I’m the Bees Nees team member who specialises in this thriving Brisbane suburb, and in the posts below you’ll find plenty of info about the area and its property market. If you’d like recent stats on the local market download our research team’s West End “Market in a Nutshell”
Josh Manson. ps: What would your property sell for? Please give me a buzz on 0404 423530 or read more about me.
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.
Looks like the big bad wolf has been here at this home. Located on Hardgrave Rd at West End it’s opposite Kim ThanhVietnamese restaurant in the Rialto Theatre strip. This development has been in the making since September 2004. A company called San Chi Developments bought the site and proposed to “refurbish” the existing house and build 3 townhouses behind. By the look of it today they’ve used quite a lot of sand paper!
This home in West End is situated in a Demolition Control Precinct and is also in a Character Residential area so here’s the result of Council’s restrictions and negotiations. Click through to our “helpful links” and work your way through to see all the Townplanning info on this home on Council’s website.
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!
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.
Here’s a West End dining-out guide with a difference!! I’ve always found there’s plenty of choice at the restaurants and cafes along Boundary St - but these guys take dining out to a whole new level. If you live in Colville St or Dornoch Terrace you may have had visitors you didn’t know about… take a look here.
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!
Remember when “burning off” was a Saturday afternoon smell? Someone in the street would have just finished cleaning up their yard and lit their little pile of dried branches, leaves and anything else they could find that would light up.Mum would have to race out and bring in the washing so everything didn’t smell like smoke.
It wasn’t that long ago…. and here’s some evidence at Camelot Terrace apartments on Dornoch Terrace at West End. You won’t see it driving by, but if you visit someone in this building make sure you pay attention to the “Goodrid Incinerators” instruction plate on the side so you don’t stoke the fire at the wrong time.
The latest stats are out for the rental market in West End, South Brisbane and Highgate Hill. The big news in the data is the recent growth of the rental pool in Brisbane’s inner city. After 3 years of shrinking supply tenants now have more properties to choose from (139 more in this area compared to the end of 2009), largely due to investors returning to the sales market. So it’s encouraging for landlords that rents still snuck up in the March 2010 quarter, with median rent for a 2 bedroom apartment now $460. Of course this is only just back to where we were in June of last year, so it’s a little early to celebrate!. There’s a smaller number of rented houses in the area and their rent also rose – now $480 for a 3 bed.
This is still far and away the most expensive rental destination in Brisbane and the stable rents confirm that the area needs more new apartments to fill demand. While the new developments of 2003 to 2006 did boost supply enormously the number of rental homes on offer to tenants is still not growing at the rate needed.
Note: RTA stats quoted here cover all of postcode 4101 including Highgate Hill and South Brisbane.
Mask-up, get your feathers on and head down to Souths Leagues Club at Davies Park, West End on Saturday May 15 for the 2010 West End Carnivale!
If you enjoyed the very first West End Carnivale last year, you’re going to love it this time with over 50 acts featuring a mighty gypsy reggae line up, at the fantastic riverside grounds of Brisbane.
West End Carnivale is all about promoting the local artists of Brisbane and will also include an amazing lineup of world music. Expect a highly energetic Brazilian and Caribbean inspired performance and dress to add some colour and have fun!
Rio Rhythmics will be back with their famous costumed dancers and percussion ensemble to get the party started
West End Carnivale is all ages and under 12’s are free!
These Banana trees stood out as we were doing our rounds of West End again this week. I think it was the nostalgia that hit me … I do remember Dad with the machete, cutting down a bunch of lady fingers in our backyard when I was a kid. Thanks to my friend, Simon, who lives in Highgate Hill, I have 2 types of passionfruit in my yard which fruit at different times of the year…but no Bananas. The Davies Park fruit and vegies are good… but there’s nothing quite like growing your own.
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.
