THE TOP 10 QUEENSLAND SUBURBS FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS

PHOTO: Noosa beach is one of Australia most popular. FILE

According to realestate.com.au SOUTHEAST Queensland’s city and beachside suburbs dominate the list of locations where overseas buyers are keen to lay down roots, but there are some surprising regional centres that are also capturing global attention.

Mackay and Yeppoon have seen the biggest increase in overseas eyeballs, with a 59 per cent rise year-on-year.

They were followed by Yarrabilba, up 52 per cent, Bridgeman Downs (34%) and Macgregor (32%), according to the exclusive PropTrack data.

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Rounding out the top 10 suburbs for growth in overseas searches were Pimpama, Pallara, Marsden, Springfield and Browns Plains.

But Queensland’s most searched location by overseas buyers is Brisbane City, followed by Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads and Noosa Heads.

Overseas buyers want a slice of our sun, surf and relaxed lifestyle. Picture Glenn Hampson

Southport, Robina and Mooloolaba also made the top 10 list, as did the Brisbane suburbs of Indooroopilly and New Farm.

And the country with the biggest number of homehunters is just over the ditch in New Zealand.

More than 208,000 New Zealanders were in Queensland during the 2021 Census, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with many more considering the move.

TOP QLD SUBURBS FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS

1. Brisbane City

2. Surfers Paradise

3. Broadbeach

4. Burleigh Heads

5. Noosa Heads

6. Southport

7. Indooroopilly

8. New Farm

9. Mooloolaba

10. Robina

(Source. PropTrack)

Leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again. Kiwis are taking flight to start a new life in Qld. / AFP PHOTO / Peter PARKS

In every other state, the top spot for overseas buyer search activity came from either the UK or US, with those buyers also on the hunt for a piece of Sunshine State real estate.

Other major markets looking at Queensland property included Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, the Philippines, India, Germany and China.

PADDINGTON: Known as Bluey’s house after it was transformed into the iconic Heeler home for Airbnb sold at auction, minus the cartoon makeover, for $1.845m to a young expat couple returning home from Singapore

Data from Juwai shows that there has been a 4 per cent increase in Chinese buyer inquiries for Queensland real estate in the past five years, with Queensland securing 22 per cent of all Chinese searches of Australian property last year.

PropTrack senior analyst Karen Dellow said the most popular suburbs for overseas property seekers were primarily close to the main cities but area with higher employment, such as mining regions, may also be behind a drive in popularity.

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Ms Dellow said that searches for properties to buy were up 10 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021, and were 11 per cent higher than in 2019.

“Queensland has consistently been a desirable destination for overseas property seekers so search volumes have remained fairly stable throughout the past few years, even during the pandemic,” she said.

“There are a number of factors that drive relocation to Australia, such as lifestyle preferences, jobs, good salaries, good universities, universal healthcare and good state schools.”

CLAYFIELD: A mystery US buyer shelled out $8.2m for this property last year, with the selling agent adding they were moving from California “because the safety of living and working in Australia appeals”.

Brisbane buyers agent Wendy Russell, who has clients in southeast Asia and elsewhere, said many of her clients were in their 40s and 50s and had roots in Brisbane.

“A lot are expats who are looking to secure a property now with the view of moving back at a later date,” she said.

“They have family ties but are earning good wages overseas and their budgets tend to be between $1.5m and $3.5m.”

Ms Russell said most of her clients were based in places like Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong, but she was also working with buyers in the US and Thailand.

“Many think that the Brisbane market will hold up well and are hedging their bets now rather than wait until around the Olympics,” she said.

NOOSA NORTH SHORE: Sold for “circa-$4 million”, the new expat owner of this riverfront home flew out from New York on New Year’s Eve and snapped it up.

Tom Offermann Real Estate agent Nic Hunter recently sold The Riverhouse at Noosa North Shore for “circa-$4 million” to an expat moving back from Detroit, USA.

“The buyer flew over and inspected it on New Year’s Eve and just fell in love with it,” Mr Hunter said.