Perfect for holiday goers and beach lovers alike, Queensland’s Sunshine Coast felt the full force of the housing boom throughout 2021. From Noosa breaking the Queensland unit-price record - $16.1 million - to Minyama’s median house price exploding by 54.4% to $1.66 million; it’s clear that the Sunshine Coast is delivering more than just sunshine.
A recent Domain house price report revealed that some of the top performing suburbs over the past 12 months have been located on the Sunshine Coast. Minyama came in at number six for house price growth, and Sunshine Beach was the eighth best performer (up by 47.6% to an 'astonishing' $2.665 million).
Domain’s chief of research and economics, Dr Nicola Powell, said there's still more room for growth as the Sunshine Coast’s market continues to power along.
"I would say the Sunshine Coast was one of the best performing cities in Australia over the September quarter … and it’s up there for annual growth," Dr Powell said.
So, will this continue into 2022? Let’s discuss some of the suburbs tipped by property experts to continue performing next year.
Suburbs to watch in 2022:
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Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo, Chief Economist at PRD, said the Sunshine Coast is the local government area (LGA) with the least amount of residential projects and property stock supply planned for the second half of 2021 and 2022.
“Therefore, its potential for further growth is quite high,” Dr Mardiasmo told Savings.com.au.
“Vacancy rates in most areas around the Sunshine Coast are at a historical low, so there’s a very tight rental market - thus, there is a need for more housing supply and investors to enter the market.”
Rosemount
Director of The McGill Group, Mark McGill, said Rosemount’s close proximity to Maroochydore and its large house and land capabilities mean it’s a great place to buy - which is why it’s now being discovered.
“Many locations can gain ocean views, similar to Buderim, but (Rosemount) is still relatively untapped,” Mr McGill told Savings.com.au.
“Rosemount offers nice acreage blocks and larger block sizes with big houses and room for the caravan and the boat, but is only 10 to 15 minutes away from the Maroochydore CBD and all the convenience that comes with it.
“It’s still a bit of a hidden gem the locals only just discovered.”
The current median house price to buy is $870,000 according to realestate.com.au’s data.
Alexandra Headland
Mr McGill also tipped Alexandra Headland as a popular location for buyers looking to live there for the long haul as it has ‘strong future prospects’.
“(Alexandra Headland is) always a blue-chip performer and is strong in any market due to the limited number of houses and not much room for further development,” Mr McGill said.
“Average years of ownership is approaching 20 years, meaning once you live here, you stay.”
The current median house price is approaching $1.5 million according to realestate.com.au. For units, the median price is currently $582,500 according to realestate.com.au.
Pacific Paradise
“Pacific Paradise is another one I would put on the radar,” Mr McGill said.
Mr McGill said that the re-direction of the airport runway and improved amenities in the area have made Pacific Paradise a great place to look at buying on the Sunshine Coast, especially with a more modest budget.
“It is still relatively affordable for a beach-side area and there are a lot of older houses undergoing makeovers - watch this space!” Mr McGill said.
The current median house price is $675,500 and the current median unit price is $490,000 according to realestate.com.au.
Meridan Plains
Dr Mardiasmo said Meridian Plains sits right on the north-west edge of the Caloundra urban area, recording a median house price of $570,000 in the September quarter of 2021.
On the other hand, the median unit price is currently $461,250 according to realestate.com.au.
This price point sits below the Sunshine Coast region’s median house price of $807,000.
“Meridan Plains offers a great coastal lifestyle with close proximity to public transport, shopping centres (Kawana Shopping world), schools (Meridan State College), medical centres (Sunshine Coast University Hospital), and parks,” Dr Mardiasmo told Savings.com.au.
“First home buyers looking to enter the market are encouraged to take this opportunity while it’s still affordable.”
Yandina
A rural town located in the north-western region of the Sunny Coast, Yandina recorded a median house price of $710,000 in the September quarter. Again, this is below the current median house price of the LGA.
“Yandina ticks the right boxes in terms of project development expenditure of $9 million, which will create employment opportunities that will benefit the local economy,” she said.
The current unit median house price in Yandina is $322,500 according to realestate.com.au.
Caloundra
Caloundra offers a ‘great coastal lifestyle’, with close proximity to the beach, public transport, shopping centres, schools, Caloundra Hospital, and an assortment of parks.
“Caloundra is a coastal town that offers an attractive median house price of $760,000 in the third quarter of 2021,” Dr Mardiasmo said.
The current median unit price is $578,750 according to realestate.com.au.
Maroochydore
Another coastal town, Maroochydore’s median house price was $830,000 in the September quarter of 2021 according to PRD’s data. For units, the median house price is currently $553,500 according to realestate.com.au.
“(There is) a total of $70.6 million worth of projects being spent in the area,” Dr Mardiasmo told Savings.com.au.
“This initiative will help create further business, improve productivity in the area while creating employment opportunities that will benefit the local economy.”
Moffat Beach
One of Caloundra’s most popular beaches, Moffat Beach recorded a median house price of $1.142 million in the September quarter of 2021.
“Moffat Beach is a friendly family suburb that offers great coastal lifestyle,” Dr Mardiasmo said.
“The suburb is located within close proximity to public transport, shopping centres, schools (Caloundra State School), and medical centres (Caloundra Hospital).”
Currently, the median unit price is $727,500 according to realestate.com.au.
Currimundi
Arjun Paliwal, founder and Head of Research at InvestorKit, said Currimundi is famous for its lake and surf beach, but is attractive to ‘more and more lifestyle chasers’.
“The local market has seen substantial growth in the last year,” Mr Paliwal told Savings.com.au.
“Now with sales volumes growing and sale days on market dropping, the Currimundi market is expected for further strong growth.”
The current median house price is $764,000, with units coming in at $482,500 according to realestate.com.au.
Buderim
“Blessed with fresh mountain air and ocean view, the picturesque town is highly sought after by both sea-change and tree-change relocators,” Mr Paliwal said.
“The house market pressure is high as house prices having grown almost 20% in a year and rents surged by 15.5%. Reducing time to sell is also indicating further growth into the next year.”
The median house price in Buderim is currently $910,000, and the median unit price is $485,000, according to realestate.com.au.
Mountain Creek
Sprinkled with large house blocks and beautiful waterfront walk and bike paths through rainforests, Mountain Creek is also just a ‘short stroll away from beaches’.
“The local house prices have surged by over 25% over the past 12 months,” Mr Paliwal told Savings.com.au.
“Now as the number of for-sale listings keeps dropping, market pressure is still high, which would lead to further growth into 2022.”
The current median price is $810,000 for houses and $495,000 for units according to realestate.com.au.
Little Mountain
With a $735,000 median house price (according to realestate.com.au), Little Mountain is a peaceful and friendly area close to beaches, the highway, and ‘all the amenities’.
“(Little Mountain) is loved by the locals and popular among home buyers,” Mr Paliwal said.
“Its house market is tightening as monthly sale volumes keep growing and houses are selling twice as fast as a year ago.”
The median unit price is currently $470,000 according to realestate.com.au’s data.
Sippy Downs
Mr Paliwal said Sippy Downs is best known for its system of picturesque lakes and waterfront parks and paths, as well as being home to Australia’s newest university.
“The house prices are growing strongly with declining sale days on market,” he told Savings.com.au.
“The high market pressure along with the relative affordability would underpin its further growth into 2022.”
Currently, the median house price is bang on $700,000 and units are selling for $350,000 according to realestate.com.au.
Image by Teagan Methorst on Unsplash
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