Bees Nees City Realty
The Buzz

Welcome to South Brisbane!

I’m the Bees Nees team member who specialises in this exciting area, and in the posts below you’ll find plenty of info on the latest local events and property news. If you’d like recent stats on the local market download our research team’s South Brisbane “Market in a Nutshell”

Rob Honeycombe
ps:
What would your property sell for? Please give me a buzz on 0423 332022 or read more about me.

Posted by admin on 19 July 2010

The Residential Tenancies Authority recently released their June quarter stats and analysis by Bees Nees Research shows inner Brisbane’s rents have now remained flat for well over a year. Small drops in some suburbs shows landlords are being cautious and reducing their rents to keep their homes rented.

Bees Nees head of Property Management Annie von Rudzinski said a more balanced market had replaced the strong rental growth of 2007-2008.

“In postcode 4101 for example we have the same median rents for a 2 bed apartment that we did in September 2008 at $450 per week. The appeal of South Brisbane, West End and Highgate Hill is still very much on the rise but saving money in tougher times has drawn some tenants into cheaper areas further out.”

The RTA shows rents are flat right across Brisbane and Ms von Rudzinski believes landlords are reluctant to push for rent increases. “Rising interest rates do make some landlords nervous and that has a flow on effect. To see a drop in popular spots like Fairfield and Annerley (down $10 to $310 per week for a 2 bed apartment) suggests tenants are getting good value. A typical house in that area is still $400 per week, the same level as September 2008.”

One of the few inner city areas to see a rise in the June quarter was a $10 increase for Woolloongabba/Dutton Park apartments.

Posted by admin on 24 June 2010

The City South News today reports there’s been a jump in median prices for townhouses/units, up 6.4 per cent in the March quarter to $413,500 in South Brisbane.

Posted by admin on 23 June 2010

I bumped into a friend at Oliver’s in Melbourne Street today and had a quick chat about his plan to purchase a second apartment in South Brisbane and he asked for my opinion.  Paul’s been looking for a while, and this time he’ll be moving in (he’s already spoken to us about property management!)  Here’s a brief summary of what I told him I think is important:

1. Avoid the busy streets. There’s a strong business presence in South Brisbane, but some streets are quieter than others.  Silhouette in Manning Street and Que in Edmondstone are well located, but avoid most of the traffic.

2. Smaller buildings are better. Many buildings in South Brisbane have 100 or more apartments and these tend to be busy. Gala in Hope Street and Greenwich in Cordelia Street both have less then 50 apartment in each, so it is possible to avoid the usual ’stranger’ feel that you get in big buildings.

3. Big blocks make for big turnover. Avoid Buildings with a large number of apartments as this usually means a large number of apartments for sale at any one time. Competition from other apartments within won’t make it easy if you make the decision to sell sometime in the future and need to sell quickly.

4. Find a building with lots of owners. Whilst most South Brisbane apartments are tenanted, there are still a few buildings full of owners. Riviera II and Northbridge in Vulture St have a good mix of tenants and owners, and both building managers are very proactive in their approach to keep things neat and tidy.

This is just a snapshot for what you might like to consider if moving into South Brisbane.  It’s not rocket science, but it can make a big difference when the time comes to sell.

Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 22 June 2010

I hadn’t seen this statue before the weekend when I stumbled across it at the southern end of South Bank’s Parklands. It was a recent present from the Ji’nan Municipal Government in the Shangdong Province of China to mark our 150th birthday.

My favourite Confucian saying: “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart”.

See more of our posts on inner Brisbane public art.

Posted by admin on 18 June 2010

AUSTRALIA is the fourth-fastest-growing property market in the world after a 20 per cent price jump in the past year, according to a survey of 47 countries by the international estate agent Knight Frank.

Locally, we are seeing increasing demand for 1 and 2 bedroom apartments in SOUTH BRISBANE, with property priced around $450,000 attracting the most interest.  Supply is still tight so, while it’s always difficult to forecast with complete accuracy, we do expect that prices will firm in the next 3 to 6 months as investors continue to value one of Brisbane’s hottest urban renewal precincts.

Posted by admin on 12 June 2010

Is someone censoring your mail?  If you live in South Brisbane the answer may surprise you.

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve been approached by a number of local building managers asking us to stop distributing “for sale brochures” and “offers to help” to local letter boxes.

Don’t get me wrong, junk mail can be annoying.  But recent, quite harsh threats by some local managers really do border on the ridiculous.  Let’s leave it up to each South Brisbane local to decide which mail to refuse. That’s our right.  We all must object to the view by the ignorant few who consider themselves the unofficial South Brisbane letterbox police.

PS: and of course if you don’t want to receive our info in your letterbox just email me with your address!

Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 8 June 2010

It’s one of those rare times you see the soul of a community – the local school fete! Last Sunday was Queensland Day and West End State School marked the date with their annual “Fiesta”.

The crowds were great, soaking up the live music, international foods and plenty of games and rides for kids.

My kids voted the strawberry and marshmellow sticks (dipped in chocolate) the best they’d ever had!

You’ve got to take your hats off to the parents who volunteer to organise these sort of days. An enormous task!

Posted by admin on 4 June 2010

It’s a big question for families looking to buy in Brisbane’s inner south side suburbs and of course not so important for singles and couples without children. The chance of being able to send your child/children to a GPS school without it costing you thousands or even tens of thousands a year is enough motivation for families to move. While West End, Highgate Hill and South Brisbane exist entirely within the catchment, Woolloongabba only has about a third of its geographical area inside the BSHS boundaries but the suburb’s homes  can often be a more affordable option. With a 2009 median average of $555,000 it was $100,000 cheaper than Highgate Hill and West End at that time.

The basic guideline for Woolloongabba is that anything west of the South East Freeway is in the catchment, while anything on the east side is out. Of course it couldn’t be quite that simple and there are three streets that are an exception to the rule. These are Carl St, Regent St and Cornwall St. Before making any house purchases we would recommend you check the BSHS web site.

Posted by admin on 29 April 2010

It’s been a South Brisbane landmark for 100 years and the old Croquet Club at 91 Cordelia Street is about to get a little busier! It’ll soon undergo a huge overhaul, creating a fantastic venue for hire by local community groups and organisations for meetings, functions and events.

The Club refurbishment and management is a project of the West End Community House, a fabulous not-for-profit centre that provides a range of services and activities for local residents.

The South Brisbane Croquet Club was formed in 1902 and the pic below gives you some idea what a day out it must have been!

The original clubhouse burned down in 1959 with the current building completed a year later. On Wednesday April 21st Bees Nees hosted a special preview for members of the local property industry to hear more about the project. The night raised over $2700 toward the refurbishment project. We’re looking forward to seeing this piece of local history take on a new role for the community!

a less formal event at the Clubhouse 2010!

Posted by admin on 28 April 2010

Mirvac's first South Bank apartment project, Arbour on Grey

It’s a bit like fishermen living near the ocean I guess. Sometimes your work just draws you closer.

So we weren’t surprised by the latest news that one of Australia’s largest property developers, Australand, will soon call South Brisbane home (or their Queensland office at least), moving to 154 Melbourne Street. Those in the development industry can see the exciting future of South Brisbane and West End real estate and it’s drawing them like bees to the honey!

South Brisbane already has home offices of development heavyweights Mirvac and Stockland as well as the Pradella Group, one of Queensland’s largest and the most active on this inner city peninsula.