Sale season starts

PERFECT PLACE: Andrew and Sharon Stanke with their children Claudia and Blaede outside their new home at Flinders View. The couple moved to the suburb last week.

Sarah Harvey

WITH spring in the air, Ipswich real estate agents are gearing up for what is traditionally their busiest season.

Ray White Ipswich commercial licensed agent and auctioneer Trent Quinn said typically there was an increase in listings during September and October.

Mr Quinn said the political climate also drove the trend.

“Normally after a new government we see a spike in listings,” he said.

“A lot of people sit back and wait to see what will happen before listing their property.”

He said features such as proximity to the CBD and rail line helped drive interest in suburbs such as East Ipswich, North Ipswich, Coalfalls and Woodend.

“Given the incentives, a lot of first home buyers bought in 2009, so a lot of the purchasers are investors looking to add to their portfolio or people looking to trade up,” Mr Quinn said.

LJ Hooker Yamanto principal Steve Athanates said the agency would join others nationwide in the LJ Hooker Spring Property Fest to take advantage of the active buying period.

“Traditionally it is a time when people are looking to find and be in a new home before Christmas,” Mr Athanates said.

“If it takes on average 30 to 60 days to sell the current home and settle on a new one, then now is the period they start looking.”

In what will come as welcome news to property owners, while price growth in most Queensland cities has gone backwards, Ipswich median prices jumped 1.6 per cent to top the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s June quarter figures.

The median price for a house in Ipswich is now $325,000 compared with Brisbane’s $538,250 – a rise of 1.2 per cent in the same quarter.

Flinders View prices rose 11.7 per cent in the quarter to $397,000.

Solid growth of more than 8 per cent was also recorded in Camira, Silkstone and Springfield.

“These areas are popular with different people for different reasons,” Mr Athanates said.

For 31-year-old Andrew Stanke, Flinders View was the perfect place to relocate with wife Sharon and children Claudia and Blaede.

The family moved into their new home in Oriole Close last Friday.

“We’ve moved around a lot with work, so it was time to move home and settle,” Mr Stanke said.

“We have got family in town and now we’re closer to them.”

Top suburbs

Flinders View: 11.7% over the quarter; Median $397,000.

Silkstone: 8.9%; $299,000.

Springfield: 8.8%; $410,000.

Camira: 8.5%; $385,000.

Springfield Lakes: 7.2%; $415,000.

East Ipswich: 5.7 per cent; $280,000.