Beach shack full of classic charm

ABurleigh Heads beach shack on the market for the first time in 35 years is set to go under the hammer. Property records reveal Mary Young paid $73,000 for the 668sq m property at 40 Symonds Rd in 1988.

Marketing agent Claudia Young, of Black and Young Burleigh, said the prime piece of real estate offered a “standout opportunity”.

“Located just over a 300m walk to Burleigh’s world-famous beaches, with a 15.25m street frontage, this block screams with potential,” she said. “Renovate and hold or build your dream home.”

Ms Young said it offered buyers the chance to relive the classic charm of Burleigh Heads. “Built circa 1970, many of the homes of this era were low maintenance, lock and leave designs,” she said. “Their primary purpose was a gathering place for friends and family to share a meal and drink after long, hot, salty days spent relaxing on the beach.”

The house has three bedrooms, one bathroom and a single garage and goes to auction on February 25.

Meanwhile, another original property in the sought-after southern suburb sold to local buyers for $1.785m.

A 1950s fibro shack at 17 Hill Ave on a 405sq m block, billed as a “developer’s dream”. Ben Williams, of Re/max, listed the three-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage 323 days before the sale.

“This is an incredible result in an extremely challenging market and shows that even with the market slowing and prices falling because of interest rates going up, buyers still have confidence in the Gold Coast market and especially for blue-chip blocks of land in Burleigh,” Mr Williams said.

Mr Williams said the sale signalled returning confidence in buyers considering new builds or renovations.

“During Covid lockdowns, most buyers knew it was impossible to get builders or developers to start on a project like this, but now with supplies of materials becoming more available, buyers are feeling more confident they can get building now instead of 12 months away.”

But while the record demand which tipped the construction industry into crisis last year has shown signs of easing, homeowners should still bank on a considerable timeline for completion of new projects.

Latest PropTrack data shows house prices in Burleigh Heads were up 21.3 per cent over the past 12 months, with property listed typically spending 52 days on market.

40 Symonds Rd, Burleigh Heads.