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Madame Butterfly Susie O’Neill is selling her riverfront home

Olympic swimmer Susie ONeill and Ray White New Farm agent Christine Rudolph at the home Ms O’Neill is selling at 401 Brisbane Corso, Yeronga.

Australian swimming legend Susie O’Neill is selling her family’s riverfront Brisbane home of almost 19 years.

It’s a reluctant move for the elite swimmer and eight-time Olympic medallist, who fondly remembers raising her two teenage children and celebrating many milestones in the Yeronga property.

Ms O’Neill bought the two-level, five-bedroom, three-bathroom house at 401 Brisbane Corso with her medico husband Cliff Fairley, an ophthalmologist, in 2001, and still remembers the day she first saw it.

Former Olympic swimmer Susie O’Neill is selling this house at 401 Brisbane Corso, Yeronga.

“I remember it was a feeling,” Ms O’Neill said.

“When we walked in, it was like; ‘Oh, wow!’.

“It is going to be emotional selling it.”

Ms O’Neill said the decision to move to another part of Brisbane was based purely on convenience for their two children to get to school and to accommodate her parents.

The property has a number of incredible features, but the one she will miss the most is the view.

“Whenever I walked in that front door, that view just blew me away,” Ms O’Neill said.

“I never took that view for grateful.”

The modern kitchen in the architecturally designed home.

Ms O’Neill said she loved sitting on her beanbag in the lounge room and watching the rowers go by.

“We have loved this house since we bought it,” she said.

“This is where we had our children and we love the river and all that goes on there. We especially like seeing the rowers in the mornings.

“It truly is a great house; ideal for families and entertaining.”

Susie O’Neill says she will miss watching the rowers go past her riverfront home.

Marketing agent Christine Rudolph of Ray White New Farm said the Brisbane Corso was renowned as one of Brisbane’s best streets, and the property offered a “golden opportunity” for buyers.

Designed by architect Harry Poulos and renovated as recently as last year, the private, 875 sqm north-facing property offers the perfect river aspect.

Susie O’Neill’s backyard at her home at 401 Brisbane Corso, Yeronga.

“The home has the perfect north-facing aspect across the water to the leafy bank

beyond,” Ms Rudolph said.

“Yeronga is just 7km from the CBD, and a truly hidden pocket as you only get locals

driving here.“

The home comes with a special pool designed for elite swimmers like Susie O’Neill, where you can set it to swim or run against a current.

Famously nicknamed ‘Madame Butterfly’ for her expertise at the swimming stroke of the same name, O’Neill is better known these days as a co-host of Brisbane’s Nova 106.9 breakfast radio show with Ash, Kip and Luttsy.

Ms O’Neill said one of the home’s unique selling points was the heated pool, where you could train like a professional athlete.

This home at 401 Brisbane Corso, Yeronga, is for sale.

The Elite Fastlane pool is one of only two in Australia.

“I was in the Australian team for 12 years, but I have been a swimmer for 20 years of my

life,” Ms O’Neill said.

The Elite Fastlane pool overlooks the Brisbane River.

“What I love about the Fastlane pool is the convenience of it. I can use it as a normal pool and jump in and cool off, or, I can use it to exercise by swimming against the current.

“You can also run against the current and our kids have a lot of fun with it, on the

kneeboard.”

The open-plan living, kitchen and dining area offers stunning views of the Brisbane River.

Ms O’Neill said she still considers swimming a great form of relaxation.

“Even 15 minutes in the pool at the end of the day is great, but I am not going to drive all the way to a 50m pool to do that, so it’s very special.”

The property is scheduled for auction with Ray White New Farm next month.

The home at 401 Brisbane Corso, Yeronga, offers a peaceful outlook.

The post Madame Butterfly Susie O’Neill is selling her riverfront home appeared first on realestate.com.au.

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Happiness rising as sellers get higher prices than expected

Building site

In metropolitan areas of Queensland, it’s been a nice steady growth in happiness among sellers, the survey found. Picture: Jodie Richter

Queensland has escaped the worst impacts of COVID-19 on the real estate market, with the pandemic having a smaller impact than fallout from the Banking Royal Commission and the 2019 Federal Election, a new survey found.

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A whopping 39 per cent of home sellers in Brisbane got a higher price than what they expected at sale time, according to the latest price expectation report from real estate agent ratings site, RateMyAgent.

The survey of more than 33,000 Australians, tracked sentiment in the Australian property market, as well as seller satisfaction for the first half of 2020.

South East Queensland was home to the majority of Queensland’s happiest home sellers – with nine of the top ten happiest areas hailing from the region.

9/1263-1265 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach, is on the market for offers over $650,000.

Brisbane and Moreton Bay led with the highest proportion of sellers who got higher prices than they expected (39 per cent), followed by Scenic Rim and Redland (38 per cent), Logan (35 per cent), Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast (32 per cent), Fraser Coast (28 per cent), Lockyer Valley (27 per cent) and Ipswich (23 per cent).

Queensland’s Top 10 Happiest Areas:

Brisbane (39% net above)

Moreton Bay (39% net above)

Scenic Rim (38% net above)

Redland (38% net above)

Logan (35% net above)

Sunshine Coast (32% net above)

Gold Coast (32% net above)

Fraser Coast (28% net above)

Lockyer Valley (27% net above)

Ipswich (23% net above)

(Source: RateMyAgent)

RateMyAgent CEO and co-founder Mark Armstrong said vendor happiness in Queensland had bounced back during the COVID-19 second quarter, defying doom and gloom predictions.

“What we’ve seen in the June quarter is an astounding turnaround in market confidence – after the initial shock in April wore off, consumer optimism is on the way back up and this is highlighted in our newest Price Expectation Report.”

He said the survey found that the banking royal commission and the election in 2019 had a significantly more negative impact on vendor happiness than COVID-19 has had.

“Over the last two years, supply has dropped around 30 to 35 per cent. So what happened with COVID-19 is in April everyone just froze. It was the height of uncertainty. People who were considering selling just left the market, and yet there was still buyer demand moving through the market. We saw a slight increase in vendor happiness in June and that was driven by that lack of supply.”

“In metropolitan areas of Queensland, it’s been a nice steady growth in happiness since we saw it bottom out in 2018. Brisbane took a little dip in April because of that COVID-19 uncertainty but it found its feet again. Everyone thought COVID-19 was going to potentially decimate the property market but it hasn’t. Everyone realises that life goes on.”

He said Queensland’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was playing out well for the property market here.

“The migration from Victoria and New South Wales is always reasonably strong in southern Queensland and maybe this will accelerate it or put a bit of upward pressure on it,” he said.

“What’s shown during this pandemic is more densely populated areas run a higher risk of these pandemics. Queensland is such an enormous state with less people than Victoria and New South Wales. If people get hung up on the pandemic, a place like Queensland with so much room certainly augurs well for them.”

“There’s still a reasonably high level of confidence in the market.”

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The 11-room Islington Hotel in South Hobart is on the market

THE agents selling a Hobart boutique hotel hope a predicted “strong trading upturn” post-coronavirus will lure interested buyers.

Islington Hotel

Islington Hotel on Islington Hotel Hobart at 321 Davey Street in Hobart, Tasmania is for sale by Colliers International

The award-winning Islington Hotel in South Hobart will go on the market through an expressions of interest process.

Islington Hotel

Islington Hotel on Islington Hotel Hobart at 321 Davey Street in Hobart, Tasmania is for sale by Colliers International

Real estate agents Colliers International say the 11-room hotel is being sold to allow the hotel’s overseas-based owners to recycle capital to expand other businesses.

NEWS - PIC STORY - ISLINGTON HOTEL

Rose Room. Picture Chris Kidd

The sale will be targeted towards “boutique hotel and lodge owner operators, lifestyle investors looking for a tree change and high-end residential buyers”.

NEWS - PIC STORY - ISLINGTON HOTEL

Rose Room. Picture Chris Kidd

Agent Karen Wales said the 1847 building was in Regency style, with a curated hotel featuring an art collection within a heritage facade including glass, marble and a sandstone facelift.

SUNTAS: Islington Hotel, high-end tourism

Islington Hotel. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

“The potential for additional trading upside also exists by increasing the room count and taking advantage of the strong trading upturn which is projected for Hobart’s hotel market over the medium term,” Ms Wells said.

Agent Guy Wells said the sale offered potential buyers the chance to get into an accommodation market which had been strongly growing.

NEWS - PIC STORY - ISLINGTON HOTEL

Wine Cellar. Picture Chris Kidd

“While the events of 2020 are affecting the hotel sector globally, the outlook for the sector remains positive over the medium term, particularly in prominent domestic leisure destinations like Tasmania and specifically Hobart as the major point of entry to the island state,” he said.

The post The 11-room Islington Hotel in South Hobart is on the market appeared first on realestate.com.au.

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David Waterhouse sells Darling Point unit for $5.4m in five days to offshore buyer

19/85 Yarranabbe Rd, Darling Point, has sold for $5.4m after just five days on the market.

The Darling Point unit of racing identity David Waterhouse has sold for $5.4m in just five days to an offshore buyer who hadn’t even stepped through the door.

The apartment, 1
9/85 Yarranabbe Rd
, listed with Jason Boon of Richardson & Wrench Potts Point/Elizabeth Bay and Daphne Sauvage of Sotheby’s, is in the famous ‘Santina’ block, which has a north-easterly aspect and direct water access.

Boon’s post on Instagram, with a picture of a very young Jason sitting down to a meal of juice and cheezels, this afternoon aroused suspicions it may have sold, with his boast: “Good week with 3 sales this week.”

Then Sauvage posted a picture with both Boon and Waterhouse with the words: “JUST SOLD with Jason Boon within a week! $5,400,000.”

The property hit realestate.com.au only last Friday in an expressions of interest campaign and had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and undercover parking.

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19/85 Yarranabbe Rd, Darling Point, has sold to an offshore buyer after just five days on the market.

It has glorious harbour views.

It appears in this week’s Wentworth Courier — out today — with Sauvage saying: “We had good numbers through Saturday’s first open home and it’s generating interest from all over.

“This is the best apartment for sale in Darling Point.”

No wonder it’s sold so quickly.

The outlook from Waterhouse’s fourth-floor apartment is nothing short of incredible: the uninterrupted, never-to-be-built-out view takes in the entire span of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House, Clarke Island, North Head and the boat-studded harbour.

The block has been recently refurbished, and so has the apartment.

No expense has been spared on the renovated property, which offers 157 sqm of internal living space.

Sleep tight.

Iconic outlook.

Among its other attractions are the high ceilings and beautiful Herringbone floors; generous open-plan living space and the well-appointed kitchen.

Sauvage has been involved in two other recent Darling Point apartment sales where the buyer was offshore and hadn’t even been to the property.

The others were: the Thornton St double penthouse owned by car dealer Neil Sutton and his son, Scott, that sold for $7m to an offshore Chinese buyer. The listing agent was Gavin Rubinstein of Ray White TRG but Sauvage introduced the buyer.

And the recent sale at 32/60 Darling Point Rd, which sold for well over its guide price of $3.7m and set a record for the building. That property was being marketed via Sotheby’s.

The post David Waterhouse sells Darling Point unit for $5.4m in five days to offshore buyer appeared first on realestate.com.au.

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Does the housing ladder still work?

The idea is that most people begin their homeownership journey with a starter home and make their way up to more expensive housing. But is that theory still valid — especially now during a pandemic?