A growing number of first homebuyers are descending on a rapidly expanding community on the Sunshine Coast.
People entering the market purchased more than half of the properties sold at Aura from January to March: an increase of 24 per cent from the same time last year.
Stockland general manager for Queensland development David Laner believed the increase in sales at Caloundra South was largely because of a doubling of a grant, announced by the state government in November.
“Our customers have told us that the recent change to the state’s First Home Owner Grant has made home ownership more attainable and allowed them to get into the housing market sooner,” he said.
Kerri Norman and Simon Feely took advantage of the grant and recently purchased a block in Aura’s Cradle Release in Banya.
“We have been trying to get into the property market for two years,” Ms Norman said.
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“Saving for the deposit was definitely the biggest hurdle, so the grant made all the difference and without it we would not have been in a position to buy for quite some time.
“Once we had been through housing options with the team at Aura, we had a better understanding of the community and its plans for the future.
“We both knew before we left that we were going to buy there, and within two weeks we had put down the deposit and have been on cloud nine ever since.”
Stockland project director Josh Sondergeld said there was strong demand for the release of new land in Aura because of a range of affordable and aspirational housing options.
“The majority of inquiries and sales for new land releases on the Sunshine Coast has been from those already in the area, and most of the demand is from first home buyers,” he said.
Mr Laner said Queensland’s lifestyle attributes and relative affordability were expected to continue driving demand.
“Last year uncertain market conditions resulted in subdued demand, however data from the first few months of 2024 is showing signs of increased buyer confidence,” he said.
