THE most expensive home ever sold on the Sunshine Coast has taken the crown for the top sale in Queensland in 2018 — but a raft of other luxury properties also fetched eye-watering prices.
Records were smashed and serious money changed hands this year, as some of the country’s highest profile figures looked to the sunshine state to park their money in property.
Amid talk of tightening lending restrictions and a housing downturn gripping the nation, an elite group of buyers was quietly splashing cash on prime real estate.
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Eight of the 10 top sales in Queensland this year were on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast, and three quarters of the top 20 were homes on the water, or with stunning ocean or river views.
Noosa’s prestige property market has been on a winning streak this year, after the exclusive seaside town cracked the $10 million mark to pave the way for claiming the top three sales in the state.
The biggest reported sale in the past 12 months was an absolute beachfront estate in idyllic Sunshine Beach for a jawdropping $18 million.
The sale of the seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom property at 21-23 Webb Road set a new record for the entire Sunshine Coast region when it sold in March by David Russell, owner of private equity group Equis Energy.
It boasts a four-car garage, glass-fronted pool, tennis court with cabana, domestic and commercial kitchens, wine storage and a separate self-contained guesthouse.
Just streets away, also in Sunshine Beach, former tennis star Pat Rafter’s beachfront home at 46 Seaview Tce sold for $15.2 million to Betty’s Burgers founder, David Hales.
And further down the road, an oceanfront beach house at 2 Belmore Terrace fetched $14 million when an interstate buyer snapped it up before it even had a chance to hit the open market.
Tom Offermann of Tom Offermann Real Estate, whose team was behind the top three sales of the year, said buyers continued to outnumber sellers in Noosa and he had a number of potential buyers looking to spend up to $20 million on the right property.
“That’s a strong vote of confidence in Noosa,” Mr Offermann said.
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He said he had noticed a spike in activity from Sydney buyers in 2018, with many citing the daily frustrations of battling traffic as a reason to relocate.
Mr Offermann said property price growth in the region was underpinned by the lack of land available for development because of strict Noosa Council planning policies and the fact around 80 per cent of Noosa was covered by protected green space and waterways.
“The buyer demand remains strong, and effectively, for someone to move to Noosa, someone else has to check out,” he said.
“New residents continue to be drawn from mostly eastern seaboard capital cities, and there is a growing proportion of overseas and expat buyers.”
Prestige real estate agents have reported a significant increase in demand from interstate migrants this year, as Sydney and Melbourne homeowners sold up and cashed in on Queensland’s relative affordability.
In some cases, buyers have even been throwing money at homes to have them taken off the market to eliminate competition.
A 1950s-style Noosa beach house sold for an eye-watering $11.2 million in an offmarket deal to a cashed-up Melbourne-based buyer earlier this year.
The sale price came as a shock to some given the property at 5 Allambi Rise in Little Cove last sold for $5.75 million only three years ago.
Sydney power couple Anthony Bell and Kelly Landry paid $10.3 million for a waterfront home in Noosaville early in the year, despite having been embroiled in a bitter court battle.
The property at 29-31 Wyuna Dr, Noosaville, has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, 45m of water frontage and two boat jetties.
From the laid-back luxury of Noosa to the glitz and glamour of the Gold Coast, where the biggest sale of 2018 was a beachfront mansion that sold for $12 million to former federal politician and billionaire businessman, Clive Palmer.
The four-level luxury home on a double block at 9 Hedges Ave, Mermaid Beach, was quite a splurge for Mr Palmer.
He also paid $7.5 million this year for a sprawling riverfront property at 36 Needham St, Fig Tree Pocket, which was previously owned by Peter Bond, the founder of failed energy company, Linc Energy.
A Gold Coast mega mansion on the same street fetched $11.6 million in the second highest sale on the Glitter Strip this year.
The property at 103-105 Hedges Avenue was owned by retired cotton farmer, Alan Frost, and sold in an offmarket deal to a family moving interstate from Melbourne.
A new report from independent property consultancy, Knight Frank, found prime waterfront properties on the Gold Coast are on average 64 per cent higher than comparable properties inland.
Knight Frank Australia director of research and consulting Michelle Ciesielski said the value proposition on the Gold Coast for prime, waterfront property when compared to other cities around Australia was hard to beat.
“Owner-occupiers, and in particular those downsizing, are seeking high-quality homes situated along the beachfront and on the river to combine the lifestyle of having access to their luxury boat and water views from most rooms,” Ms Ciesielski said.
In the state’s capital, a riverfront trophy home formerly owned by energy executive Shaun Scott and his wife, Sarah, fetched the highest price for a home in Brisbane in 2018.
The property at 106-110 Virginia Ave, Hawthorne, sold for $11.128 million to self-made millionaire Anthony Yap, who founded Good Price Pharmacy Warehouse.
David Price of Ray White - East Brisbane, who negotiated the sale, told The Courier-Mail the property attracted interest from potential buyers in London, New York and Dubai, as well Sydney and Melbourne.
“It’s a spectacular home,” Mr Price said.
“The house really had the lot because of the views over New Farm Park and the city, as well as being a flat block with a tennis court.
“The top end’s very strong.”
In the old money enclave of Ascot, Domino’s Pizza boss Don Meij sold his Hamptons-style trophy home for $11 million in an offmarket transaction earlier this year.
The house at 27 Sutherland Avenue is set on a sprawling 2024 sqm and has six bedrooms — all with marble ensuites.
One of the most anticipated sales of the year was also one of the biggest, with the lavish Hamilton mansion built by disgraced businessman Christopher Skase selling to a local hotelier for $10.138 million.
The palatial home boasts nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms and is dripping in opulent features, including bulletproof glass, a circular staircase, an internal bell tower, an eight-person lift and a fence made from one-metre thick concrete and reinforced steel.
Queensland Sotheby’s International Realty chief executive Paul Arthur said there had been more sales in the state in the $10 million-plus price bracket in 2018 than in the previous three to four years.
“Based on our pipeline, we’re bullish about activity in 2019,” Mr Arthur said.
“In the luxury space, we are expecting to see a continuing trend of significant sales in our ‘lifestyle’ locations — Port Douglas, Whitsundays, Noosa/Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, and even across the border in Byron Shire.”
TOP HOME SALES OF 2018 IN QUEENSLAND
Address Sale price
1. 21-23 Webb Rd, Sunshine Beach $18m
2. 46 Seaview Tce, Sunshine Beach $15.2m
3. 2 Belmore Tce, Sunshine Beach $14m
4. 9 Hedges Ave, Mermaid Beach $12m
5. 103-105 Hedges Ave, Mermaid Beach $11.6m
6. 5 Allambi Rise, Noosa Heads $11.2
7. 106-110 Virginia Ave, Hawthorne $11.128m
8. 3-7 Sir Lancelot Close, Sovereign Islands $11m plus
9. 27 Sutherland Ave, Ascot $11m
10. 29-31 Wyuna Dr, Noosaville $10.3m
11. 36 Dickson Tce, Hamilton $10.138m
12. 3250/23 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise $9.5m
13. 8-10 Marseille Ct, Sorrento $9m
14. 31-33 The Corso, Isle of Capri $8.8m
15. 1,56 David Low Way, Sunrise Beach $7.6m
16. 36 Needham St, Fig Tree Pocket $7.5m
17. 1a Eldernell Tce, Hamilton $7.25m
18. 150 Adelaide Street East, Clayfield $7m
19. 2/23 Hastings St, Noosa Heads $6.9m
20. 5/81 Moray St, New Farm $6.5m
(Source: Realestate.com.au; CoreLogic, selling agents. Based on reported sales only and excludes residential land.)
Originally published as Top sales of 2018 revealed: Take a look inside the most expensive homes in Qld
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