Aussies dream of beachside retreat

LIVING by the beach – at least part of the time – is one of the dreams of most Australians, according to a real estate survey.

LIVING by the beach – at least part of the time – is one of the dreams of most Australians, according to a real estate survey which has found plenty of agreement among estate agents on the Tweed.

According to the poll of 2000 home owners by real estate group PRD Nationwide, nearly 60% of people would make sure that if they had a second home, it was at the beach.

The poll found that 22% of Australians would prefer a CBD apartment, while 16% would like a ski property as their second home.

Kingscliff LJ Hooker principal Paul McMahon, who has been passing on the findings of the poll to his clients through a monthly newsletter, agrees with its findings, pointing to the success of the Salt and Casuarina Beach developments on the Tweed Coast.

“In the old days there used to be a shortage of beachfront, now there's quite a bit, and everyone wants to be a few blocks from the beach,” Mr McMahon said.

He added, however, that the current buyers' market, particularly in beachfront properties, was unlikely to get any better.

“Buyers should be searching out the market, because if it gets any better than this, I will be amazed,” he said.

PRDnationwide research director Aaron Maskrey said the people surveyed would also prefer any second property to be in their own state, with only 4% interested in an interstate property.

“If someone can afford a holiday home, they don't want to have to travel too long to get there,” he said.

“While in the current economic environment a second property is not possible for some people, a property at the beach is still on the wish list.”

Mr Maskrey said only 1% of those surveyed would choose a rural property as their getaway.

Originally published as Aussies dream of beachside retreat