‘We bought sight unseen’: Family’s Brisbane leap of faith pays off
A family of five took a leap of faith, buying a Kedron house ‘sight unseen’ from halfway across the world - and have been floored by how things have gone since.
A family of five took a leap of faith, buying a Kedron house ‘sight unseen’ from halfway across the world - and have been floored by how things have gone since.
Sally-Anne and Troy McMillan were living in Peru with their three daughters when they decided to put money on a Kedron home ahead of returning to Brisbane after their expatriate years.
The suburb is one of more than 500 across the vast Greater Brisbane region which has seen double digit growth rates in the past year, with its median up 16.2 per cent to $1.296m, well above Brisbane’s 14.14 per cent to $840,000.
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It’s no surprise to McMillan family that Brisbane has become the second most expensive capital city in Australia.
“Brisbane has so much to offer,” Mrs McMillan said. “Brisbane’s climate is divine 90 per cent of the year, it is only an hour north or south to world class beaches, the airport is so close to the city, it is fantastic for families and the restaurant scene now rivals other major cities. It is not a surprise so many people are relocating to Brisbane especially post Covid.”
When they bought their Kedron home a decade ago, they’d put their full trust in Mrs McMillan’s mother who “inspected it on our behalf and loved it”, and “luckily it was true to the photos”.
“At the time our three girls were aged 5, 3 and nearly 1,” she said. “We lived in it for four years before we did our first renovation” hiring architect John Stubbs from 77 Architecture and high quality builders Rebabuilt to help.
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With their children growing, they’ve decided to sell – moving to another part of Brisbane closer to high school – but say there’s still great value across the city despite major demand.
“Naturally this increase in demand increases housing prices however we think you still get a lot more for your money real estate wise in Brisbane.”
Kedron, they said, has been perfect for their family as the girls moved through primary school.
“The only reason we are moving from Kedron is that our youngest will be joining her older sisters at high school next year so we want to be closer to the high school for convenience and logistics.”
The property at 6 Twelfth Avenue has been listed for sale with Patrick McKinnon and Tanya Mitchell of Place Ascot, asking for offers over $2.6m. They described it as “a stunning Hampton-style Queenslander” that’s been meticulously crafted for lifestyle. The home is on a generous 810sq m block, with five bedrooms, three bathrooms and secure parking for three cars.
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“We have thoroughly loved living in Kedron and will miss its amazing community environment greatly,” Mrs McMillan said. “We walk our dog every morning around the Kedron Brook which has kilometres of tracks either towards Toombul/Nudgee and then Gordon Park in the opposite direction. Heaps of playgrounds, sporting fields, tennis courts, pump tracks, parklands with wildlife, are all within a short walk from our home.”
“We hope a new family will love living in our home and in Kedron as much as we have for the past 10-plus years.”
Originally published as ‘We bought sight unseen’: Family’s Brisbane leap of faith pays off