The Qld suburbs where buyers are desperate for sellers to list

With Queensland’s average views-per-property figures hitting a record high, weary locals are going up against cashed-up interstate buyers to find a new home. Check out the suburbs where buyers are desperate for listings.

They are the Queensland suburbs where buyers are desperate for sellers to list, with demand for houses and units hitting record highs.

Thirty-four suburbs across Queensland have seen the number of views per listing jump by more than 200 per cent in the 12 months to September, according to new data from REA Group.

And the increase in listing views is being seen right across the state, from hinterland havens and million-dollar beachside suburbs to affordable coastal towns in the regions and first homebuyer hot spots.

MORE NEWS: Ultimate Noosa holiday home sold under the hammer for $13.5m

Qld council ‘blown away’ after hundreds flock to free land offer

Qld’s quirkiest home, built into four grain silos, sold in hot market

Listed for offers above $945,000, this Hideaway Bay residence is on the market – for now

REA Group economist Eleanor Creagh said demand for housing right across Queensland had soared, and when borders opened that would likely continue.

“Just looking at the views per listing across Queensland, they climbed 5.9 per cent month-on-month to an average of 1606 views per listing in September, a new record high,” Ms Creagh said.

The growth in views per listing was highest in Anakie, the oldest town in the Sapphire Gemfields in the Central Highlands.

There, views per listing rose 363 per cent in 12 months, with just six properties listed for sale on realestate.com.au.

It was followed by the Cassowary Coast township of Goondi Hill, where views per listing rose 320 per cent. Just three houses are on the market.

Rounding out the top five for houses were Hideaway Bay (+308%), Carmoo (+299%) and Pacific Haven (+283%).

On the Gold Coast, where prices have gone crazy, the more affordable house suburb of Pimpama was the only local suburb to make the top 40 list, with more unit suburbs attracting the attention of buyers

Fourteen of the top 40 house suburbs with the biggest increases in views per listing were located in the booming southeast corner, with four on the Sunshine Coast (Palmview, Caloundra West, Peregian Springs, Baringa), three in Toowoomba (Preston, Clifton, Hodgson Vale), two in Moreton Bay (Dakabin, Rothwell), two in Logan (New Beith, Logan Central), and one each in the Gold Coast, Scenic Rim and Redland regions (Pimpama, Kooralbyn, Point Lookout).

Each one has one thing in common - more affordable prices - but for every successful sale, there are plenty of buyers, particularly first time buyers, being left in the dust.

Just about every house in Rothwell is under offer, including this one, which was listed for offers over $799,000

At Palmview, desperate buyers have taken to camping out the front of the Harmony sales office in the hope of securing a lot in the residential community.

AVID Property Group’s Queensland general manager Bruce Harper said he was not surprised at the surge in views for properties in the suburb.

“Every land release, for the past 15 months, people have camped out at Harmony, except for one when we ran a ballot to stop them camping out in the middle of winter,” Mr Harper said.

“Before our latest release, there was a rumour that we were about to release some lots and 20 groups were camping out before we even confirmed it.

“By the next morning, there were 55 groups for 42 lots.”

Hopeful buyers have taken to camping at Palmview's Harmony Estate whenever there is a land release.

PropTrack economist Angus Moore said that while the number of new listings was up in Brisbane and regional Queensland, the total number of listings was down by 26.8 and 28.7 per cent respectively, year-on-year.

“Despite the lift in new listings, total listings (month-on-month) fell slightly to historic lows in both Brisbane (-0.8%) and regional Queensland (-1.8 per cent),” according to the latest PropTrack Listings Report October 2021.

Views per listing at Rainbow Beach (Gympie) rose by an astounding 223 per cent, year-on-year, while on the Sunshine Coast, Palmview saw the biggest increase in views-per-listing, up 253 per cent.

Pimpama on the Gold Coast saw the biggest increase in views per listing in that region, up 207 per cent.

Up north, six suburbs in the Cassowary Coast region – Goondi Hill, Carmoo, Coconuts, Tully Heads, Wongaling Beach and Mission Beach – made the top 40 house suburbs for growth in views per listing.

Listed fully furnished for $1.3 million, this stunning Wongaling Beach house with ocean and island views is already under offer

Tropical Property Mission Beach director Susie England said the local market was the most active it has been in 15 years, since before the GFC.

“There are a lot of interstate buyers looking for a sea-change, others are looking to retire early, and we still have the usual buyers from Cairns and Townsville,” she said.

“But the big change is the interstate buyers, and a lot are young families with mobile jobs.”

In the Townsville region, Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island is proving a hotspot for hopeful house hunters, with views per listing up 208 per cent, while Rowes Bay units have seen views per listing soar 189 per cent.

Explore Property agent MaryAnne Law said the explosion in listing views was not surprising.

“Sales (on Magnetic Island) are occurring often within a week, inquiries are non-stop and my workload has doubled, if not more,” she said, adding most inquiries were now coming from interstate buyers or Townsville buyers looking to move from the mainland.

“The first question many ask is, how is the internet service?” Ms Land said.

She said there had also been an increase in buyer inquiry from Darwin, suggesting they were making a “climate change”.

“It’s not as hot here,” she laughed.

Aerial photo of Magnetic Island. Picture: Anthony Flanders

Houses in Bloomsbury in the Mackay region also made the top 40, with views per listing up 185 per cent, according to the data.

For units, the buyer sweetspot is currently Rainbow Beach, with views per listing up 302 per cent, year-on-year.

It was followed by Palmview (Sunshine Coast), Rosslyn (Capricorn Coast), Edens Landing (Logan) and Arundel (Gold Coast), with views per listing increasing by between 227 and 263 per cent.

Ms Creagh said the recent migration to Queensland was “almost double the decade average”, and that was being reflected in the sharp rise in Queensland’s average views per listing.

“And that trend (to Queensland) is not just confined to the southeast corner,” she said.

Ms Creagh said it was a “sellers market” in most places in Queensland, with more buyers than available stock in most locations.

***How tough is it out there for buyers, let us know at [e-mail]

Originally published as The Qld suburbs where buyers are desperate for sellers to list