brisbaneapartment’s blog

http://www.australianhousehunters.com.au/blog/

Terry Ryder, a real estate commentator, had an interesting article in The Australian on Thursday about investing in Noosa.

"The apartment market has done even worse, delivering growth averaging less than 2 per cent a year. The median unit price for the Noosa region today is lower than four years ago.  This kind of subnormal performance is common among popular seachange locations -- contrary to the widely held belief that the Gold Coast and Byron Bay are great places to invest in real estate. They may be lovely places to live but that's a different matter. Investors want an affordable entry price, good income returns and high capital growth -- and they're unlikely to find any of the above in these markets."

"Instead, many prefer the cheaper priced units and apartments, which also often are closer to the CBD. The affordability is especially a growing factor this year, as that section of the market has become the dominant force in the property market. ...  With the growing market share, units have also shown a stronger capital growth than houses in nearly every capital of the country. In Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, units showed positive 12 month growth in median value up to February this year, compared to negative growth for house median values. ...
Another key is to make sure there is a parking spot included, something that can make a huge difference in demand, especially if the unit is in an area with few street parking opportunities. “No matter where you buy an apartment, never ever buy it without allocated parking,” says Wakelin.

What not to buy

There are, however, areas where demand is not so strong. For one, stay away from high-rise apartments, particularly in areas of overdevelopment such as the Gold Coast, the Sydney CBD or the Docklands in Melbourne, say experts.

“We find for investment purposes, high-rise apartments do not work,” says Wakelin. “They are very generic, so there’s little scarcity value with them.” Ryder agrees, saying investors should not be swayed by the magnificent views from atop beachfront high-rises in the Gold Coast. Investors should remember they won’t be living in these properties, and in the long run, they don’t show as much capital growth.

“There’s a lot of glamour in buying a high rise, but history shows it’s generally a poor investment,” says Ryder. “Put aside the emotions, and just look at the sums. You’re better off not buying something with an ocean view like in Surfer’s Paradise.”

He also says buying a used apartment is better than buying a brand new one.

“There’s a huge price differential with a new product and equivalent second-hand product,” says Ryder. “That’s simply because the cost of development is so high. The research shows there’s commonly a price difference between 30-40% between new and old apartments.”

That ultimately means for an investor that it’s harder to get capital growth out of a newer product. It might look nicer, but it will cost you in the long run. There’s also little scarcity in some areas for new product, such as the Gold Coast, where new apartments have been built without abandon. And once its no longer new, you actually lose that tag and that value.

“There’s a lot of risk in committing to buy something now and paying two years later, whereas the market can go in the wrong direction in that time,” says Ryder. “Plus developers tend to build that (expected value growth) into today’s prices these days.”

REA

RP Data Auction Results
These results appear to be more accurate than other auction result sources.

South Point has a new website.

"Take a moment to appreciate the journey that a stroll through a palatial Southpoint residence offers. Once inside, the walls ascend forever and the warm, opulent timber floor implores you to remove your shoes. There are vast living areas, lavish dining rooms and king-sized bedrooms. Lean on the private bar, recline near the classic fireplace, and discover the divine natural stone top kitchen that forms a living space all of its own. There's even the rare luxury of a powder room. This is just a sample of what gives Southpoint Residences their unique difference - there is so much more to be experienced."

Map and Transport

• Felix, Apt 317, Level 31, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, over 150 sqm - highest bid $820,000, now listed at $950,000
• Willahra Tower, Apt 49, 2 bed, 2 bath, 96sqm, no bid at auction, now listed at $449,000
• Quay West, Apt 401, Level 4, 2 bed, 2 bath, 126 sqm, vendor bid of $600,000
• Roma Street Parklands, Building 3, Apt 3095, 3 bed, 2 bath, end/rear unit, vendor bid $535,000, listed at $600,000 and reported as sold
• Roma Street Parklands, Building 4, Apt 4046, 3 bed, 2 bath, lower floor with no view, vendor bid $550,000, now listed at $700,000
• SoHo South Brisbane, Apt 605, 3 bed, 2 bath, impacted by new bridge being built, highest bid $550,000, now listed at $600,000
• Toowong, 24/12 Patrick Lane, 2 bed, 2 bath, sold for $487,000
• New Farm, 7/38 Elystan Road, 2 bed, 1 bath, sold for $780,000

On the Gold Coast, there were 79 new unit sales in the three months to May 2009, compared with just 49 the previous quarter. But it is a long way from the boom times of 2007 when 369 new units sold in the August quarter.  The latest Midwood Queensland Investment Report says at current take-up rates there is more than four years' supply of new unit stock.  In the past three months, nearly half of the new unit sales were in Meriton's Brighton on Broadwater project.

Midwood report author Bill Morris said most of these deals were in the sub $500,000 range, where the market was fairly steady.

Median price data from the Real Estate Institute of Queensland released yesterday reveals no change in the median price for units in the Gold Coast local government area.

The median of $345,000 for the March quarter is 3.4 per cent down on the previous year.

Real Estate Institute of Queensland chief executive officer Peter McGrath said price discounting had helped bring buyers back into the market at the upper end.  "We've seen some receiver sales where people who bought a unit off the plan for $2.5 million, being sold for $1.6-$1.7 million," Mr McGrath said.

"Units that had previously been selling for $900,000 were getting $750,000."

In Brisbane, the unit market also is showing signs of improvement despite the median price for the Brisbane statistical division dropping 1.4 per cent over the quarter to $345,000.  Over the year, the median has increased by 2.6 per cent.

There were 28 unconditional new apartment sales in Brisbane during the May 2009 quarter, the highest number since February last year.  For the past 18 months, new unit sales have averaged 13 every three months.

The median price for all unit deals in Brisbane city has fallen 4.3 per cent to $440,000 in the three months to March 2009. Over the previous 12 months the median increased 1 per cent to $450,000.

The Australian and GC

"A call by debt collection agencies for reforms to the cost-recovery process for bodies corporate comes as apartment owners at a Brisbane building are locked in a legal fight with a resident, who had racked up a debt of more than $50,000 since 2004."

"In the Brisbane case, one of the owners in the 51-unit 1970s building on Leichhardt Street said that since 2004, the problem owner had not paid his strata fees or levies on time.

In two previous actions against him, one of the building's apartment owners, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, said the problem owner ended up paying, with $20,000 of the $50,000 owed comprising legal fees.

"We have had two actions against him previously where he has paid on the steps of the court," they said.

"Because he is an ongoing serial pest, we should have some entitlement to say you are no longer entitled to be here."

The Australian

This week, the Queensland Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor announced that the Government would be legislating in response to the Court of Appeal decision of Bossichix Pty Ltd v Martinek Holdings Pty Ltd [2009] QCA 154 handed down on June 5.

The Minister said:

"The Supreme Court last Friday dismissed an appeal where, in the first instance, the buyer of a unit in a community titles scheme was held to have validly terminated the contract based on a technical breach of the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997.  The technical breach related to section 212 of the Act and the court held that the contract did not strictly comply with the wording required to be used by the section.

The decision means that buyers can now potentially avoid a contract purely on a technical breach of the Act, even if they haven't experienced any material detriment.  This puts hundreds and potentially thousands of off-the-plan contracts at risk. It is a potentially serious situation for the development sector and the wider Queensland economy.

The issue is that this legal precedent could be used, for example, where a buyer simply regrets entering into a contract, or if the buyer could have purchased a unit or property at a lower price.  This was never the intention of the legislation and creates great uncertainty for sellers and developers, particularly in relation to off-the-plan sales where there is a long period of time between execution of the contract and settlement. We cannot afford this uncertainty in today's economic climate.

At the same time, the Government is not looking to in any way water down the legitimate consumer protections encompassed in the Act - rather to correct a technical failure of the contracts to fully reflect the requirements of the legislation. All of the normal protections of the legislation will be preserved.

The Government will be introducing legislation next week to address this situation and ensure that both buyer and seller are returned to the situation they believed to be the case - and agreed to - at the time of the signing of the contract."

Lawyer's comment

Union at Milton -- FKP has cleared the site, and is waiting development approval.