‘Felt impossible’: inside the stiff competition for new homes on new land

One couple’s social skills helped them secure a home to build before other buyers, in a market with a concerningly short supply.

While Ann and Josh Sizemore were able to afford a newly-built home, they had to play the game of social politics to beat the stiff competition.

Ms Sizemore said the two had always wanted to build, but had only recently found the funds thanks to her growing career as a scientist.

“It felt impossible to start,” she said. “There are so many people waiting for a block of land for years and years. Even we have been waiting for this for a couple of years … we were lucky enough to be allocated.”

Ann and Josh Sizemore with their two year-old son and five year-old poodle. The two spent years looking for an affordable home build, in a market where supply was not meeting demand. Picture: Annette Dew

ABS data has found Queensland isn’t meeting the necessary demand for new home builds each year. the National Housing Accord is seeking 1.2 million new homes around Australia by the middle of 2029.

To do this, Queensland would need to make 49,200 homes each year; but the last financial year saw only 38,102, and the year before that saw 32,976.

The Sizemores sought out a home in the Highland Walloon project: a land development near Ipswich by Lennium Group, with more than 130 blocks of land sold so far.

The Highland Walloon land development from Lennium Group, where the Sizemores found a home. Queensland needs to deliver 49,200 newly-built homes every year to meet the state’s demand, and was more than 10,000 homes short this financial year.

But while they tried their best to get a home they liked in an early stage of sales, the two found their efforts weren’t enough.

“Even though I put down the expression of interest, the land was already gone,” Ms Sizemore said.

“There are so many people waiting and waiting, and saving and saving, and you wait and you save [but] by the time the land’s there, the price has gone crazy up.”

The couple tried several different strategies to get a backup home, such as signing up for a Lennium Group project in Northside.

“There are so many people waiting and waiting, and saving and saving … by the time the land’s there, the price has gone crazy up.” Picture: Annette Dew

But the couple managed to sneak into the area they really wanted by keeping a friendly relationship with the developers, and jumped at the chance for a lot when someone pulled out of their reservation.

“It’s really good,” she said, adding she was “so excited” to finally ditch the rental market.

“It’s going to be a new community. Everything’s going to be developed, and everything’s right next to you. I think it’ll be a really good opportunity for anyone who’s interested.”

The couple will now be moving into their new, four-bedroom home at the end of 2026, which they managed to get for around $720,000.

“We’re okay living further from the city, just to have that nicer, more peaceful lifestyle,” she said.

Originally published as ‘Felt impossible’: inside the stiff competition for new homes on new land