‘Incredible lifestyle’: Brisbane suburbs homeowners never want to leave

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On July 23, 2024

Lifestyle

The streets are sprinkled with daggy homes built in the 1980s. But while Robertson presents as classic Brisbane suburbia to the untrained eye, the southern suburb is now one of the capital’s most prized pockets for families – and it’s even being hailed the “Ascot of the South”.

New data from CoreLogic shows the popular patch had the lowest property turnover rate across the Queensland capital this year and the second lowest over the past decade.

Lifestyle Some Brisbane suburbs attract home owners for the long haul. — Some Brisbane suburbs attract home owners for the long haul.

The report reveals only 2.4 per cent of homes sold in Robertson in the year leading up to April while just 3.5 per cent were transacted over the decade. Cleveland’s Sheldon had the second lowest annual turnover rate at 2.5 per cent while Inala ranked third at 2.6 per cent.

Among the suburbs Brisbane residents are most loath to leave, leafy and laidback Mount Ommaney topped the list. There, homeowners hold on to properties for an average of 20.3 years, followed by Tivoli (18.4 years), Wishart (17.9 years), Middle Park (17.8 years) and Robertson (17.7 years). Brisbane’s average is 8.1 years.

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said in Brisbane, family-friendly middle-class pockets lead the charge when it comes to low turnover and long hold periods.

“I wouldn’t describe these areas as blue chip … they are places where people have a life cycle that encourages a long tenure period,” said Lawless.

“The people there tend to be middle income earners and breaking into those markets is much more achievable.”

Coupled with swelling property prices across Brisbane, Lawless said it has made affordable suburbia a prized commodity, with CoreLogic city-wide data revealing turnover remains slightly lower than the decade average. In the year to April, 5.5 per cent of properties were transacted, compared with an average of 5.6 per cent over the past 10.

“There’s more scarcity in general across Brisbane and that feeds into the turnover rate,” Lawless said.

“We’re also seeing a trend towards longer hold periods because of affordability and transaction costs.”

Robertson resident Cici Hung moved to the suburb with her parents almost 30 years ago, and since leaving the family nest, she has created her own down the road with her husband and children.

While being close to her parents was one compelling reason to stay, Mrs Hung says it’s also the convenience and sense of community. She believes it makes the south-side pocket one of Brisbane’s best and most underrated.

“Robertson might not have ocean or city views, but I honestly believe the price of the homes here and the land valuation reflects the convenience and the incredible lifestyle on offer. And that’s worth more to my family than anything else,” she said.

“I can get to work and the CBD in 15 minutes by bus. It’s only five minutes to Sunnybank Plaza and Market Square with all its restaurants.

Lifestyle Residents value easy access to the city. — Residents value easy access to the city.Credit: Getty

“The QEII hospital, pools, parks, playground and Garden City are just round the corner, and you’ve got easy access to Griffith University and a direct bus to the University of Queensland.”

She likes to see the older couples who have been here for 30 years tending to their gardens and appreciates that her children can walk safely to school.

“We don’t see ourselves ever leaving because for us – there’s nowhere else in Brisbane that we could get this lifestyle.”

Largely settled by the first wave of Taiwanese immigrants to Brisbane more than four decades ago, LJ Hooker’s Lachlan Smith said the suburb had since flourished.

Still home to one of the city’s most vibrant Asian communities, he said some of the one-acre lots coveted in the 1980s remained.

“We only ever sell between 15 to 20 homes a year here and our office represents about 30 per cent of the market,” said Smith.

“Homes hold here and that’s because of the convenience of everything.”

Ray White Robertson principal Eric Li said demand across the suburb had pushed property prices up by 10 per cent each year.

“Robertson is becoming the Ascot of the south … I only have seven properties for sale now and houses start from $2 million,” he said.

At Mount Ommaney, NGU Real Estate’s Jason Yang said the turnover rate was higher, but residents were loath to leave and the Jamboree Heights State School catchment was a reason it topped the city for hold periods.

“Where else can you find something 15 kilometres from the CBD that offers this lifestyle?” he said.

“We are selling lowset original-condition homes from $680,000 now, and two years ago you would have been able to get a ‘McMansion’ for that.”

Yang said the tight-knit community was another reason locals stayed in the suburb, and it wasn’t unusual to see multiple generations of families calling Mount Ommaney home.