
It’s a sustainable house, too, with a 15,000L underground water tank, double-glazed windows and crossventilation, full insulation and solar panels, and a chemicalfree pool system.