Dream still affordable

House-and-land packages in the Coast’s booming northern corridor offer entry-level buyers the chance to tailor homes to suit their needs

DEVELOPER Stockland is looking to beat the affordability crisis by offering new house-and-land packages for less than the Gold Coast’s median house price.

CoreLogic data showed the Coast median hit a record $600,000 for houses in 2016, but you can still pick up a new, four-bedroom home in the booming northern corridor for thousands of dollars less than that.

At Stockland’s Ormeau Ridge community, house-and-land packages start at $433,761, while Riverstone Crossing is from $540,627 – both prices will put you into a new four-bedroom, two-bathroom home.

Stockland Queensland general manager Kingsley Andrew said a chance to secure a $20,000 Queensland First Home Owner’s Grant before June 30 made it a perfect time for first-home buyers to build.

“Buying new also gives customers the opportunity to design and tailor their dream home to suit their individual needs,” he said.

“All of our new homes feature the latest designs based on modern living – often with open-plan kitchen and dining areas, integrated lounge rooms, separate parents’ retreats and kids’ entertainment rooms.

“By buying a new home, customers can choose exactly what they want ... rather than trying to retrofit their family into a home someone else built for a different era and a different generation 30, 50 or 100 years ago.

“Brand new homes generally have lower maintenance costs than established houses and new homes must comply with modern design codes and sustainability standards that reduce energy bills and the impact on the environment.

“There is often a false economy in buying an older established home with a view to renovating it to suit the demands of modern living. The cost per square metre of renovations usually far exceeds the cost per square metre of building new.”