Cairns real estate: The Palms, Pinecrest buyers rush for subdivision lots in Kewarra Beach and Mount Peter

Astonishing numbers of buyers have put down deposits for the city’s newest northern subdivision in the space of just 24 hours – and there is more to come.

A PROPERTY sales surge has beaten all expectations with buyers racing to put down deposits for the city’s newest northern subdivision.

The Palms estate is still just a lines on a map where the Paradise Palms golf course used to sit in Kewarra Beach – but the appetite for a slice of the action has been voracious.

Developer Darren Halpin said he had been forced to release three stages of the Enclave Two neighbourhood on Friday instead of just Stage 1.

“We had to release Stages 1 through to 3,” he said.

“We took deposits on 31 blocks in the space of 24 hours.

“It’s unheard of.”

Property Shop sales and marketing director Ben Johnston said he had been fielding calls non-stop.

“We’ve got three people trying to get one block on some of them,” he said.

“This is commonplace in some of the southern cities, and I hear that Cairns was like this in the ’80s.

“But I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Plans have been lodged for a new Catholic primary school as part of the residential and tourist park redevelopment of the former Paradise Palms golf course at Kewarra Beach. PICTURE: SUPPLIED

Mr Johnston is also overseeing sales for the burgeoning Pinecrest estate in Mount Peter on the city’s south.

He said the biggest thing holding back sales was a backlog of Cairns Regional Council development assessments.

“We’ve got 48 lots that have been sitting there, sold out,” he said.

“We have a big waiting list for Stage 2 there as well.

“I suspect the same thing is going to happen for Rocky Creek Stage 2 (as The Palms) when we release it.

“I’m hoping that by April we will be launching the next 40-odd lots at Rocky Creek.”

It was a similar story at Smithfield Village where the developer was looking to fast-track another small stage at the end of the month.

“That will gone as well,” Mr Johnston said.

“All things going well with what I’ve got on the go now, I should sell 200 lots between now and the end of the financial year.”

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Originally published as Cairns real estate: The Palms, Pinecrest buyers rush for subdivision lots in Kewarra Beach and Mount Peter