Bix

We are considering leaving the property ladder and renting from now on. An apartment with water views appeals and high rise does not perturb us. In many ways that could be preferable.


We don’t need family or pet friendly facilities and there is no work commute to consider.


Have been researching Margate, Redcliffe, Scarborough, and Woody Point on the peninsula and areas from Southport upwards like Runaway Bay and Hope Island.



Would appreciate your opinions on these areas please.


Cheers.

Pollyana

Be good to have you down this way

Had a lot of friends living up Redcliffe way, pleasant, peaceful, quiet family beaches. Handy for north Brisbane, only drawback is the lack of train service, have to get across the bridge to Shorncliffe.
Gold Coast is busier I guess. possibly pricier?

Bix

Thanks Polly.

My ideal would have been an apartment above O'Malleys but that aint gonna happen.

Pollyana

Nope, thats the impossible dream

If theres no need to commute - or at least not regularly - then it makes things a lot easier, otherwise you'd really need to consider which side of the city you'd be working. There are some lovely apartments up in Redcliffe, not sure on prices but I'm guessing at less of a tourist demand so that might keep the prices down?

jad n rich

Prices down there very cheap, rent or buy. We used to own in woody point and loved it, central to so many areas, north bris, CBD, airport, caboolture/morayfield and all the industrial/retail round there = work.

Plus of course beaches, was in King and bailey streets woody point on saturday (for work) and there is some beautiful beach there easily rivals what you would get around melbourne but at a third of the price

Northlakes is getting a Costco, Ikea and the rail link is underway into the area ( kipparing ), so some big players think it has plenty of growth.

Mike at Taree

Redcliffe is now very expensive compared to just a decade ago. I lived in Clontarf then Woody Point for years. There are few modern family houses worth living in less than $500,000 nowadays although there is currently a bit of a downturn. Waterfront 2 bed apartments are around that price as well to buy. Rentals don't seem too bad: are about 352-450 a week for 2 bed apartments depending on seaview and location.

One thing about the Redcliffe Peninsula is that it's split down the middle by Oxley Avenue that runs North South. "East of Oxley" is the local RE jargon for upmarket. West of Oxley there are some dodgy areas with Housing Commission and cheaper unit rentals where, honestly, I'd be dubious to walk at night. One of the reasons we moved from there to Bribie Island was the hard time we were getting from the "bogan" neighbours in both locations we lived, with all night parties, swearing and drinking, urinating in the street in full view etc. I believe it's getting better lately and a lot have been squeezed out by increasing prices but something to bear in mind. Until the 2000s Redcliffe was often called "Dreadcliffe" or "Inala-by-Sea".

<outright disgusting snobbery>
If you can visit your chosen areas, go to the local Shoppingtown on a Saturday morning and see who you will be living amongst. Also do a drive around Weekends and at night if possible. Never fails.
</snobbery>

Edit: Scarborough would be my pick personally. If work/Commute isn't an issue why not look at Bribie Island as well? Nice apartments overlooking Pumicestone passage etc, I used to commute to the Valley - offpeak admittedly - in an hour, and 20 mins from Kmart/BigW/Cinemas etc etc.

Broad Shoulders

prices HAVE indeed changed a lot in the last decade (but then where hasn't), but then so have the inhabitants. The East of Oxley is still widely used, but is becoming more and more redundant in its meaning. The only areas of the peninsula I would avoid are really just Kippa-Ring and inland part of Clontarf, otherwise the rest is fine.

The peninsula is yet to reach its price potential, given what you pay the other side of the bridge (ie: 5kms away) in Brighton and Sandgate.

If you are looking for an apartment, I would be looking at the Northern part of coastal Margate, the Southern coastal part of Redcliffe and the Northern coast part of Scarborough. If you want to go for vastly over-priced property, then canal-side Newport is your go to area.

Bix

Thanks very much for the info Jad.

The peninsula sure seems to be a convenient location for a lot of things.

I've now looked up the Northlakes centre you mention and it offers us far more than we get up here in one place. Only a few minutes drive too.

Bix

Thank you Mike for the info and ideas.

One of the reasons we are thinking of moving to renting is so that we can move about relatively easily and cheaply compared to home owning.

So if the neighbours turned out to be "less desirable" we could leave them to it quite quickly.

Bix

Thanks very much BS.

I wondered why nothing in Newport comes up on my searches and it's obviously out of our league.

Beggars can't be choosers but that has helped me narrow down the areas nicely.

Pollyana

I was hoping Mr BS would stop by as I know he's been very familiar with the area for a good while
Redcliffe's reputation is a lot better than it used to be locally, and purely personally I think it might suit you felines better as its got more of that laid back FNQ-type attitude than the southern side of the city

Broad Shoulders

oh, and whatever you do, do not get tempted by the amazingly cheap prices of Deception Bay. It is called that for a very very good reason.

Mike at Taree

Desperation Bay
I'd still have a look at Bribie Island. It's great for renting much cheaper than even Caboolture - lived there for the last 8 years and my observations are:

Because it's a 40k round trip to the highway it's not very practical for commuters. For example if you have a working couple running two vehicles then that's 400k a week just to get onto the M1, then you still have to get into the city or the airport or wherever you work. So younger couples chuck that money onto renting at Northgate or Sandgate or Chermside whatever. So the Island doesn't attract high earning renters, keeps the rents down.

However if not commuting it's only 20 minutes from rail, a big shoppingtown etc and only 30 minutes from Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast.

Rents in Caboolture, strangely, are higher than the island for similar reasons - they have everything they need at their doorstep (probation officer, TAB, neighbourhood drug dealer, base hospital ED, Centrelink office, )

Don't be put off by the high sales prices on the island, most permanents are retirees and sink their life funds into their home, so the sales prices are not connected with the rent rates, which is a bit of an anomaly.

Plenty of nice 3 or 4 bed houses and apartments less than $350 in pleasant areas.

Worth a look and a quick squizz at the area.

Broad Shoulders

...and the beauty is, if you don't like your neighbours on Bribie, they will most likely be dead within a few months anyway.

it's a win win

bobbyftm

Not many watering holes left in the vicinity for fine animals like yourselves mate

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226680219936 (cant do that fancy stuff with writing so there )