Observations that Logan’s older suburbs are at a “turning point” have been affirmed by a local agent, who says more owner-occupiers are flocking to the area.
Earlier in the year, local property managers observed suburbs like Kingston and Woodridge were becoming more attractive to developers and renters.
Now, local sales agent Keny Guerra says she is selling to more owner occupiers than ever before, mostly in the form of families and first-home buyers.
“This suburb is changing a lot,” she said.
“A lot of families are looking to move into the area.”
Ms Guerra said all but one of the five properties she listed in the past fortnight were under contract.
“I have noticed a lot of noise, a lot of buyers, and a lot of good quality buyers,” she said.
“For example, for one little house I received six buyers and five offers.”
In just one hour after listing the property, Ms Guerra said she received multiple enquiries about 19 Attunga Street, Kingston.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom highset house sits on a 607sqm block.
It is a colourful and well-maintained property – unlike some in the area – that Ms Guerra is expecting to get more than $600,000 for.
She said it was special because it was the property’s first time on the market since 1988, and had been owner-occupied the entire time.
“I have spoken to home owners and they noticed the suburb changing a lot over the last two years,” Ms Guerra said.
“Before there used to be a lot of bad tenants, but it has been changing a lot.”
In March, Century21 property manager Gabrielle Oltarczy said historically cheaper rentals were beginning to see higher yields.
Ms Oltarczy said this was helping raise the image of some suburbs, while also pushing away lower income earners.
“There’s a lot of demand for rental properties in low socio-economic areas like Woodridge and Kingston, but there’s a shift in the type of people we’re getting in these properties,” Ms Oltarczy said.
“Because investors are buying homes and renovating them, it’s attracting more ‘desirable’ tenants.”
Propertyworks property manager Tom Rivera said some locals were applying for hundreds of rental properties.
“There are tons of people looking for rentals at Kingston and Woodridge who are struggling,” he said.
“People moving out of home for the first time or people who have had problems with their previous rentals – which could just be struggling to pay rent for a couple of months – they are really struggling.”
While the rental market remains tough for hopeful renters, Ms Guerra said sale prices are unikely to rise by much in the near future.
“It is a very stable market at the moment,” she said
“More people are coming from interstate and then from Brisbane because they can no longer afford houses more than $1 million dollars.”
She said Kingston had developed a universal appeal among buyers, especially when it came to cultures.
“There is no one specific culture or language that dominates – it is really multicultural,” she said.
“You see it every day, and it is just one of the changes you can see.”
