Gold Coast Roslyn units help Bernard and Corrine Trafford reap $5m: Quentin Tod

The old catchcry of astute developers, “position, position, position”, has paid off handsomely for a British couple who once called the Gold Coast home.

THE old catchcry of astute developers, “position, position, position”, has paid off handsomely for a British couple who once called the Gold Coast home.

Bernard and Corrine Trafford took the right “position” when they started buying into two-level Burleigh Heads unit block Roslyn in 2000.

The building sits directly across the road from the beach in Goodwin Tce, not far from the controversial Old Burleigh Theatre Arcade. In the 10 years after their first Roslyn buy the Traffords acquired another two units, taking their total investment to $1.3 million.

Now the Brits have cashed in their chips — for $5 million. They paid $248,000 for their cheapest unit and sold it for $2.205 million.

MAJOR SURFERS PROJECT HITS A BRICK WALL

Another owner who paid $247,000 for a unit at the rear of the building 19 years ago has pocketed $1.9 million.

They were among four owners in the seven-title Roslyn and all have sold out, for a total of $12.9 million, to Brisbane’s Synergy Property Partners, with the transactions settling in mid-August.

The Traffords, in their mid-60s and these days living near Burnett Heads on the coast east of Bundaberg, haven’t restricted their Gold Coast property spending to Burleigh or to residential property.

PREMIER’S MAIN BEACH APARTMENT BUY

AMAZING OFFER: GET A SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB A 8.0 WITH THIS BULLETIN SUBSCRIPTION (T&Cs apply)

The former operators of manufacturer Colonial Charm Furniture flicked a three-tenancy commercial holding in Burleigh’s James St for $3 million in 2006, showing a $1.2 million gain in three years.

They also, during their Gold Coast stint, sold houses at Currumbin Waters and Tallai for solid returns.

The Roslyn units have been demolished and developer Synergy is building luxury boutique apartment building Norfolk on the 1012sq m site.

The group also is buying the 506sq m Fish House site on Norfolk’s western boundary — a deal that might involve buying out the restaurant operator’s business and his lease.

NOONE’S BUILDING ON CHEVRON ISLAND

Bernard Trafford in 2004, of Colonial Charm, off to a home show. PicRichard/Webb — furniture

Many of the people who owned units in Roslyn over the years will, unlike the Traffords, be ruing that they didn’t hang around a bit longer.

Those who have what might be termed ‘missed out’ include the Perrin brothers, of Billabong fame, and crane company owners the Lindores family.

The Lindores have some consolation — they have remained as part-owners of the Fish House site, as has a family trust linked to Matthew Perrin and former wife Nicole Bricknell.

Meanwhile, a few other Burleigh property owners could be on the verge of reaping the rewards of a developer lust for land for towers overlooking the ocean.

A building sitting on a 1012sq m in Marine Pde, overlooking Rainbow Bay and Snapper Rocks, is on the market.

It remains to be seen whether it will attract a buyer willing to pay anything like the $12,747 a square metre that Synergy paid for the Norfolk site, let alone the near $16,000 a square metre that the Spyre group is contemplating paying for the boutique Aspect building on The Esplanade.