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

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 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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

View this post on Instagram

Good week with 3 #Sales this week💪 ⠀ Now time for some juice and cheezels 🤣🤣🤣 ⠀ ⠀ Yew ⠀ ⠀ #Babyphoto #realestate #realestateagent #Sydney #Australia #goodstuff

A post shared by Jason Boon (@jason_boon) on Aug 11, 2020 at 6:09pm PDT

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.”

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JUST SOLD with @jason_boon within a week!💫 $5,400,000 Santina 19/85 Yarranabbe Road, Darling Point Congratulations David Waterhouse #milliondollarlisting

A post shared by Daphne Sauvage (@daphnesauvage) on Aug 12, 2020 at 1:07am PDT

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.

No. 16a Pera Place in Red Hill is up for sale.

Leafy, family-focused enclaves, new developments and “old Canberra” suburbs have been dominating buyer wishlists, as new search data reveals the most popular streets in the city.

Canberra’s most in-demand streets – ranked by the number of views per listing within a suburb over the past three years – reflect a trend for affordable family areas as well as established locations, well-serviced by green space and amenities.

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Streets with less than fives homes for sale over that period were excluded from the analysis, meaning some of Canberra’s most tightly held addresses don’t feature.

Homes in Hayball Place, Evatt are a big hit with buyers.

10 most in-demand streets in Canberra

1.McHenry Street, Amaroo

2.Pera Place, Red Hill

3.Hayball Place, Evatt

4.Willessee Rise, Coombs

5.Dot Butler Street, Wright

6.Dwyer Street, Cook

7.Tiwi Place, Waramanga

8.Heseltine Street, Denman Prospect

9.Shortland Crescent, Ainslie

10.Morant Circuit, Kambah

Many of the locations have little to no stock currently on the market. Streets were spread across Canberra’s districts, including Belconnen (2), Gunghalin (1), Molonglo Valley (3), North Canberra (1), South Canberra (1), Tuggeranong (1) and Weston Creek (1).

The number one enclave – McHenry St, Amaroo in the Gunghalin district – is popular for its feeling of safety and community spirit, with ample access to green space.

“People loved that it’s a family-friendly street and so level, which is great for kids to play on,” said Jessica Smith from McGrath – North Canberra, who sold 8 McHenry St at auction in March.

McHenry Street in Amaroo.

“When we did the open homes we ran into so many neighbours ¬– one time there were about 10 out the front chatting, kids riding their bikes. That’s something you just don’t see much these days.”

Pera Place in exclusive Red Hill is a small and leafy sloping street, featuring a mix of older Canberra homes and stylish new builds.

There is currently only one home available to buy at the address – an architect-designed contemporary house at 16a Pera Place.

Rounding out the top three was the small Hayball Place in Evatt, which is in easy distance to good schools, Gininderra Creek, a shopping centre and walk trails.

The best streets on realestate.com.au were ranked by the number of views per listing within the suburb over the past three years. Streets with less than five listings in that period were excluded. Of course, some highly sought-after streets are so tightly held that properties rarely go up for sale and, therefore, those streets would not appear in this data.

The post Canberra’s 10 most sought-after streets for home buyers appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Kyal and Kara from The Block season eight talk about their latest stunning renovation project, a coastal-meets-Mediterranean new build, just moments from the beach.

After taking second place on season eight of The Block back in 2014 and pocketing a cool $567,250 profit from the reno, it’s only been onwards and upwards for Kyal and Kara Demmrich.

With The Block 2020 just around the corner we’re gearing up for all the inspiration we can handle and this home hits all the right notes.

This Blue Lagoon home ticks all the boxes. Picture: Supplied / Gyprock

The couple’s latest project – a beautiful lagoon-style coastal meets classic Aussie beach house – is simply stunning. Complete with open-plan living, a sumptuous indoor-outdoor area and an amazing kitchen it’s located just metres from Blue Lagoon beach on the Central Coast.

“The day our Block prize money settled in our account was the day of the auction for this property – we took this as a good sign. We sold our first home about six months after purchasing the shack.”

Here are the five things we loved most about it:

1. A backyard, in the centre

Think a yard needs to either be at the front or back of the home? Think again.

This modern couple opted for a central yard, which means more rooms within the home get to enjoy the greenery aspect and it helps to bring the outside in.

“We wanted a centralised yard, as opposed to a rear yard, with the kitchen/living/dining and the rumpus room all opening out to this space. The floor plan didn’t change at all during the design and build process, however, there were definitely changes along the way,” says Kyal.

2. The modern spiral staircase

When you’re tight on space sometimes you need to get creative with your ideas. And for this pair, the biggest changes was the internal staircase.

“Our original plans had a straight staircase with a landing,” said Kara. “Once we began building the frame and stood in the space, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to build a helical staircase to tie in with other curves throughout the build – a huge decision, but one of the best we’ve made as the helical stairs are one of the biggest features of the whole build.”

The modern spiral staircase by Gyprock is inspired. Picture: Gyprock

The Helical Stairs, made smooth with Gyprock plaster compounds, can be seen from the kitchen into the hallway and rumpus beyond, and provide a link to the other curves in the home, as well as being a feature you can see from so many different living spaces.

For more garden inspo, check out: The Block front garden reveals

3. Blue Lagoon meets the Mediterranean

“The overall brief we gave ourselves was ‘Australian coastal’ meets ‘Mediterranean villa”, said Kara. “We love the traditional beach homes with crisp white weatherboards, but we also love the textural elements of a Mediterranean home.”

“The curves help to bring a bit of this Mediterranean vibe to our beach house. For the exterior, we’ve mixed curved rendered blockwork with James Hardie Linea weatherboards.

Deciding to start the project afresh meant the couple could enjoy maximum light quality and an indoor outdoor flow. Picture: Gyprock

4. Curves in all the right places

Inside, they used Gyprock Flexible to create curved feature walls which create an architectural statement and help to soften the look of other hard surfaces and finishes.

The curved concrete blockwork at the front of the garage was Kyal’s biggest challenge.

“There was a lot of engineering involved in the tight curves, as well as the large garage door opening,” he explained.

5. A forever (for now) home

“It’s the ‘forever home for now’ house”, said the renovation-loving pair.

“I think when you run a building business, there’s always going to be another project. However, we’re so keen to settle here for the foreseeable future.,” explained Kara.

This modern Australian home perfectly captures the beach lifestyle vibe. Picture: Gyprock

“Having said that, we’re already looking for our next renovation project – we just won’t live in the next one. We’d love to go back to our roots on our next renovation and find a home with ‘good bones’ that’s ripe for a cosmetic renovation.

For more reno ideas from the Block, read The Block’s Neale Whitaker gives his 2021 interior trend tips

3 reasons to start a new home build rather than renovate an old home

The pair had weighed up whether to renovate the existing property or remove it and start afresh, ultimately deciding to start again.

Here are their top 3 reasons for opting not to renovate:

1. Poisonous materials such as asbestos or poor-quality workmanship, which mean work is costly and complicated.
2. Bad orientation on the block of land, leading to poor light quality and lack of energy efficiency.
3. Questionable foundations/stumps

“The original shack was primarily asbestos, with lots of ‘add ons’ over the years,” Kyal explained.

“The foundations weren’t great and there was a fair amount of mould, as the orientation of the original home didn’t take advantage of the natural light and Northern aspect.

“A lot of the charm of the original home came from the surrounding trees and the large frangipani at the front of the block, so of course, we made this a feature in the new build,” he said.

The post The Block’s Kyal and Kara’s Blue Lagoon build: 5 things we love appeared first on realestate.com.au.

The Block 2020 is finally hitting our screens on August 23 – and it’s shaping up to be an absolutely incredible year.

This time around, five houses from different periods, including from turn-of-last-century to the 1950s, have been craned into position on a vacant lot in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Brighton, ready for five teams to completely renovate them over a 12-week period.

The Block 2020 contestants are ready to renovate. Picture: Channel Nine.

Production briefly shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions, but it started back up again in May, and in a stroke of luck, the cameras were able to remain rolling until Lockdown 2.0 was announced in June. 

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s contestants:

1. Jimmy and Tam, QLD

Jimmy, 33, is a plumbing supervisor and one-time CrossFit trainer. Tam, 31, is a bar manager at her local bowlo – she’s been going there with her parents since she was two-years-old (her mum is a local bowls legend!).

Tam channels a retro style and is a self-confessed “op-shopping queen”, so expect to see nods to the past in the couple’s up-coming reno – as well as some fabulous retro hair quiffs.

Jimmy and Tam. Picture: Channel Nine

Where they live: 

The pair normally reside in Brisbane

About the couple:

Jimmy was Tam’s CrossFit trainer. They met seven years ago. “He was complimenting me on my squats a little too much, I think,” Tam laughs. The couple were married at the bowling club where Tam works and they now have a four-year-old daughter, Frankie, who they’re devastated to be leaving behind for the three months of filming.

How they’re placed: 

Tam’s great taste and ability to shop on a budget will be a huge advantage, while Jimmy’s on-the-job training as a plumber means he has intimate knowledge of how a worksite operates. “I think that will be an advantage for me, knowing the process of construction,” he says. 

2. Sarah and George, NSW

Sarah, 27, is a high school teacher and George, 33, is an electrician with “13 years in the game.”

Sarah and George from NSW. Picture: Channel Nine

Where they live: 

The outer suburbs of south west Sydney.

About the couple: 

George and Sarah have been together for eight years and married for three. They don’t have any kids yet, but are keen to start a family – they were planning to start trying this year, but then The Block happened. 

How they’re placed: 

George’s considerable experience as an electrician means the couple stand to save stacks of money in the coming weeks. Their easy-going attitudes and ability to laugh at themselves are also qualities that should serve them well during their time on The Block. They’ve previously renovated two properties together.

3. Luke and Jasmine, WA

Luke, 35, is a chippy who has owned his own business for nine years. He’s also a sometime-model and is signed to Chadwicks Models. Jasmine, 36, is a kindergarten teacher.

Luke and Jasmin from WA. Picture: Channel Nine

Where they live: 

This pair normally reside in Perth.

About the couple: 

Together seventeen years, and with two kids, Lola, 4, and Sonny, 1, this ambitious couple first met at a student night in their local “dingy pub” in Perth! “I spotted him across the room and I actually went across and approached him,” said Jasmine.

How they’re placed: 

Luke’s experience as a carpenter will come in handy, but as a team, they’re both incredibly driven. And with two small kids, they’re used to surviving on very little sleep. 

4. Daniel and Jade, SA

Daniel, 35 and Jade, 34, are from rural South Australia. Daniel is a full time sheep and cattle farmer and Jade is a part time hairdresser. The couple has three children, Lincoln, 9, Hayden, 7 and Isla, 6.

This is their fourth time lucky applying for The Block.

Daniel and Jade, SA. Picture: Channel Nine

Where they live: 

The pair normally reside in Wandearah, near Port Pirie – 250km north of Adelaide.

About the couple:

Jade has been a hairdresser for 17 years. She’s been married to her farmer husband Daniel for a decade. The couple has weathered their fair share of tough times – their daughter has a rare chromosome disorder that affects her speech and physical ability, which she has lived with since she was a baby. But this resilient couple just keeps on keeping on.

They have been hit particularly hard by drought in recent years, rendering the couple almost a million dollars in debt. “The drought started several years ago, and we’ve been doing it pretty tough since then,” says Daniel. 

“It’s extremely stressful when you know you’ve got to keep the money coming in to keep going for the next year,” says Jade. 

How they’re placed: 

Daniel worked as a chippy for 16 years, so he has practical experience. But what will really see them through is their sheer tenacity – and this couple has it in spades. Daniel is incredibly handy, while Jade has a great eye for style.

5. Harry and Tash, VIC

“Let’s get one thing straight – Harry is my Dad!” says Tash, putting to bed to any suggestions they’re actually a couple (Tash has a partner, Brad).

This father/daughter duo are from Melbourne – Harry, 57, is Australian/Greek-Cypriot and works as an IT and telecommunications specialist. Tash, 32, is a production manager. 

Harry and Tash are The Block’s first father/daughter team. Picture: Channel Nine

Where they live: 

Harry lives in the suburb next to Brighton, giving them a huge home-town advantage. Tash only moved out of their family home last year. 

About the pair:

Harry, who is married to wife Andrea, has always been incredibly close to Tash, the eldest of his brood. “We get on incredibly well – she’s my first-born,” he says. 

They’ve been wanting to apply for The Block for years, but never quite got around to it. They say mum Andrea will be regularly popping in with dinner for them. 

How they’re placed: 

This incredibly close father/daughter combo is here to win. While they may occasionally disagree, their ability to work well as a team will put them in great stead for the competition. The Block’s first-ever father/daughter combo, they’re going to be great fun to watch.

THE BLOCK – SUNDAY 23RD AUGUST AT 7PM ON NINE AND 9NOW

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