The allure of green and gold is tempting Australians living abroad to return home amid the COVID-19 crisis, with real estate agents reporting a surge in expat inquiry.
Aussies based in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States are leading inquiry on beachside and hinterland real estate.
79 George St, Burleigh Heads.
Harcourts Coastal agent Katrina Walsh said she has been fielding numerous calls from expats looking for “anything ocean or green” on the Gold Coast.
“I’m hearing from expats in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and London, as well as people who’ve just come back from overseas,” she said,
“Cashed up expats are wanting to put their money into Gold Coast property, but they want to be waterfront, beachfront or on nice big acreages.”
The Burleigh Heads house was designed by the architect owner Maurice Verna.
Overseas interest has been high on a four-level house with ocean views at 79 George Street, Burleigh Heads.
The sellers are Patricia Verna and architect husband Maurice, who designed some of the city’s iconic buildings including Element and Ivory in Burleigh Heads.
“The house is stunning and built to stand the test of time,” said Ms Walsh, “but because it’s situated on the headland, next to all the walking tracks and with an ocean view, my phone has not stopped ringing.”
“Anything ocean or green is going berserk.”
Expats like the green and gold on offer at 79 George St, Burleigh Heads.
Search data from realesate.com.au from the past 90 days reveals house hunters in New Zealand accounted for 27 per cent of views on residential real estate in Queensland, followed by the United Kingdom (20 per cent) and the United States (12 per cent). Some four per cent of searches came out of Hong Kong and Canada. Of those searches, the Gold Coast was the top region of choice in Queensland, followed by Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns and then Townsville.
An inner city acreage at 6 Jake Court, Bonogin was among the top 10 most-viewed properties in Queensland this week.
Of the top 10 most viewed properties in the Sunshine State this week, two were acreages in the Gold Coast Hinterland, namely Mudgeeraba and Bonogin, while another two were on or near the beach in Mermaid Beach and Burleigh Heads.
Agents on the northern end are also reporting an increase in expat interest.
A London buyer paid $2.125 million after inspection this Hope Island house via video.
A London buyer has paid $2.125 million for a five-bedroom residence on Riverdale Drive, Hope Island.
@realty agent David Druce said technology meant geography was no longer a roadblock for remote buyers.
“More buyers are becoming receptive to the idea of inspecting a property remotely, which means vendors can expect a much wider pool of purchasers – from interstate and overseas – moving forward,” he said.
“The Hope Island home sold to a London buyer within a week after two very thorough video inspections which gave them the comfort that the property was what they were looking for.”
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