Sunshine Coast property market proves a testing experience for buyers amid massive period of change

The real estate boom has been a gold mine for many, a disaster for some and a great leveller for others but we must be wary not to lose our identity during such massive change.

This real estate boom is many things.

A gold mine for some, disaster for others.

For me it’s been a real leveller.

I used to consider myself a fairly decent negotiator.

I’d successfully navigated more than four years of dealings with my daughter which for the most ended at a decent middle ground where she gets what she wants and I get peace and quiet again.

So pre-Covid we were chipping away, with grand dreams to buy a place of our own in the next two years.

Crazily enough our dream of somewhere east of the Bruce Highway within 5km of the beach for less than the GDP of a medium-sized country was semi-realistic back then.

How quickly it was not.

The pandemic hit, jobs were lost, tears were shed as we clung onto our sweet little rental property desperately.

Through sheer good fortune and generosity we were lucky enough to turn things around, unlike so many others so harshly hit by the pandemic and so the prospect of owning our own home started to once again become a reality.

Sadly our beach dream was in tatters as literally millions was spent all around us on some places I would hesitate leaving your dog.

So fearing the prospect of potential homelessness in a matter of months as the town I’d loved for the last 20-plus years was bought up in front of our eyes, we decided it was time to take the plunge.

The past four years spent fine tuning my aforementioned negotiating skills proved time well spent in this sellers’ market.

After three attempts at securing the property for what I thought was decent money and essentially being laughed at the masterstroke proved to be simply asking what it would take to buy the property there and then and offering that exact amount.

Genius.

Bruised ego aside, we were extremely lucky to secure a little slice of this paradise given what we’re seeing unfold at the moment.

If you’re in the market for a bargain townhouse in a few years give me a yell too as I’ve no doubt triggered the start of a major market collapse such is my business acumen.

While this phenomenal rate of change might be great news for homeowners, it’s a gut-wrenching time for renters and would-be buyers hoping to put down roots in a place they also love.

We must be cognisant of the fact that with such a massive population change we are at risk of losing what it is that is drawing so many people here in the first place if we’re not careful of how we manage our future to retain our identity.

Without the character, lifestyle, friendships, connection and environment, what’s the point?

Originally published as Sunshine Coast property market proves a testing experience for buyers amid massive period of change