REVEALED: The Fraser Coast's booming suburbs

Value for money is bringing home buyers to the region to snap up a bargain

SOLD: Real Estate Agent Jacqueline Farag has seen a spike in homes selling on the Fraser Coast, with Urangan, Point Vernon and Maryborough tipped as hotspots. Picture: Valerie Horton

VALUE for money is what home buyers are after - and Maryborough is delivering, according to the latest REIQ statistics.

The Heritage City is one of the best performing areas for house sales across the region, with Hervey Bay's Point Vernon and Urangan following closely behind, according to REIQ.

Fraser Coast boasts the most affordable coastal houses in Queensland, with a median sale price of $303,000.

REIQ zone chair for the Fraser Coast, Damian Raxach, said the value of houses in the iconic beach side town was "ridiculously good”.

"We are one of the cheapest areas around and that in itself creates a perception of value and the lifestyle we provide, I think it is ridiculously good value,” he said.

"There is just a general feeling of buoyancy in the market. There is a lot of people, particularly buyers and also local buyers who are seeing the value.”

The Fraser Coast has seen 368 properties sold in the 2016 December quarter, compared to 328 in the previous quarter.

REIQ quarterly figures found Maryborough's average sale price from July to September 2016 was about $184,000. The median rate soared 9.7% in the next December quarter to $211,000.

"That's a fair jump in sales over a quarter. It's quite an increase,” he said.

Point Vernon sale prices increased 4.9% from $304,320 to $320,000, while Urangan house prices this quarter have gone up by 4.5%.

"Lifestyle blocks of over half an acre have seen a boost in popularity with a quarterly change of 7.4% from $370,000 to $429,500,” Mr Raxach said.

Last year it took an average of 88 days for a Fraser Coast property to sell, but local agents feel the gap closing.

"One thing is that properties in the upper market, over $500,000, are selling. There is definitely activity in that market place,” Mr Raxach said.

"There are a lot of properties that have sat on the market and are slowly starting to sell and that's generally all over the Fraser Coast.”

Elders real estate agent and Urangan Agent of the Year, Jacqueline Farag, said Urangan was the fastest growing suburb in Hervey Bay.

"Overall, Point Vernon has been popular just in the last quarter, but Urangan is steady as the most popular area, as it has a vast majority of different properties, houses, and units. There is quite a versatile choice for different buyers,” Ms Farag said.

"My days on market have been really amazing, most of the properties we sell go pretty quick.

"A lot of people and investors are drawn to the area because of the schools and development going on there.”

Ms Farag recently sold a house in a Urangan hotspot to Sydney locals.

Lia Alexopoulos and her husband Nick recently purchased an investment property.

"It just looked very appealing for investment purposes and to live as well later. There is shopping, the beach and the growth that is expected,” Ms Alexopoulos said.

She was surprised at the affordability.

"We are very happy and excited about our investment, we are coming up in July and looking forward to that.”

Originally published as REVEALED: The Fraser Coast's booming suburbs