New data centres could deter prospective property buyers or prompt them to demand tens of thousands of dollars off the asking price, according to national research.
However, a leading Sunshine Coast real estate figure said he had not seen evidence of values falling near Maroochydore’s existing SC1 data facility, with some buyers instead viewing access to high-speed digital infrastructure as an advantage.
The region is in line for its second centre with technology infrastructure company NEXTDC building another site in the Maroochydore City Centre Priority Development Area.
The five-level, $200 million SC2 facility at 10 South Sea Islander Way was approved by Economic Development Queensland in June 2025 and is expected to open between January and June 2027.
Research commissioned by Australian software company Airteam found 83 per cent of Australians surveyed said they would walk away from a property near an AI data centre.
For those who said they would not buy near one, the average discount they would want before reconsidering was $35,163.
The research, conducted by Primara Research among a nationally representative sample of 1000 Australians, also found 83 per cent would not want to live near a data centre.
The findings reflect respondents’ attitudes and hypothetical purchasing decisions rather than documented changes in property sale prices.
Primara Research head of research and data Peter Drennan said the results suggested data centres could significantly narrow the market for nearby homes.
“You aren’t dealing with a minority preference,” he said.
“You’re dealing with a fundamentally compressed buyer pool, and that is what moves property prices.”
But REIQ Sunshine Coast zone chair Mark McGill said he had not seen evidence of property prices falling around the existing Maroochydore data centre.
Instead, he said reliable internet connectivity was becoming an increasingly important consideration for buyers, particularly as more people worked from home.
“I’ve sold properties in Buderim, for example, where buyers are researching internet speed before making an offer because it is critical for their job,” he said.
“That connectivity is actually an important value-add for buyers.
“Internet is a key driver. We are definitely seeing that first-hand with people buying in the Maroochydore CBD to be close to that data centre and cable.”
Mr McGill said he had sold apartments in the Maroochydore City Centre to buyers who wanted to be closer to the technology infrastructure.
He said any effect on demand would depend on the type of buyer attracted to the area, including whether Maroochydore continued to draw technology and information-sector workers or primarily appealed to retirees.
The Airteam research indicated age could influence attitudes towards data centres.
It found 92.6 per cent of baby boomers would not buy a home near one, compared with 84.2 per cent of Generation X respondents, 81.5 per cent of Generation Z and 75 per cent of millennials.
Millennials were the most receptive group, with one-quarter saying they would buy near a data centre at full price.
The property debate follows concerns raised by Housing Industry Association chief executive, industry and policy, Simon Croft, that expanding data centre development could increase competition for land needed for housing.
Mr Croft also warned that data centres competed with residential and other development for access to electricity, water and transport infrastructure.
The infrastructure demands of SC2 have already attracted scrutiny.
NEXTDC lists the facility as having about 6MW of planned IT capacity, referring to the power available to its computer equipment.
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If that equipment operated continuously at full capacity, it would use about 52.56 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to the average annual consumption of approximately 10,500 homes on the Energex network.
NEXTDC has not publicly disclosed SC2’s expected annual electricity consumption or its expected annual water use and did not respond to Sunshine Coast News inquiries.
The Airteam survey found concerns extended beyond property values, with 80 per cent of respondents worried about noise and air pollution and 78 per cent concerned about pressure on water supplies.
