Smart boaties choose Mooloolaba's waterfront haven

'Waterfront Only Deepwater properties'

Offering lifestyle choices unequalled in any other part of Queensland, deepwater real estate in the Mooloolaba harbour offers boaties the opportunity to secure the perfect haven.

Consider this - it takes only a matter of minutes for a boat to reach the beautiful blue open water off Mooloolaba Beach to enjoy fishing or sailing, local beaches are only a short distance from the river, there is close-by waterfront and bushland walking tracks, major shopping centres, schools, great restaurants, fresh seafood outlets, and much, much more.

Choose a deepwater home and step onto your boat parked immediately outside your house on your own pontoon, and avoid the cost of buying and maintaining a marina berth.

Waterfront Only Property director Trevor Martin says 'marina berths for catamarans can cost up to $22,000 per metre and they are on limited leases, (that's $440,000 for a 20 metre berth) then there are the ongoing costs of owning the berth. When you can keep your boat for free for as long as you like right outside your house, why would you make any other choice ?

'With the size of the blocks averaging 728 sq m, owners can have anything from a small tinnie to a 100-foot super yacht, on a wider frontage block, parked on their private pontoon.'

But with only 812 deepwater homes along the Mooloolah River, which fronts the deepwater homes of Mooloolaba, Buddina and Minyama, buyers need to work closely with their local property agent now to identify their opportunities.

Mr Martin says 'these houses are very tightly held'. In the last financial year just over six percent of these homes were sold'.

Mooloolaba's four deepwater streets are some of the toughest to buy into. 'Across the four streets - Elanora, Carwoola, Culbara and Neerim - there are only 144 possibilities. Last year only seven of these homes sold,' Mr Martin says.

The closeness to the stunning Mooloolaba Beach and modern entertainment precinct are the main reasons these properties are rarely listed. Add in the opportunity to own a home in one of the streets that front the one of only two broad waters on Mooloolah River and it is easy to see why the area is so popular.

The newest of three suburbs, Minyama, has a mix of new and moderately older homes. Development of this area started in the early 1980s resulting in 447 deepwater access homes. The area is linked by walking tracks and easy access to roads that lead to the long stretches of white sand that front Mooloolaba and Buddina beaches.

Prices in this suburb range from just over $1m to more than $10m on Minyama Island, an exclusive enclave on the northern side of the suburb.

Buddina is the oldest of the deepwater suburbs and has 221 deepwater-front homes. Many of the houses there are still in their original state; a perfect opportunity for renovation or bulldozing.

Some investors consider Buddina the jewel of the Sunshine Coast property market with its laid-back lifestyle driven by the gentle river and all it offers on one side, and the ocean beach on the other side with its turtle breeding colony, long healthy walking tracks, local restaurants and life saving club.

If being able to enjoy your boat is a key element in your choice of where to live then consider this one important factor - Mooloolaba has the only clear river access on the Sunshine Coast. The river mouth is guarded by a lighthouse and navigation marks to guide the boatie safely both in and out of the river. When mother-nature misbehaves, state water-safety officers step in quickly to ensure the river entrance remains safe for all users.

Under the direction of the newly formed Sunshine Coast Regional Council, dredging of the deepwater canals is managed under a two to three-year plan. The cost of this dredging is part of the owner's council rates which are generally $1,000 more per annum than an adjacent dry block.

'The market has been very stable over the last two years; between 51 and 50 sales in that time. A lot of other properties not on the water have had significant price growth while the deepwater properties have remained stable.

'Dry blocks in 2002 were selling for under $300,000. Then a couple of years later the same properties were selling for $600,000 plus. They have had huge growth in recent years effectively closing the gap between dry and wet blocks.'

Buyers should recognise the value of the Mooloolah River waterfront and the unique opportunity of buying into the 812 deepwater properties.

'When the interest rates slacken and the stock market revives, the investment in prime waterfront property will increase dramatically pushing up the prices again. The current gap between dry and wet blocks will quickly widen again.

'The opportunity to buy at a good price a valuable deepwater property is now.'

Waterfront Only boaties haven -

For more information contact
Trevor Martin
Waterfront only property
O: (07) 5444 6400
M: 0400 818777
E: seatrev@waterfrontonly.com.au
W: www.waterfrontonly.com.au

by Tracey Johnstone