This was published 5 months ago
Dirt cheap: Where you can nab a bargain block near Brisbane for $200,000
By Sarah Webb
Dirt cheap land deals across south-east Queensland may have dwindled over the past decade, but you can still nab a bargain block for just over $200,000 less than an hour from the capital – and Logan, Ipswich and Woodford now boast the lion’s share.
Pebble Creek – a development about a 45-minute drive from Brisbane in South Maclean, Yarrabilba – a masterplanned community that’s 45 kilometres south of the capital, and Woolmar – a couple of hours from the city and an hour from Caloundra, are selling some of the cheapest blocks on the market in mainland south-east Queensland today.
Home buyers can snag a bargain block near Brisbane, or look offshore to Russell Island, pictured, for even lower prices.Credit: Property Centre SMBI
And at $204,000 a pop for some, developers say they’re drawing droves of Brisbane first home buyers who can snag a new home for less than half of the city’s median house price, which is $848,752 according to Domain’s latest data.
At Yarrabilba, a Lendlease development near Logan Village, dozens of blocks priced below $300,000 are selling in the latest release, and the cheapest on offer costs $204,000 for a 448-square-metre block.
In Pebble Creek, stage 10 of the Orchard Property Group development recently plated up lots starting from $245,000 for a 294-square-metre lot. At Woolmar, which sits a stone’s throw from Woodford, 628-square-metre lots are on offer for as little as $229,000 through QM Properties.
Outside of house and land developments, bargain land buyers are spoiled for choice in the Ipswich region, where lots as large as 844 square metres can be nabbed for under $300,000.
Offshore, however, some of Queensland’s cheapest land can be found on Russell Island where dozens of bargain land parcels are advertised, with 549-square-metre lots selling for as little as $44,950, Domain search results show.
On the other end of the spectrum, South-East Queensland’s priciest land parcels can be picked up on the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and metro Brisbane – with one of the most expensive non acreage lots currently on the market in Southport.
The 857-square-metre vacant lot at 124 Marine Parade is being marketed for $8.5 million through Amir Prestige Group.
For 24-year-old Brisbane healthcare worker Ellie Robinson, the surprisingly cheap cost of land just 45 minutes outside of Brisbane city allowed her to climb onto the property ladder at 22.
“I’d been putting money away for around three or four years but when I first started looking to buy in 2020, I had no idea where to go,” she said.
“At the time I was working in the city and there was nothing affordable there.
“Then I came across Pebble Creek. To buy the land and build the house cost just $400,000 … I honestly had no idea I could get a new house for that price.”
As for the cherry on top of the affordability cake, Robinson said she met her now partner (Scott Tickle) during a friendly Friday night community ping pong game – and the pair are now planning to build a new home together within Pebble Creek.
Ellie Robinson and Scott Tickle are planning to build a new home at Pebble Creek.
“He was a first home buyer here and he also works in the city,” she said.
“We both really love the location because it’s close to a lot of things we like.”
Pebble Creek Estate sales manager Matt Spencer said first home buyers like Robinson were driving demand for land purchases within the community.
“Between 80 and 85 per cent of our clients are first home buyers and their ages range from 18 to 50,” he said.
“Many buyers here thought they would never be able to get into the market, but they’ve since gone on to purchase their first block and house.
“The most expensive block we’ve sold here was for $375,000 and that was for an 800-square-metre parcel.”
The Queensland government recently announced it would double the First Home Owner Grant, taking the total to $30,000 for eligible first home owners. This $15,000 boost came into effect on November 20.
Lendlease Head of Queensland Communities, Ian Murray, said demand for affordable lots had remained high over the past year, despite industry challenges.
“Home construction has encountered complexities due to notable shortages in trades, costs of materials, and extended project timelines,” he said.
“We’ve been supporting our customers as much as possible, for example, buyers can secure a block of land with a smaller deposit … the enhanced First Home Owner Grant will (additionally) offer support for first home buyers to enter the housing market and achieve home ownership sooner.”
While he said some clients found the fluctuations in interest rates and costs of living an added hurdle, he said once interest rates ease and prices normalised, they anticipated increased first home owner activity.
Vanya Dzumhur, a South Ripley sales specialist and marketing executive at Ray White Ipswich, said she’d sold dozens of ‘on-sale’ lots from developments in the area for less than $400,000 – but warned that prices were rising.
“I do a lot in the Ripley Valley area and while land is still affordable compared to Brisbane, it does seem to have bumped up quite significantly (over the past couple of years),” she said.
Further north at Woolmar, Scott Scheu of QM Properties said 10 blocks remained in stage one of an affordable residential development that would comprise 500 large lots in total.
“Prices start from $236,000 and while interest so far has been fair, it is a bit remote here (for some buyers),” he said.
“Woolmar is a little country town, but you’ve got the IGA, the pubs, service stations and schools.
“It’s 45 minutes from here to the Bruce Highway. A lot of interest here is coming from first home buyers and it’s because of that affordability. But then we are also getting people looking to downsize from the Sunshine Coast.”