According to state government data, 141 residents from Logan secured the Queensland First Homeowner Grant this year, comprising 25 per cent of all approved applicants.
26-year-old local Michael Bishop and his partner Ash had a long-term goal of owning a home, which they said was only made possible because of the grant.
They recently purchased a block in a residential estate in Greenbank, Covella, where first home buyers make up 50 per cent of all enquiries.
“For many young Aussies like us, homeownership is a marker of adulthood, independence and is key to economic security, so we are fortunate to have the assistance of grants to fulfil our property dreams,” Mr Bishop said.
“Upon browsing through the market, we found the price of buying a block and the building process more affordable compared to buying an existing home.
“Our builders have just reached site-cut stage, so we anticipate on moving in mid-next year.”
Grelyn Arnibal and her partner were also depending on the grant funding to purchase and said they couldn’t wait to move into their own home.
The executive general manager at Covella’s developer AVID Property Group, Bruce Harper, said first home buyers would continue to flock to semi-rural residential suburbs like Greenbank because of the $15,000 grant.
“With government incentives on offer, first home buyers are still looking for a low maintenance size block to get a foot on the property ladder,” Mr Harper said.
“It’s also interesting to see that a lot of parents are encouraging the younger generations who are ready to get a foot in the market, to buy now and are helping, whether through finance or guarantees.
“Buyer enquiry remains strong in Covella with first home buyers making up 50 per cent of enquires.”
Mr Harper said first home buyers were interested not only in affordability, but also access to transport, open spaces, shops and restaurants.
He said estates like Covella were attractive to young families and first home buyers for this reason.
Greenbank is expected to add 74,000 people to Logan’s population by 2041, according to government forecasts.
More broadly, Logan’s population is set to grow by 311,300 by 2046, almost doubling in just over 20 years.
Between 2021-22 the Queensland government paid out $20 million towards the purchase or construction of new first homes for more than 1,350 buyers in the Logan-Beaudesert region.
These payments made up 16.3 per cent of the total $124.8 million grants paid out that year – the highest proportion of any region in the state.
