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Lorcan McCarthy, Steven Torta, Marc Vipond, Scott Ezzy and David Wood, of refurbishment company SHAPE Australia, in training to raise money for homeless youth. Photo: David Clark

Almost $200,000 has already been raised in a fundraising drive to build homes for homeless young people as part of an initiative driven by the property and construction industry.

With COVID-19 putting a stop to more traditional fundraising efforts, the Property Industry Foundation (PIF) has launched a 30-day fitness challenge and is inviting builders, tradies, designers, architects and real estate agents to take part before August 18, raising money to help the 44,000 people under the age of 24 who do not have a safe and secure place to sleep.

Queensland property and building industry specialists, like the team from SHAPE, are taking part in the fundraise. Photo: David Clark

“We’ve made 95 bedrooms in the past five years in houses of different sizes,” PIF chief executive Kate Mills said.

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“Last year that accommodation offered a second chance to 315 young Australians.”

PIF takes the pressure off frontline charities by fundraising on their behalf and partnering with businesses that make homes for a living.

For every dollar raised, participating members of the property and construction industry pledge in-kind support, through skills, labour and goods, to build everything from crisis accommodation, to more medium-term accommodation and transitional housing.

Property Industry Foundation members give their time to build homeless youth housing.

The Sydney-based charity was just about to start building in Queensland when COVID-19 hit.

“We had 12 bedrooms in the pipeline for the Brisbane Youth Services,” she said.

“One five-bedroom house and six individual units for that transitional age of 17, 18 and 19 who need independent living.”

Among the 130 core donors who work with PIF are Hutchinson Builders, Lendlease and the national fit-out and refurbishment company SHAPE Australia, which was preparing to work pro bono as project managers for the new Queensland development.

“I’m a new dad, I have a young boy who’s two years old,” SHAPE general manager for Queensland Josh Williams said. “It is heartbreaking to think that he could end up homeless.

“We’re a family-focused company so any chance to give back is important to us.”

Charities need to find more creative ways to raise money in a COVID-19 environment. Photo: David Clark

Six Queensland members of SHAPE have signed up for the 30-day challenge, which began on July 20 with participants able to register at any time between now and August 18.

“Me personally, I”m walking from Camp Hill into the city every day. The target for myself is to raise $5000,” Mr Williams said.

One of the most recent PIF projects has been the renovation of St Laurence House, which provides medium-term youth accommodation for 13-18 year olds in Sydney.

“It was critical really,” St Laurence House executive officer Nigel Parker said.

“To have an extra bedroom and new bathrooms, it’s like a completely different house.

“What they also did which is important, they also got a team of people to come in and replace all the furniture in the kids’ bedrooms. It’s beautiful and they also bought an outdoor setting and a new barbecue and some sports equipment.

Bedrooms like this can help give a young person a fresh start in life.

“I think it’s one of the most worthwhile things that you can do because for many small charities, they just don’t have the capacity to do renovations. For us it was about making the house feel more homelike.”

For more information on the Property Industry Foundation’s 30-day fitness challenge visit pif30.com.au

The post There’s no place like a home for the homeless appeared first on realestate.com.au.

‘Pinnacle’/CA 3 Yendon No 2 Road, Buninyong — also known as Vertigo.

Most luxury getaways aim to help you relax.

Regional Victorian tourism veteran David Perman is hoping his latest project, dubbed the Skybarrels, will “scare the pants off people”.

Determined to do things differently, he’s planning to balance the unique oval-shaped holiday villas up to 16m above ground on the edge of an extinct volcano, Mount Buninyong, just outside of Ballarat.

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Designed by TreeARC principal architect Robyn Larsen, the development’s five double-storey barrels will measure 8m tall, about 5m wide and 8.5m long.

All will capture sprawling vistas, but the main villa, called “Vertigo”, will be perched at the top of a 16m-tall open-tread staircase.

The four remaining skybarrels will be perched at a less fear-evoking level above the ground.

“You enter it from underneath, like a UFO,” Mr Perman said.

“It’s going to be an act of bravery just walking up. And the second you open the front door the view over the volcano drop comes in.”

Inside, the villas will have a minimalist, industrial vibe — decked out with luxury including 75-inch TV screens connected to American Netflix accounts, Nick Scalli furniture and Loui Jover original artworks.

Unique on the outside, luxury on the inside.

“They are a bit crazy,” Mr Perman said.

“But our philosophy is there’s no point building what someone else already built, or doing something that people have got at home.”

Plans for the 4a site include engaging with its Indigenous cultural heritage and potentially having a chef tend to guests.

Step inside and the view over the extinct volcano’s rim unfolds before you.

Hockingstuart Belle Property Daylesford’s Nathan Skewes is currently selling the properties at 67 67 Yendon Road No. 2, Buninyong, as a luxury investment. Each one-bedroom residence is expected to cost $1 million with a leaseback agreement guaranteeing an 8 per cent return.

“We are getting plenty of interest in them,” Mr Skewes said.

The accommodation’s major drawcards will include the stunning views on offer.

The Daylesford region was “inundated” with inquiry from Melbourne-based buyers at the moment, and he said it was likely all of the Skybarrels would be sold within a few months.

Mr Perman said he was confident that the properties would be popular. Another high-end operation he has set up at Clifftop at Hepburn has won multiple awards and maintained 85 per cent occupancy throughout the COVID-19 turmoil.

To be built on a 4ha property, the Skybarrels are designed to help you escape the daily grind.

The Skybarrels will be built in nearby Ballarat, creating about 54 jobs over their seven months construction, before being transported to the site.

Pending planning approval they could be open to guests by mid 2021.

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The post Skybarrels: Buninyong villas to thrill on extinct volcano’s edge appeared first on realestate.com.au.

106 Tranmere Road, Howrah. Picture: SUPPLIED

WHEN it comes to location teamed with the charm and cuteness of ’50s design, it’ll be hard to beat this Howrah gem.

No.106 Tranmere Road is positioned in an elevated location in a highly sought-after neighbourhood.

While it has the good bones of decades gone by, the property also offers a modern designed family home that makes a great first impression on inspection.

Dating back to 1956, this three-bedroom house is a stunner – inside and out.

A nice first impression.

The divine deck.

River and mountain vista.

Entry into the home is via a big balcony. The home’s flexible floorplan reveals itself quickly with opportunities such as using the third bedroom as an office, library, craft room or whatever takes the next owners’ fancy.

A generous living room and dinging room is wrapped around by the balcony on one side and a classic central hallway on the other.

This light-filled space is as fresh as a daisy with its massive windows that capture amazing views toward the river, city and mountains.

This zone has multiple glass sliding doors providing access to the veranda and there are two climate-control options with a gas fireplace and an airconditioning unit.

The kitchen is bound to be the hub of the home.

This feature-packed space has a huge list of attractive features starting with its handy walk-in pantry, a mobile island bench and stainless appliances, including an induction cooktop and an integrated dishwasher.

Style and sophistication.

Family-size space.

Bathroom bliss.

The kitchen has a small, casual dining area, plus display lighting, a tea and coffee station, an European laundry and a family sunroom. It will be the perfect space for feeding the family or relaxing with a good book.

This zone also has access to another outdoors area, a 32sq m timber deck and beyond into the back yard’s studio/play house.

Most of the bedrooms have built-in storage. They are located along the hall, with the master being the ultimate parents’ retreat – generous in size, wardrobes and calming water views.

The family bathroom has a large shower and a deep jet tub.

Back outside, the concreted driveway provides parking for multiple cars, plus there is a single garage that will be perfect to house a motorbikes or personal belongings.

Room with a view.

Off-street parking.

Dine alfresco.

With its seaside vibe, unpretentious style and comfort galore, this home is bound to catch the eye of buyers far and wide.

The property offers a 979sq m of land.

For those with a sense of development, this allotment size could be a real bonus and lend it to the possibility of subdivision, subject to approvals.

This Howrah home at No.106 Tranmere Road is listed with LJ Hooker Glenorchy and priced at “Offers over $769,000”.

The post Enjoy the ‘50s charms and the modern comforts, too appeared first on realestate.com.au.

This Anthony St, Newcomb, home sold for $505,000 in July, after attracting interest from several owner occupier buyers, selling agent Ricky Forte said.

Regional property markets like Geelong are showing more resilience amid the coronavirus pandemic, new CoreLogic data shows.

The latest CoreLogic Home Value Index showed Geelong dwelling values slipped 0.5 per cent in July.

That was less than half the decline experienced in Melbourne last month, where values dipped 1.2 per cent in July and 3.2 per cent over the previous quarter.

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Geelong dwelling values were down 1.1 per cent over the past three months, to $585,350 the index shows.

The report comes on the eve of regional Victoria going back to Stage 3 restrictions on Thursday. Under those restrictions, auctions can only occur remotely and inspections can take place by private appointment only.

CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless said regional markets were generally showing more resilience to falling values, with regional Victoria one of two to record a fall over the month.

Mr Lawless said housing markets had remained relatively resilient through the pandemic.

CoreLogic head of research, Tim Lawless.

“The impact from COVID-19 on housing values has been orderly to date,” Mr Lawless said.

“With CoreLogic’s national index falling only 1.6 per cent since the recent high in April … housing turnover has recovered quickly after its sharp fall in late March and April.

“Record low interest rates, government support and loan repayment holidays for distressed borrowers have helped to insulate the housing market from a more significant downturn.”

McGrath Geelong agent Ricky Forte said owner-occupiers were driving the market, with increased competition for properties.

Mr Forte said of 30 sales he had handled in the past three months, 28 were sold to owner-occupiers, with the vast majority local buyers.

He said record low interest rates and government incentives — like the stamp duty waiver for first-home buyers — was helping buyers who had job security.

Dale Whitford said a lower volume of properties on the market was helping competition. Picture: Peter Ristevski

But Mr Forte said some buyers had been faced with challenges, like recipients of JobKeeper losing finance pre-approval.

“Buyers were hoping to sense a lack of competition,” he said.

“There is only so much the governments and the banks can do, ultimately people have to come out and look at property.”

Whitford Newtown agent Dale Whitford said a lower volume of listings was increasing competition, especially for higher-end properties — around $1m to more than $2m — although the amount of sales had rebounded.

“There is a volume of buyers, but sellers can maybe expect a slightly longer sale period,” Mr Whitford said.

The post CoreLogic Home Value Index: Geelong dwelling price dips as regions show resilience appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Rebecca Statton and three of her children, James, 10, Jack, 16, Lucia, 13, and their dogs, Billy and Henry, at their home in East Toowoomba — a suburb that recorded staggering house price growth over the past 20 years. Picture: David Martinelli.

IT’S the surprise growth star shining brightly amid a sea of trendy coastal hubs and city slicker suburbs.

East Toowoomba has emerged as the quiet achiever over the past two decades, recording an impressive 375 per cent growth in house prices since the year 2000 — one of the highest growth rates in the state, research from Realestate.com.au reveals.

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The regional suburb’s median house price has jumped from $119,000 20 years ago to $565,000 in June of this year, outperforming the likes of Broadbeach Waters on the Gold Coast and Golden Beach on the Sunshine Coast.

This four-bedroom house at 37 Kitchener St, East Toowoomba, is for sale for offers over $549,000.

The growth in East Toowoomba, 125km west of Brisbane, is no surprise to mother-of-four

Rebecca Statton, who has lived in the suburb for 16 years.

Mrs Statton and her husband, Grant, bought their first house in the suburb in 2004 for $299,000, renovated it and sold it in 2015 for $1 million.

“It was the classic worst house in a really lovely street,” Mrs Statton said.

“But the trend I could see is that our street had lots of older people living there and gradually they would sell.”

This circa 1880s Queenslander in East Toowoomba is one of many character homes in the suburb. Image supplied.

The Stattons then bought their current house in Campbell Street — a classic 1880s Queenslander on a massive 2500 sqm block.

“We thought we’d paid too much at the time, but since then, houses on smaller blocks have sold for as much,” Mrs Statton said.

TOP REGIONAL QLD SUBURBS FOR HOUSE PRICE GROWTH OVER 20 YEARS

Suburb Median house price June 2000 Median house price June 2020 Growth

Palm Beach $167,750 $900,000 437%

Warana $140,000 $740,000 429%

Buddina $170,000 $855,000 403%

Miami $165,000 $828,500 402%

Noosa Heads $231,500 $1,142,500 394%

Burleigh Heads $186,000 $910,000 389%

Sunshine Beach $315,000 $1,540,000 389%

Sunrise Beach $183,000 $890,000 386%

Noosaville $205,000 $995,000 385%

Mooloolaba $189,000 $905,000 379%

Minyama $250,000 $1,187,500 375%

East Toowoomba $119,000 $565,000 375%

Tugun $161,400 $760,000 371%

Yaroomba $165,000 $775,000 370%

Broadbeach Waters $260,000 $1,217,500 368%

Wurtulla $140,000 $649,400 364%

Doonan $197,500 $915,000 363%

Worongary $163,500 $752,500 360%

Golden Beach $138,000 $635,000 360%

Jacobs Well $121,500 $556,000 358%

(Source: Realestate.com.au)

* This data is provided by licence from realestate.com.au Pty Ltd and is current at the time of publication. realestate.com.au Pty Ltd does not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the data nor accept any liability arising in any way from omissions or errors

“Now, I think we would easily recover what we’ve put in to it, and a little bit more, just because it’s so sought-after.

“In Toowoomba, liveability is really important, and East Toowoomba is close to all the lovely parks, the CBD, St Vinnie’s hospital, which is a major employer, private schools.

“It’s very central, but still very quiet.”

This property at 25 Margaret St, East Toowoomba, is for sale.

Mrs Statton said the suburb also had lots of large blocks, which was rare so close to the CBD.

“That’s become a real lifestyle thing,” she said.

“You can still get a big block, a basic house, do a bit to it, and it seems there’s always a lot of room for growth and improvement.

“A lot of houses in the higher price brackets don’t ever go on the market — most are sold offmarket.”

Mark Costello of Toowoomba real estate agency, iThink Property, said East Toowoomba was regarded as the most in-demand suburb in the region.

“This is due to a number of factors; its proximity to the Toowoomba City and beautiful Queens Park, as well as some of the popular private schools also located in the suburb,” Mr Costello said.

“East Toowoomba is quintessentially ‘Toowoomba of old’ with its wide, tree-lined streets and 19th century character homes.”

This three-bedroom house at 9 Argyle St, East Toowoomba, is on the market for offers over $795,000.

Mr Costello said the suburb had also become quite a cultural hub, with new cafes popping up.

“Some of the homes are truly magnificent,” he said.

“From the heritage-listed ‘Fernside’, built in 1876, to the charming ‘Whyemnbah’ Queenslander overlooking Queens Park, built in the late 1800s.

“Just a drive up Campbell Street and you automatically get a sense of nostalgia of days gone by, but this is also mixed with culturally-tasteful restorations and renovations.”

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The post The QLD suburb where house prices have boomed appeared first on realestate.com.au.