Buyers fall for a touch of nostalgia

Mid-century modern home sets a record as interest in the style grows

GOLD Coast architecture is changing, with some quite avant-garde designs being carved into the landscape by established and up-andcoming designers. Parallel to that, however, has been a resurgence in demand for homes that reflect an era gone by – mid-century modern.

The word mid-century is one of the fastest growing “search filter” terms being entered by people looking for property on realestate.com.au.

In Queensland, searches containing mid-century have risen 27 per cent over the past 12 months, with similar statistics reflected in property searches across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, which measured the highest rise in inquiry at 45 per cent.

The sale last weekend of 15 Bal Harbour in Broadbeach Waters is evidence the trend is alive on the Gold Coast.

Owner Sarah Andrews decided when she bought the house several years ago that she did not want to knock it down, but instead capitalise on the home’s existing character by undertaking a mid-century-modernstyle renovation.

The end result caught the eye of plenty of punters, with marketing agent Kollosche receiving 139 inquiries and conducting 107 inspections, with seven potential buyers registering to bid at auction.

Lead agent Jay Helprin said there was plenty of interest in the house from Melbourne and Sydney, where the mid-century modern style is traditionally more widely recognised.

However, it was a local buyer that ended up pipping a Melbourne buyer to the post, securing the property on a large waterfront block under the hammer for a street record of $4.71m.

In other sales, a lucky charity prize winner from Adelaide has been gifted a further financial windfall after the Gold Coast home he won in a lottery in 2020 was sold for $2.25m.

The four bedroom, Hamptons-style house at 9-15 Gibsonville St in Tallebudgera was hotly fought over at auction by six bidders, ultimately selling to a local buyer for well above reserve.

It was marketed through Troy Fitzgerald and Geoffrey Coppin of Ray White Burleigh. Agency principal Tiger Malan said Tallebudgera was a hotspot for local buyers not wanting to live by the beach or in the bustle of the coastal strip.

15 Bal Harbour, Broadbeach Waters, sold under the hammer for a street record.