Sunshine Coast?

Anyone based on or know the Sunshine Coast well and have any thoughts on current growth, job creation etc.?

We are looking at cashing out of Sydney and moving there. Wife is training to be a midwife and I have a marketing business that I can run from anywhere. We also have young kids. Our house would give us enough to buy a block of land and have either no mortgage or very little mortgage depending on type of property we build. We also have some family there.

I've read a few articles on the new CBD, airport, hospital, infrastructure, Bernard Salt's recent favourable report and property certainly seems to be increasing in value from a couple of years ago.

My only concern is a job for my wife once she graduates (she is happy to travel to Brisbane) and the kids when they are older. Despite all the positives there was a recent article in the Sunshine Coast Daily with many people complaining about the lack of jobs.

 

Great place to live and a good investment too. I would actually suggest Gold Coast as a better choice. More jobs and opportunities. Massive property growth ahead and awesome lifestyle.

 

See @Jamie Moore - he moved to Noosa from down south.

 

Hit me up @MJay

Happy to help - I made the move with a young family too.

There's so many southerners making the move. I just got back from a BBQ and all of us (four couples) had moved up within the last 12 months. All had young families - all were from Sydney.

I'm not sure what the employment situation is like though. I've heard it can be tough - but at the same time I see lots of opportunities up here.

I'm fortunate to work in an industry where I can continue to help my clients from anywhere. Having said that - I still have my office in Canberra (which I work from occasionally) - and it's quite easy to commute back south when required. I can be in my Canberra office within a few hours if need be.

Personally - I wouldn't bother with the Gold Coast or Brisbane. I assume you're moving from Syd to escape the rat race so I wouldn't bother landing in another busy town.

Cheers

Jamie

 

Commuting sucks though

 

Thanks for the info Jamie,

Yes certainly looking to escape the rat race. I'll be fine for work much like yourself, as my clients are spread across the east coast (just need access to an airport for occasional visits) as most of my work is conducted online.

I really was more concerned about my wife as in Sydney all midwife graduates are obtaining jobs, but apparently on the Sunshine Coast no graduates obtained jobs locally this year. However, that could change in two years when she is qualified. To a lesser extent I'm concerned about the kids when they are grown up, but that is at least 10 or so years away and if Bernard Salt's predictions are correct the Coast will be very different. Also hoping the new CBD they are pushing is as good as the marketing.

Did think about renting our place out in Sydney, but think a clean break and the potential to be almost mortgage free is appealing.

Any areas you'd recommend? We like Buderim, but it can be pricey. Also don't mind Mount Coolum/Coolum beach area. My sister lives at Peregian Springs - modern homes, but not too keen as the blocks are fairly small and everyone just seems on top of each other.

 

Don't worry about the kids! Consider the lifestyle they'll have growing up! My 4 year old comes out mountain bike riding, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc. she's already asked if santa would bring her a surfboard for xmas

It seems that the older kids end up moving to Brisbane, Syd, etc for study/Work but a lot tend to come back when they start their own families.

Noosa is the best spot IMO - you have access to the awesome river, beach and all the amenities of a larger town.

Coolum is great too - chillled out and a bit cheaper. Lovely beach - and closer to the airport.

I like peregian beach (older area) but not too keen on the springs for the same reason you've mentioned.

There's some good spots in Tewantin that offer good value for money.

What would your budget be?

Cheers

Jamie

 

Hi Jamie,

Most probably rent to start off with and then buy a block of land and build. Probably 300-350k for land and 300-400k build to avoid larger mortgage. Green Earth Homes have some nice looking homes for decent price.

We were really grappling with whether to rent our Sydney house out (in the Sutherland Shire) and keep it for capital growth or sell it. However, don't really like the idea of being a landlord and would need the funds to buy (as wife still has 2 years full time as a student to run). Just hope we haven't missed the boat with all this talk of slowing Sydney market.

 

This is the only thing that concerns me about moving -

Man rejected for thousands of jobs after moving to Coast

Lot's of similar stories on the Sunshine Coast Daily facebook page.

I do wonder if it's lower qualified or specialist jobs though and whether the situation will change with more Southerners moving up and investment in new CBD etc.

 

I totally agree with all the points made here! It's got all the lifestyle boxes ticked and really isn't that far from any amenities you need. The Gold Coast is a VERY different atmosphere, much more 'built up'. You need to go further south into the Northern NSW coast to get a similar feel but there's far less access to infrastructure down there.

I really don't know as much about the Sunshine Coast as I should, but far north Brisbane (Caboolture and surrounds) is seeing big infrastructure investment. The highway is nice and the drive shouldn't be much longer than you'd sit stuck in traffic in Brisbane or Sydney anway, it opens your options to job opportunities geographically.

 

Hi mjay. I'm a few months in front of you and done lots of research from tewantin to noosa down to coolum and Mt coolum. Your on the mark budget wise, will struggle to get anything in noosa unless you want to Reno. Tewantin was my fave until we did the school thing. Though this can be fixed by going private. How old are your kids.?
Mine are bit older then Jamie's at 7 and 4. We really loved Peregian beach but 800k gets you a Reno.(wife didn't want to go down that track) them we've decided on the springs. Great for family's and still some large blocks left. Avoid the breeze estate which comes under Peregian beach bits it's really in the springs but seperated by the hwy.
Good luck and happy if you want to contact me and will give you my insights into the area. We just spent 2 weeks and 50 houses later looking up there.
Jamie's up there too and will give you the low down.
Good luck. The weather's fantastic.

 

P.s
They've just built the biggest university hospital in he southern hemisphere.
Also have a nurses training facility in noosa it selve. My wifes in the uni system with nurses etc down here in Wodonga.
Also just built a huge retirement home in coolum and currently advertising for jobs . Opens in January.
The wages may be lower, but that's offset by cost of living and lifestyle. I'm keeping my house and renting out and then will re- evaluate down the track. Sydney's only going to keep going up. You can keep for 6 yes then sell with the poor rule for cap gains.

 

Not poor rule.... Ppor. Predictive txt gets me in trouble all the time.

 

Can confirm. Had to take a little one there a couple of weeks back. It's huge!

Cheers

Jamie

 

Kids are 6, 4 and nearly 2.

 

That's the thing I'm grappling with. Whether to sell our Sydney house and cash out - giving us the funds to buy straight away on the Coast. Alternatively, renting out our Sydney house (using the 6 year rule) and then just renting on the Coast for the next few years and selling it down the track.

 

I'd do that.

There's a couple of main reasons.

Firstly - it's all completely reversible. If for some reason the sunny coast doesn't work out for you - then you can slot back into your old life. Give the tenants notice and head back. Having said that - I'm sure you'll have a blast up here and want to stay

Secondly - you need to live in the area for a while to get a feel for where you'd like to live longer term. I'd rent for a while and then purchase later on. We personally did - and then honed in on a spot that we wanted to purchase within.

Cheers

Jamie

 

Im about to graduate as a midwife graduate positions are very competitive in Brisbane/Sunshine coast/Gold Coast! Will have to be open to commuting ...

 

Thanks Mel, are you finding it hard to get positions and did you study at the SCU? My wife was told that there were very few positions available locally and commuting was the only option in the foreseeable future. However, this may change in 2-5 years as more midwifes retire on the SC.

 

Hi all,
We moved up from Melbourne early in 2016 as we have family in the area and a 2 year old. Hopefully some of my thoughts might be useful:
1. Airbnb was awesome for making the decision on the move. We narrowed it down to 2 areas (coast in the Buddina area nearish the new hospital and ocean side of the Nicklin Way vs. Buderim on top of the mountain) prior to making the final decision to make the move. We then came up for around 2 weeks and stayed in Airbnb in residential houses in both places. While I really liked being near the beach it is pretty "bogany" down there and the vibe just wasn't right for us. The schools down there aren't the best either, you can always go private though. After staying in Buderim we knew that was the spot for us. The demographic is quite old up there but there are plenty of young families moving into the area. The feel was right for us, might be different for others though. Being able to go for a half hour run through rainforest and waterfalls from my front door is pretty nice, and its the location for most of the best private and public schools in the area. I can also get to Alex Heads in 10 minutes early in the morning for a paddle which is a bonus, and you're onto the Bruce Highway in under 5 minutes. We managed to get over 1000m2 block with a massive avocado tree, pool, nice house and short walk to the village for far less than a crapshack in a dodgy suburb of Melbourne so it was a no brainer for us.

2. I'm personally not that fussed on Noosa as a place to live IF you have to work outside that area, each to their own but I find it a pain on weekends because it is so jammed with tourists and the commute to Brisbane during working hours if needed would be a killer. The Bruce Highway jams up bad quite often, and that extra 30+ minutes each way vs the Buderim / Alex Heads area would drive me nuts.

3. I work a bit with the hospital, and they do have a neonatal intensive care unit which will gradually take over a lot of the need for complex births to go to Brisbane so my guess is they will hire some more midwifes over time. It would be very competitive though I think, but at the same time if your wife did her degree at a top tier uni that might set her apart. Jobs on the coast are typically very hard to get as there is a lot of competition.

If you have any questions feel free to ask or send a PM for specifics

Ross