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The outlook is spectacular from 56 Knightsbridge Parade East, Sovereign Islands.

Each morning when they wake, Muriel and Bill Jordan have a treasured ritual.

They raise the blinds in the master suite and enjoy a cup of tea as they take in the wide expanse of water lapping the shores of Brown Island and South Stradbroke Island.

“We can sit and watch the sun come up before we get out of bed,” Mrs Jordan said.

“We watch the boats going past but no one can see us.”

You can watch the sun rise each morning from the master suite.

Peaceful and private are the words Mrs Jordan chooses to describe life in the estate, which has been home for the past seven years.

“We can be sitting out the back with a cup of coffee and cake in the sun and half the time Bill will fall asleep it’s that quiet,” she said.

“The water can make you feel really relaxed.”

Sit in the sun and watch the boats cruise by.

Having moved to Australia from the UK in 1974, Mr Jordan built homes in Brisbane before moving to the Gold Coast to create their own piece of paradise.

In a nod to his Irish roots, the words ‘Caoga A Sé’ feature on the front of the home, which translates from Gaelic to the number ‘56’.

An internal lift makes it easy to access all four levels.

The considered four level design allows for open planing living on the ground floor, four spacious bedrooms on the first floor and a grand luxury master above.

The basement doubles as a party zone with
a bar and games lounge set up with pin ball machines, a darts board and billiard table
while a five-hole putting green is wisely positioned alongside the water.

“My grand son adores playing putt putt, but there are usually more balls in the water than on the green,” Mrs Jordan said.

The alfresco entertaining area is tucked away out of the weather.

The home has been the ideal entertainer over the years, hosting extended family and friends for special occasions.

“The house is big enough to entertain everybody without everybody getting under your feet,” Mrs Jordan said.

The alfresco area with built-in barbecue is a favoured space in any conditions.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s rail, hail or shine, you are so protected,” said Mrs Jordan.

“It is the best space to sit for breakfast, lunch or dinner. No wind or rain comes in.

“I love having people over for breakfast these days and that’s the best place for it.”

The pool runs alongside the Broadwater.

The Jordans hope to remain on Sovereign Island where security offers peace of mind.

“We don’t want to move really, but the house it too big for us now,” Mrs Jordan said.

“Sovereign Island really is unique and the people are lovely. The security is also great. We feel very safe here.”

Hanan Cawley, of Harcourts Coastal – Broadbeach, is taking offers over $5 million.

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This renovated Queenslander at 27 Chaplain Ave, Manunda is on a rare, large inner-city block, walking distance to the CBD. Picture: Red M Photography

OPEN the classic French doors to enter this elegant Queenslander described as “one big living room”.

From the layout to the location of this three-bedroom home at 27 Chaplain Ave, Manunda, there is no box unticked when it comes to the lifestyle and liveability this post-war home offers.

Built in the ’50s, it is a rare inner-city property sitting on a large 809sq m block and offering the “outer-suburbs feel”, while just minutes from the CBD.

This renovated Queenslander at 27 Chaplain Ave, Manunda is on a rare, large inner-city block, walking distance to the CBD. Picture: Red M Photography

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Listed for $539,000 with iicon Portfolio Real Estate’s your Queenslander specialist Ken Higgins, the Hamptons-style property has been freshly renovated to feature modern inclusions while retaining elements of its build era.

“It’s had renovations right through including fresh paint inside and out,” Mr Higgins said.

“The bathroom and kitchen have been updated. They’ve used all quality European appliances and European fittings. And that goes through with all the fans and lighting as well – all good-quality finishes.”

This renovated Queenslander at 27 Chaplain Ave, Manunda has an updated bathroom and kitchen featuring quality European appliances. Picture: Red M Photography

The renovations also include updates to ensure the home meets cyclone safety standards but the most notable update was the inclusion of a new deck at the rear of the property.

“It gives a lovely view over the backyard and is great for alfresco dining and I find people just mainly live on their decks up here 24/7, all through the year,” Mr Higgins said.

“They don’t tend to use their dining rooms much if they don’t have to.”

Mr Higgins said the layout of the double-storey house was cleverly designed.

“It really is built for the tropics with the air flow through the home.

“You can open it right up and get cross breezes right through.

This renovated Queenslander at 27 Chaplain Ave, Manunda opens right up to feel like “one big living room.” Picture: Red M Photography

“There’s French doors at the front of the property which just open the whole house up so that the main living area flows out to the front patio. It just feels like one big living room.

“The owner’s loved the layout – having verandas at the front and the back. Enjoying coffee in the front veranda in the morning watching the sun come up and then doing dinner on the back deck with the sunset.”

Under the house there is a huge storage area, a workshop, an additional room and space for three cars.

“It’s a great place for all those things we cannot part with, and need to be secured out of the weather. The room would be ideal for a home office, teenager or guests.

“The previous owners loved living in that neighbourhood because around them was all owner-occupied. It’s a really good street and everyone looks after each other, old-school style.”

The established garden includes a selection of fruit trees, and tucked in the corner is a garden shed, ideal for storing gardening equipment. The yard is secure, with double opening gates on one side for vehicle access.

“It certainly ticks all the boxes, which is pretty hard to find these days where someone can move into a house and not need to do anything,” Mr Higgins said.

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Zach Reid from First National Real Estate Atherton . PIC: Supplied

Land has been “flying off the shelves” in the Tablelands with real estate agents explaining sales were being driven by government money available to build a new home.

Zach Reid from First National Real Estate Atherton said that, during the past month, land sales had taken up “a reasonable percentage” of business with blocks that have been on the market for years suddenly snapped up.

“Land has traditionally been hard to sell in the Tablelands and, as an example, the blocks at Sunset Ridge have been available for two years with only one of the 11 sold in the first 18 months,” he said.

Land for sale. PIC: Darren Leigh Roberts

“In the past three months nine have sold – it would have been all 10 but a contract fell apart due to finance – and we’re seeing that in the other parts of Atherton. As the land is selling we’re seeing people pushing out further to take advantage of the grants.”

Mr Reid said it was predominantly first-home owners taking advantage of the $45,000 in grants established to stimulate local economies.

Aurelia Rogato from Rogato Real Estate said her Mareeba office “had never seen so much action” with land sales.

“There’s interest from first-home owners because receiving $45,000 from the government is unprecedented,” she said.

“The estates are very popular but even the five-acre blocks are getting a lot of ­interest, out in places like Rodeo Acres where the land starts at $219,000.”

The post Real estate: Land is ‘flying off the shelves’ on the Tablelands appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Buying site unseen is fast becoming the new norm for southern buyers.

Today’s border closure is unlikely to deter tech-savvy southern buyers who are turning to the Gold Coast as a safe haven during the COVID-19 crisis.

Agents across the city are reporting a surge in transactions made sight unseen by buyers interstate, with no signs of slowing down.

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The Gold Coast residential real estate sector continues to perform.

Ray White Surfers Paradise Group chief executive Andrew Bell said the COVID crisis had made the Gold Coast more attractive than ever.

“With the outbreaks in Melbourne and NSW doing all it can to keep things under control, for people down south the Gold Coast looks like a safe haven,” Mr Bell said.

While the border closure would restrict the ease of doing business, Mr Bell said buyers had become more confident making virtual transactions.

“The weekend before last we sold nine properties to people in Sydney, ACT and Melbourne who bought sight unseen,” he said.

“With the greater use of technology, people are not prevented from buying.”

Holiday accomodation provides may feel the pinch of fewer tourists travelling over the border. Photo Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Five of the nine parties bidding on a Broadbbeach apartment on Wednesday were from Sydney and Melbourne.

“Four of them hadn’t viewed the property personally but had done a private FaceTime inspection and were more than happy to proceed on that basis,” said Harcourts Coastal agent Tolemy Stevens.

“If you take that back to the numbers two or three months ago, the trend is doubling, if not tripling, with buyers in the marketplace happy to do business via FaceTime.”

Holiday rentals may feel the pinch

While the residential real estate sector is in a strong position to weather the border blockade, holiday accommodation providers may bear the brunt.

“Hospitality and holiday rentals will feel the majority of the impact,” said Andrew Henderson, Real Estate Industry of Queensland Gold Coast zone chair.

“If the border isn’t open for the next school holidays, it could really hurt a lot of operators.”

Mr Henderson said Queenslanders had “taken up the baton” to support tourism by booking holidays within the Sunshine State.

The weather, beaches and property prices are attractive to southern buyers. Photo: NCA NewsWire / Steve Holland

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113 Commodore Drive, Paradise Waters.

The sale of a historic Surfers Paradise mansion is among a string of high end transactions on main river during the height of the COVID-19 period.

An unnamed local buyer paid $5.5 million for the riverfront residence at 113 Commodore Drive in an off-market sale handled by Michael Kollosche and Jay Helprin in June.

113 Commodore Drive, Paradise Waters.

The historic house was built in the late 1980s for Keith Williams, the legendary entrepreneur who built Sea World and developed resorts at Hamilton Island.

The home was later owned by Dreamworld founder John Longhurst and was most recently sold by Flora and Sep Abedian following a seven-year tenure.

113 Commodore Drive, Paradise Waters.

Features inside the iconic estate include a three-level staircase inspired by the Vatican, arched windows, wrought iron chandeliers and Roman bath-style pool.

The 1489 sqm property also enjoys one
of the largest water frontages in Paradise Waters, looking across to the grounds of
The Southport School and north to the Southport skyline.

15 Southern Cross Dr, Cronin Island sold for $12.45m in June.

Mr Helprin said the sale reflected confidence at the top end of town with buyers turning to the security of bricks and mortar.

“We’re seeing significant strength in the prestige market,” Mr Helprin said.

Kollosche agents report a string of main river sales in recent months, led by the $12.45m deal on 15 Southern Cross Drive, Surfers Paradise in June.

327 Monaco St, Broadbeach Waters sold for $5.7m in July.

A grand Broadbeach Waters mansion at 327 Monaco Street sold for $5.7m on July 11.

A contract for $2.855m was signed on 25 Ipsley Drive, Broadbeach Waters in June while a vacant 1013 sqm lot at 85 Commodore Drive fetched $3.1m in May.

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