MILLION DOLLAR MANOR SALES
POSH MANSIONS TOP THE BILL
TWO Earlville manors with sweeping city views were Cairns’ most expensive house sales in 2016.
A five-bedroom stunner at 8 Kingfisher Close set an early benchmark when it fetched $1.8 million in January but it was surpassed after a sprawling Mansfield St estate sold for $2 million last month.
Close to the city but still quite secluded, 8 Kingfisher Cl was on the market for about three months.
“Cairns doesn’t have a great deal of properties on the market of that quality, so when you reach that kind of price tag it’s about finding the right buyer,” said real estate agent Angela Capitanio of Ray White Cairns Central, who sold the property in partnership with her granddaughter Brooke.
“This property is quite elevated and surrounded by other prestigious homes. It’s very impressive.”
Ms Capitanio, who has nearly three decades of real estate experience, said city views were always a major selling point.
Less than 1km from 8 Kingfisher Cl, another Earlville property caught the eye of several potential investors.
The 30ha property at 105-109 Mansfield St became the only Cairns home to reach the $2 million mark this year when it was sold to an overseas couple.
Selling agent David Forrest of First National Cairns Central expected there to be more activity at the top end of the local real estate market in 2017.
“There’s certainly a degree of optimism in Cairns at the moment,” he said.
A spectacular home at 50 Fig Tree Drive, Caravonica, sold for $1.635 million in May, while in the same month an award-winning Trinity Park mansion collected $1.55 million.
But figures from CoreLogic RP Data show Cairns’ most expensive residential sales paled in comparison to other cities.
A Darwin mansion was sold for $2.4 million in September while Brisbane’s most expens- ive house sale of 2016 reached $10.5 million.
RE/MAX Cairns principal Tony Williamson said the region was “so affordable”.
“Anything above $1.5 million is very top end,” he said. “Cairns people deserve higher prices, which have not done a lot since 2007. But we expect 2017 to be a bumper year.”