QLD Logan or Ipswich

Hello,
I am a first time home buyer. Basically have been looking at buying a house (not unit/townhouse) for a maximum price of $375k.

Because i’ll be living by myself and working in the city, i’m keen to find places with good neighborhood and at least around 30km radius from city.

I’m also looking for house that at least have been renovated or upgrade. It will be great if it’s close to shops like Woolworths or Coles.

I did checked Marsden out and it is looking alright. Some friend suggest Ipswich, Redbank Plains, but i’m not familiar with Ipswich area. Therefore, could you please help me by giving suggestions of any other suburbs (both Logan and Ipswich)?30

 

Welcome. If you are working in the city try to buy on the train line. So Ipswich line or Beenleigh line is probably your choice. Plenty of opportunities in Ipswich, maybe Booval or East Ipswich for a character home without too much commute. Don’t be spoked by flood as plenty of Ipswich is on dry ground but check the maps.

 

Logan any day. Check out loganholme. Should find within your budget for a 3/1/2. Nice green leafy suburb with plenty of capital growth left. Only a 5 minute drive to hyperdome and beenleigh train station where there is an express train to the city. Too much new development in Ipswich. Plus you have tolls and poor access to the m1.

 

Marsden definanteky a good option, don’t rule out surrounding suburbs either, Crestmead, Waterford West still show good value and have potential for growth, Bethania is having a good run at 9% possibly due to closer proximity to M1 and railway.

 

Out of those 2 I would choose Logan any day of the week. Search some threads there is a lot of money going into Logan in the next few years there have been a few threads on the fundamentals of the area and they are positive.

Just do your due diligence and you will be fine. Great potential as well as current prices have much room to grow + the current yields will allow you to hold the properties without putting any of your own money into it. Might not be like this in a few years.

 

I'm on the same page as @magyar - would suggest you look at Loganholme instead for that kind of price range. Personally I would look for stocks that are within good access to the M1 or the Hyperdome shopping centre - you can't go wrong with these long term. Convenience of Hyperdome continues to attract OOs moving to the area so factoring your budget and demographics this could a good option for you.

With a bit of distance stretch you can also consider Edens Landing - can still get some decent houses around 300K mark. Saw a 4 bedder couple of days ago advertising around $350K so you've got plenty of options.

Cheers,
David

 

I 100% agree with all comments made so far, but I'd also like to suggest you check out Loganlea. You will need to be careful exactly where in Loganlea you buy, but it's a super convenient area with plenty of modern amenities and proximity to the best train station in Logan. Loganlea station has lots of parking and -best of all- gold coast/airport express line to city.

Also note- you'll want to be careful where you buy in any of these areas. There are good and bad parts of Marsden, Loganholme, etc, etc, so take any advice you get about the areas with a grain of salt and check them out in person. It's usually pretty obvious what the neighbourhood is like just from a drive-by.

 

For a PPOR I would take Ipswich without a second thought. It’s a gorgeous city with no shortage of gorgeous homes in large land. However I would look at Central Ipswich, Newtown and surrounding areas rather than Redbank Plains.

If you do go for Logan I would probably pick Loganlea.

 

Agreed- on an entirely personal level, I absolutely adore Ipswich. It's such a beautiful place.

 

@Tom Rivera which streets do you recommend? I am new to PC, looking at buying my first IP in Brisbane and based in Sydney. So, have not physically seen any area but reading post on PC it seems like general consensus is Logan over Ipswich. Is that correct? Your recommended areas?

 

The usual rule is don't buy within the triangle that is formed by the highways. Buying on the right hand side of the M1/M3 highway is more ideal. Search facebook for logan neighbourhood/crimewatch and you will get a fair idea where to avoid.

 

Crazy advice wohoo. Proximity to linear transport is key, I can guarantee you that when M1 is a carpark and you live on the eastern side you are stuck, when you live on the western side you have options (train, gateway, logan road, logan tollway).

What is the connection between a triangle of transport infrastructure and crime? How is one related to the other?

'usual rule' - what C*^p is that?

Most cities with urban sprawl have radial transport networks (from CBD) that are impossible, but when there is 'beltway' or infrastructure that traverses around it is really valuable.

 

Gtown and Tom have good advice, and honing in on Loganlea is a good idea. Meadowbrook also has advantages similar but houses are bit more expensive. Shiny new woollies near the hospital, but it isn't a major shopping centre. some eateries, chemist etc

For first home please consider loganlea and an alternative is Meadowbrook.

Please check flood data.

Living by yourself and going to CBD i would try to get as close as possible to the train station if i was you. Quite a lot of our friendly neighbours from Yarrabilba catch train at Loganlea and can use car parking quite early.

Not sure where you live now but i would really look at this street by street, house by house if you are going to live in it.

 

There is a 'red zone' in loganlea which is zoned well - near train station. Meadowbrook similarly worth looking at (near hospital). Also Springwood and Beenleigh are getting some good zoned areas. check out Logan PD Hub and zoom straight in.

 

It's a bit hard to recommend particular streets because there are so many of them. Boganfromlogan makes fantastic points all round, but I'll add a caution- Being close to the transport in some of these areas avails you of great convenience, good growth prospects and in some cases, fantastic zoning..... but it often also places you in the poorer neighbourhoods. Some of the seedier streets in Woodridge, Logan Central, Loganlea, etc are the ones right by the train stations. It's all a case of weighing up the pros and cons in any particular investment scenario.

 

Good point .... i have a bias towards transport - that is why i like some of the logan areas, but you do have to want to the transport. Incidentally in the future I think a local train station with an express train will be very valuable. And even now in loganlea in the red zone there are new houses being built, so it is changing.

 

Pardon my ignorance, what does red zone mea ? Some of the experts have advised against HL package, wouldnt that be better than existing stock- stamp duty on land only, higher depreciation, if in a right area (which i still dont have an idea) would be easier to rent!

 

Don't get me wrong, I like transport too, just not the youth gang that loiters in many of those stations looking for an opportunity to jump on someone. Situation may have changed since the last time I worked near those area back prior to 2012. For me, the stories of people theft and robberies and the very occasional murders occurring along those train station lines would put me off to live anywhere near them. Train Stations in Brisbane just don't give me any good vibe, unlike a bus station.

 

The general feeling around here is that you're overpaying for H&L, and in many cases you are. Done right- they're easier to rent to better tenants and are all but maintenance free for at least the first five years.