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2a Playford St, Glen Osmond. Woodley House. Picture: Jonathan Kissock

Breathing new life into one of SA’s oldest homesteads has been “a labour of love” for Ian and Fiona Traill.

But with work drawing them back to Sydney, the couple are now reluctantly saying goodbye to historic Woodley House, which has been a feature of the Glen Osmond landscape since being built by Osmond Gilles – the colony’s first treasurer – in 1843.

2a Playford St, Glen Osmond. Woodley House. Picture: Jonathan Kissock

The couple purchased the sprawling 5884sqm property in 2017, attracted by the grand Victorian style villa’s grandeur, location – and car parking space.

“We were living in Sydney in a terrace in Paddington … we wanted to have a car park and that turned out to be an extra million dollars,” Mr Traill, an architect, says. “And we saw this home advertised for about the same price as the value of our terrace in Paddington – and this one had about 15 carparks and was a beautiful property.

2a Playford St, Glen Osmond. Woodley House. Picture: Jonathan Kissock

“So we flew down and basically purchased it on the spot, without thinking too much about its existing condition,” Mr Traill says.

The couple have since taken on major interior renovations – bringing the six-bedroom mansion into line with contemporary living expectations – as well as replanning and replanting the expansive garden area.

2a Playford St, Glen Osmond. Woodley House. Picture: Jonathan Kissock

New works included a replanned kitchen and pantry, three ensuites and two powder rooms and new plumbing. The home has also been completely rewired – allowing for excellent internet coverage throughout – while roof attic space has been converted into two bedrooms with ensuites.

Mr Traill says it was important to respect the building’s heritage. “We wanted to change things as we went, and we got heritage approval and started peeling it back, trying to get the true character of the property,” he says.

2a Playford St, Glen Osmond. Woodley House. Picture: Jonathan Kissock

“We stripped off a lot of the plasterwork internally and exposed a lot of the old stonework, which is lovely. The house had some good bones and there was the opportunity to express that more. It’s been good – it’s come together and it’s full of nice finishes. It’s still got a very strong character and we’ve kept all the original features where we could.”

2a Playford St, Glen Osmond. Woodley House. Picture: Jonathan Kissock

Some of these features include high ceilings with ornamental cornices and ceiling roses, high skirting boards, imported solid French Oak panelled windows, double hung and casement windows and french doors.

Interior highlights include the chef’s kitchen, a 1000-bottle wine cellar, library and gymnasium – while the LED-lit tennis court, beautiful gardens and wood-fired pizza oven help make entertaining a breeze.

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Another standout feature is the property’s peaceful location – complete with plenty of birdlife and its own resident koalas – and its stunning views of the city and beyond.

“People come here and are shocked by the closeness of the city,” he says. “There are some places higher up that have got a drone view, whereas this gives you a fantastic panorama of the city and the gulf.

2a Playford St, Glen Osmond. Woodley House. Picture: Jonathan Kissock

“And it’s very nicely located at the base of the foothills – it’s close to Burnside Village and only 15 minutes drive into the city.”

Mr Traill says he and Fiona had had second thoughts about moving. “Everyone says ‘why are you selling it, how could you give it up’,” he says. “It’s been a labour of love but it’s got 16 rooms and there’s only two of us so realistically, what are we going to do?

“As we’ve got to this point, we’re kind of thinking ‘do we really want to sell it?” but it’s more of a logistics thing with work going on in Sydney.”

2A Playford Street, Glen Osmond

Contact agent for price

Agent: Booth and Booth Real Estate, Jamie Brown 0413 000 887. Land size: 5884sqm. Expressions of interest: Close Tuesday, September 15 at noon. Open: By appointment.

The post Set in stone: Glen Osmond’s Woodley House is built to last appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Keyes and Co Property Director Damien Keyes.

Mundingburra has been revealed as Townsville’s most tightly held suburb, with the average homeowner clinging on to their home for almost 18 years.

The leafy suburb, which has a mix of pre- and post-WWII houses, new builds and a range of shops, amenities and parks, is just 4km from the CBD, with new data showing residents are holding on to their homes longer than ever before.

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The data shows that the average hold period for the suburb has risen by more than two years, up from 15.5 years to 17.9 years, according to the latest REA Market Trends report for August.

But some owners have held on to the same home for decades.

Margaret Hill of Helen Munro Property has a property that is on the market for the first time in 41 years.

Located at 21 Coorong Avenue in Mundingburra, the flood-free California bungalow sits on a 1664sq m block and boasts a full tennis court, pool, shed and gardens that include mango, pawpaw, grapefruit, mandarin and banana fruit trees.

Listed for $550,000, roughly the median sales price for a house in Greater Brisbane, the property offers plenty of space with the possibility of subdivision.

Damien Keyes of Keyes & Co Property said the reason why residents were so reluctant to leave the leafy suburb was due to its proximity to the river, amenities, its central location and parks. “There are also some very good schools so families tend to target that area, to get in to the school catchments,” he said.

Keyes and Co Property Director Damien Keyes is getting ready for Open Houses to pick up after COVID-19 restrictions are eased.

He said that with more interstate buyers looking to regional cities, tightly held suburbs were only going to become more sought after.

REA chief economist Nerida Conisbee said buyers bought into and stayed in certain suburbs for prolonged periods for various reasons.

“What you will start to see is some of these tightly held suburbs regenerating as the empty nesters move out and the new generation move in,” she said.

“It leads to a resurgence in the suburb with younger buyers renovating and extending older homes, or building more modern houses.

REA chief economist Nerida Conisbee presenting at the Kickstart 2020 at the Ramada in Ballina.

“This then has a flow-on effect to property prices.”

In Thuringowa, Townsville’s third most tightly held suburb, First National Real Estate agent Natalie Marr has a renovated three-bedroom house listed for $285,000.

Built in 1970, it has only ever had one owner.

The average hold period in Thuringowa is 15.5 years.

Looking ahead, Mr Keyes said with restrictions eased in Townsville, he expected to see more interest from interstate.

“People drive markets and I think regional areas will see a (population) strike like never before,” he said.

“Covid has made people realise that being close to family is the most important thing and more people are working from home so where they live has become more flexible.”

The post Townsville’s most tightly held suburbs revealed appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Newcastle is one of NSW’s strongest growth regions.

Regional housing values have held firm through the COVID period compared with the capital cities across Australia.

New research from CoreLogic shows dwelling values across the regional areas of Australia slipping by only 0.1 per cent between March and the end of July, while capital city home values are down 2 per cent over the same period.

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It has especially been the case to the immediate south and north of Sydney. The Illawarra region is the standout performer. The Illawarra recorded the largest annual rise in regional housing values across Australia, up 12 per cent. It also saw the biggest jump in home sale volume over the past twelve months, with activity up 14 per cent over the year.

The Hunter Valley region saw values rise 2.8 per cent. Credit: Destination NSW

Newcastle and Lake Macquarie was NSW’s next best performing region. Its house values were up eight per cent, on the back of a seven per cent hike in sales activity.

Elsewhere, the Hunter Valley region, excluding Newcastle, saw values up 2.8 per cent annually. Its sales activity level was up six per cent.

The heightened sales activity was evident in the NSW Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven, where the house sales volume increased by 12.7 per cent. Values in the region grew by 3.2 per cent annually.

The latest quarterly regional report analysed 25 of Australia’s largest non-capital city regions, including 10 from NSW, looking at performance of both house and unit markets. Of the 50 house and unit markets included in the analysis, 37 have seen values rise over the 12 months to July.

Houses were the better performer over the year, with 20 regions recording a rise in the value of houses, while five regional areas saw house values decline over the 12 months, with two in NSW.

They were the Riverina area and the New England and North West region. The latter had the longest days on market over the year, with houses taking close to 100 days to sell, on average.

Across regional unit markets, 17 regions across Australia recorded a rise in values over the year to July.

While the region by region data shows diversity, Tim Lawless, the head of research at CoreLogic, suggests relatively steady conditions in regional markets were partly due to the areas being less affected by stalling overseas migration.

Markets south and north of Sydney are performing the strongest. Picture: John Appleyard

“Close to 85 per cent of Australia’s net overseas migration flows into the capital cities,” Mr Lawless advised.

Mr Lawless also reckons the latest data shows some momentum in the trend towards rising demand for lifestyle properties. “It was prevalent prior to COVID-19,” he added.

Regional areas certainly offer up a variety of advantages and risks compared with their capital city counterparts. Housing prices tend to be lower, providing a more affordable entry point to the market.

For instance, there is a $588,000 median around Newcastle, $590,000 in the Southern Highlands and $704,000 in the Illawarra.

Mr Lawless warns regional economic conditions can be more volatile, especially those areas that are heavily dependent on a single industry for economic prosperity.

There have been signs regional growth rates peaked in late 2019, and could head into negative territory later this year without significant improvement to economic conditions or a demonstrated shift in demand side factors like population growth.

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10 Boathouse Rise, Lewisham. Picture: SUPPLIED

ALL-day sun and magnificent views across Pittwater, Frederick Henry Bay to Mount Wellington are but the tip of the iceberg.

This impressive Lewisham property has so much to offer. From its glorious views to a 2010-built solid brick home on more than 3000sq m, to the expansive, covered entertaining deck and the massive workshop with three-phase power. The lengthy features list ticks a lot of boxes.

It has storage options galore, 28 solar panels and a location within 35 minutes of the Hobart CBD — tick, tick, tick.

Wide water views.

Ready for a feast.

Family-sized space.

Spacious is a word that comes to mind in every area of this wonderful lifestyle property.

It could accommodate a variety of needs with multiple living options on offer.

Needing a 45sq m man cave? How about a teenager’s retreat? No problem.

The kitchen is a star of the property with its superior custom cabinetry, stone benchtops, breakfast bar, walk-in pantry and some top-quality stainless-steel appliances.

The generous master bedroom benefits from a walk-in wardrobe and an ensuite plus a separate toilet.

The second and third bedrooms are a great size, each with walk-in wardrobes. They are serviced by a central family bathroom with a spa bath and separate toilet.

The home’s flexible floorplan includes a formal dining room that could be used as an extra bedroom or living room.

Views galore.

Put the kettle on.

Get to work in the shed.

There is internal entry from the garage and under the house there is a space currently used as an office and storage area.

The workshop is big enough to fit all the toys, a wood heater and a bathroom.

Perhaps best of all, the ever-changing panoramic views can be enjoyed from the hub of the home comforted by wood heating and reverse cycle cooling and heating.

New realestate.com.au data shows tightly held Lewisham recorded 12 house sales in the past year. Although the data available is small, in that time the median rose 18 per cent annually and more than 67 per cent compared to three years ago.

No.10 Boathouse Rise, Lewisham is listed with PMM Real Estate and priced at $800,000-plus.

The post Big views, brick home and a large man cave appeared first on realestate.com.au.

The HomeBuilder Grant could shave $25,000 off your new home building project.

There’s no question that this year has been a strange one, both socially and economically. Many of us have been spending a lot of time at home in recent months, which has brought the shortcomings of our living arrangements into sharper focus.

In June, the federal government announced a new scheme aimed at helping homeowners renovate or build a new house, providing stimulus for the housing industry as we power up for 2021 and beyond.

The HomeBuilder Grant offers $25,000 towards the cost of building a new home or substantially renovating an existing home, as long the homeowners meet the criteria.

For new-home builders, the value of the house and land cannot exceed $750,000. For those seeking to renovate, the value of the existing property cannot exceed $1.5 million.

The value of the renovation work must also be at least $150,000 to be eligible.

Grant applicants must also meet income criteria, which is capped at $125,000 for an individual applicant and $200,000 for a couple.

Housing Industry Association managing director Graham Wolfe says those interested in applying should get a move on.

“You should be talking to a builder or builders as soon as possible as to their availability to do the work, as well as site contractors and financial lenders,” Graham says. “This is federal government funding distributed by Revenue NSW and you can do the application online.

“But you need to have a contract signed by the end of the year.”

Work needs to start within three months of the contract being signed, with the grant being paid once evidence is submitted that work has begun and the first payment has been made.

HIA managing director Graham Wolfe says you should get a move on if you’re hoping to apply for the HomeBuilder Grant.

While some parts of the economy have been sluggish during the pandemic, Graham says the building industry has been more of a mixed bag. Occurrences such as the recent storms on the south coast could mean that trades may not be as readily available as you might have thought.

Finding a suitable block of land to build on or getting a development application through council also takes time.

The HomeBuilder grant allows for an extension of the work starting for up to three months if it is due to “unforeseen circumstances”. This could include delays in getting council approvals, delays due to bad weather and difficulties in obtaining materials or subcontractors.

However, for those who have been putting off building work because of the pandemic but have already done the groundwork, Graham says the grant represents a great opportunity to upgrade or build a new home.

“A lot of people have had the time and the motivation to think about their accommodation and ask themselves if it is sufficient,” Graham says.

“If you have been delaying work on your house in NSW, there is capacity to take on this additional work to get a contract signed.”

Special provisions have been made in the HomeBuilder Grant in areas affected by bushfire. Picture: Toby Zerna

There are also special considerations for those who lost their homes in last year’s devastating bushfires.

For the purposes of the grant, rebuilding in an area ravaged by the fires is deemed a “substantial renovation”, with the option to access the grant and build a house up to the value of $750,000.

More: revenue.nsw.gov.au/grants-schemes/homebuilder

hia.com.au

The post A quick guide on how the $25k HomeBuilder grant can help you renovate or build your home appeared first on realestate.com.au.

79 Camelot Pl, Bridgeman Downs, has its own lake crowned with a wooden bridge.

Picture it. It’s a lazy Sunday morning on what is set to be another hot summer’s day. You’re stretched out by the pool catching up on the day’s news, when the sound of laughter draws your attention to the nearby lake. You see your children jump in a boat and row themselves across the water, setting off on their next big adventure.

It sounds like a memory formed on an unforgettable family holiday, right?

The house sits beside its own private lake in a tightly held street in Bridgeman Downs.

Yet for Mick Foley and his two daughters aged 13 and 12, it is a scene they could recreate every weekend.

The family have owned 79 Camelot Place, a sprawling house with six bedrooms in a tightly held street in Bridgeman Downs for the past four years.

The property stretches to more than two acres and is made up of the house, manicured gardens, trees and lawns, where Mr Foley, who owns two helicopter charter companies, among other businesses, is able to land his personal chopper.

The house has mulitple living spaces.

Helicopters aside, the property’s biggest attraction has to be its picturesque lake, crowned with an arched wooden footbridge.

Mr Foley said the family had spent a lot of time on the lake over the years and he would miss it greatly.

The kitchen is the heart of the home.

“It’s a very quiet spot, and there’s the fountain and lights on it at night, and the fire pit on the other side where I used to sit with the girls. It’s a special place,” Mr Foley.

While the sheer enormity of the house may appear overwhelming, Mr Foley said that once you start living in it, you grow into the space and the floor plan has allowed the home to retain a sense of cosiness.

There are plenty of places fro which to take in the lake views.

“When you walk into it, it feels like a normal home, which is what attracted me to it in the first place. It’s northeast facing, perfectly positioned on the block, it just ticked all the boxes for me.”

Three of the home’s six bedrooms reside on the upper level of the three-storey house, including the main which has an ensuite and walk-in robe. From this level you can capture stunning views of the lake.

The remaining three bedrooms can be found on the middle storey, where again, you are hit with lake views.

The bedrooms are generous in size.

All the living areas, including the chef’s kitchen with stone bench tops, which Mr Foley said was the heart of the home, are on the lower level.

An informal eating area and family room adjacent to the kitchen has floor to ceiling glass walls to maximise on the lake views and natural light. Both these areas open out to an outdoor entertaining pavilion and deck, framed with balustrading for lakeside dining and

The house has a cinema room.

entertaining. Descend a set of stairs and follow a meandering path to the infinity edge pool, set on the edge of the lake. There is also a free-standing pavilion, for hosting parties, family and friends.

Built in the late 1990s, the only thing that belies this home’s age is the terracotta tiling throughout, which Mr Foley admits to having become too busy to replace. Elsewhere, the house is timeless in its design and architecture.

The house suits alarge family who want room to move.

Unfortunately Mr Foley said that with the family’s schedule becoming far more busy, he felt the property wasn’t being used to its full potential and so made the difficult decision to

put it on the market.

“I think it suits a large family with early age kids that want the space, and I hope someone enjoys it as much as our family has. It really is a house in which memories can be made.”

And who doesn’t want that?

The property will be auctioned on Saturday, August 29 at 11am.

The post Brisbane home has it’s own private lake appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Townsville’s property market has outperformed Australia’s three biggest capital cities, posting a bigger increase in median sales prices over the past three months.

New data shows that the Townsville LGA recorded an increase in median house sales prices of 2.1 per cent in the past three months, and 3.1 per cent in 12 months.

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The result has seen the overall median house price in Townsville creep up to $330,000, a $10,000 increase on the same time last year.

Over that same three month period, Brisbane recorded a 3.1 per cent drop in its median house sales price.

The median sales price in Melbourne also fell 0.7 per cent, while Sydney recorded no growth in sales prices.

Brisbane’s median house price fell 3.1 per cent over the past three months.

REA chief economist Nerida Conisbee said regions with strong ties to the resources sector were performing strongly despite COVID-19.

And in many cases they were outperforming the capital cities.

“Mining may be a factor in Townsville but it is a big city supported by other job drivers such as defence, education and the medical sector,” she said.

“It could also be benefiting from people wanting to leave the bigger cities (due to COVID-19).

“Affordability would also be a selling point for Townsville.”

Ms Conisbee acknowledged that Townsville’s property market had “taken a few knocks” in recent years, but there were signs that confidence was returning.

“The very low rental vacancies in Townsville at the moment is also probably reflective of population growth,” she said.

“That usually means there is some good things happening in the local economy and when there is economic nd population growth, the market can bounce back quite quickly.”

REA chief economist Nerida Conisbee

But what suburbs in the Townsville region (SA4) are batting above average?

The data shows that houses at Forrest Beach in the Hinchinbrook shire are going gangbusters, posting a whopping 67 per cent increase in median sales prices over 12 months, with 17 houses sold during that period.

The median sales price has jumped from $173,684 to $290,000 in just 12 months, according to realestate.com.au.

Buyers are also snapping up vacant land at Forrest Beach, according to CoreLogic RP Data.

Current listings in Forrest Beach range from $850,000 for a house with water views on 2.37 hectares to a three-bedroom house on a 809sq m block for just $150,000.

Mary Venables of Venables Real Estate Forrest Beach said the higher median sales price was likely influenced by a few big sales, rather than being truly reflective of the average house price.

But she said Forrest Beach was indeed seeing a renewed interest from buyers, especially from Victoria.

“The houses I am selling at the moment are more in the lower price bracket so good buys,” she said.

“We are also seeing a lot of vacant land sales here.

“There is just people coming out of the woodwork down south, and they are buying with the intention to relocate.”

Walkers on The Strand. Picture: Evan Morgan

In Townsville, Jensen recorded a 33.2 per cent in its median house prices in the past 12 months, likely driven by the new residential estates being constructed in the area.

There, the median house price has risen from $390,000 a year ago to $519,500, with 16 properties sold in that 12 month period.

Again, new home builds and acreage sales have lifted the median house price, with some bargains under $300,000.

In North Ward, the median house price has jumped from $505,000 to $665,000, a 31.7 per cent increase.

The sought-after bayside suburb saw 21 houses change hands over the past 12 months.

Sally Elliott of Smith & Elliott Real Estate is selling a stunning character home packed full of traditional features at 64 Paxton Street. It is listed for $760,000.

Character PLUS!!! 64 Paxton St

Ms Elliott said a few big sales could be skewing the percentage increase, but she agreed with the current median house sales price.

She said some pockets of North Ward could yield sales over $1 million, but buyers could still get a bargain in the picturesque suburb.

“I am seeing a lot of interest from interstate buyers in particular,” she said. “And they have the cash to spend.

“I would say they (interstate buyers) are looking in that $900,000 to $1.2 million bracket mostly.”

But one of the biggest influences on the North Ward market was the low vacancy rates and the “extraordinary” rental yields being achieved.

“We have a waitlist just for rentals,” she said. “We just haven’t seen the transition out of Townsville that we would usually see, the people travelling, relocating.

“We are seeing locals upgrading, and quite a few professionals from outside of Townsville looking to relocate here.

“There is definitely more positivity in our market.”

Another drool-worthy North Ward home

***

TOP 20 SUBURBS FOR MEDIAN SALE PRICE INCREASES (12 months) – TOWNSVILLE REGION

Suburb/Increase/Current Median Sales Price

Forrest Beach +67% $290,000

Jensen +33.2% $519,500

North Ward +31.7% $665,000

Rasmussen +19.3% $210,000

Alligator Creek +18.6% $492,000

Ayr +15.6% $185,000

Vincent +11.6% $240,000

Mount Low +11.4% $370,000

Heatley +10.7% $238,000

Alice River +10.2% $498,500

Pimlico +8.8% $307,500

Nelly Bay +8% $351,000

Mysterton +7.6% $387,500

Condon +6.9% $256,500

Gulliver +6.1% $260,000

Balgal Beach +6% $265,000

Cranbrook +5.9% $263,500

Thuringowa +5.8% $275,000

Bushland Beach +5.1% $385,750

West End +4.3% $360,000

(Source: REA Market Trends report August 2020)

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