HOT Still

As we closed the chapter on 2021, happy to have a short reprieve from the madness of the past two years, the property market across the Sunshine Coast and Noosa remained hotter than ever.

When I spoke with Buyers Agent Kirstie Klein Hunter earlier this month, she reaffirmed that while the local market remained hot there were some distinct changes starting to come through.

“The market is definitely not what it was in 2021, but demand remains equally as strong,” Kirstie said.

“Last year a home might sell within 24-to-48 hours of being listed but what I am seeing now is a bit of breathing room.

“Properties are still selling quickly but there is less urgency from buyers, many of whom are now prepared to wait a bit longer for the right property.”

Kirstie specialises in the Noosa region and works with real estate agents to secure properties for interstate and overseas clients with many purchases being made before the property officially comes onto the market.

Here are her thoughts on what we can expect to see over the coming months:

OFF-MARKET IS ON

As if finding your dream home in Noosa wasn’t hard enough, Kirstie said the start of 2022 had seen a significant increase in ‘off market’ deals being done but cautions this is often budget related.

“Many of my clients are in a strong financial position and when they specify the type of property they are looking for, we will work with agents to see if they have clients who may not have come to market yet or who may not have even thought about selling; but might be willing to sell their property.

“For many sellers, this can be a blessing as it saves them the time and effort of having open homes and people traipsing through their property.

“Often buyers will pay a premium to ensure the property does not go to market and that offers a level of comfort to the seller. It’s not for everyone but if the budget is right, it can be a win/win for both parties,” Kirstie said.

Keep It Real

This is an emotional subject as everyone wants to sell at the height of the market and get the best price possible for their property - but sellers need to remain realistic.

“We have finite stock in Noosa and the demand for property remains high, but sellers need to listen to their real estate agent and be realistic about the price they are prepared to let their property go for,” she said. “There is a limit to what people will pay in any market and being unrealistic may mean you miss out on the best offer available at the time.”

Desire Not Desperation

Compared to this time last year Kirstie said her enquiries have more than doubled but there has been a shift in how quickly people are looking to transact.

“I have seen a significant increase in enquiries but what I am noticing this year is that people have a more measured approach,” she said. “They are still willing to move quickly if the price and location is right, but the levels of urgency are not the same as when the southern states were in lockdown.

“My clients are coming from a very strong financial position and this year that sense of urgency has really been replaced with a desire to find the right property even if it isn’t yet for sale!”

BYE BYE BYRON

With easy access to the Bruce Highway and a new airline, Bonza, soon to land at the upgraded airport, regional travel is more accessible so it’s easy to see why entrepreneurs are swapping Byron Bay for Noosa.

“It’s not just the ease of travel that is enticing these tech-savvy entrepreneurs to the region,” Kirstie said.

“We are attracting a lot of attention due to the high-speed subsea cable, the new CBD and the growth that will come from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast securing the 2032 Olympics.

“And dollar-for-dollar they can buy a stunning property in the Hinterland but still be close enough to Noosa when they want good restaurants, coffee and shopping experiences.”

Finding Nirvana

While there is still demand for investment properties this is outstripped by buyers seeking a lifestyle change says Kirstie.

“The majority of my enquiries are from people wanting to relocate here, but that is where the similarities end,” she said. “Primarily it is people from Sydney and Melbourne wanting a sea change. Some are retired but many are couples with kids who are done with the pressures of living in the big cities.

“People want to be able to drive their kids to school and then pick them up at the end of the day and be able to take them to sport or the beach. For them, this change in pace and lifestyle is like finding Nirvana – and I have to say I completely agree with them – we are just so lucky to live here.”

And Kirstie is right about that.

As much as the past two years have been stressful and crazy with a lot of uncertainty thrown into the mix, we really are very fortunate to call the Sunshine Coast home and it’s of little surprise that others want to join the club!

Our professional team expertly project manages every step of the acquisition process, from researching, sourcing and negotiation through to settlementremoving the stress and uncertainty from your property purchase.

Contact Kirstie today for a no-obligation discussion about how a local, independent Buyer's Agent can help you secure your piece of paradise.

Kirstie 0449 640 204 kirstie@khpb.com.au noosapropertybuyersagent.com.au

I’m not proud when it comes to the getting of wisdom.

Quotes from historical and political figures, artworks, poetry and literature (Shakespeare has a few), lyrics, self-help gurus, business figures, mantras, podcasts, yoga teachers and Tibetan monks, even billboard advertising; not to mention friends, family and colleagues - I seek wisdom where I can.

I am literally a ‘wisdom sponge’always seeking, always reading and listening, hoping for the jewel which unlocks some insight into how best to navigate this unfathomably infinite universe and the human world which we live in as a speck-within-a-speck.

If I feel a particular need for some solace or learning and the right kind of wisdom happens to come along, then it is fair prey for me.

When it comes to the right kind of wisdom, I am not talking about that world-weary observatory resignation which some call wisdom (and which really seems to be a negative energysapping criticism of the affairs of humankind). No I am talking about the vibrant, alert and available wisdom of a Bernie Taupin or Paul McCartney in their prime lyrics-writing period.

I have been a collector of quotes and sayings over the years. Some come in handy for public speaking, others for conversation. Mostly they come in handy when life springs one of its surprises and for when confusion overrides lucidity.

Some sayings I keep on a more permanent or semi-permanent basis, others have a temporary shelf-life.

I have a habit of writing the wise sayings I want to recall as each year unfolds in a page at the front of my diary (yes I still use a hard copy diary). I refer to these sayings as the year waxes and wanes - a reminder of what I want/need to remember as time passes.

Some sayings get a multi-year diary shelf life while others pass into history as each new year brings a new diary.

For me, it’s the resonance of the message at that specific time, depending on what is going on in my life and how aware I am of the internal movements of thought, emotion, spirit and body.

It’s also about who is delivering the wisdom. Am I drawn to that person? Has the wisdom been forged in life and borne of experiences, drama and pain?

Is the person delivering the alleged wisdom genuine and someone I can empathise with? Or is it simply the mouthings of a follower of fashion?

Does wisdom have to be verbal? Observing the simplicity and ‘newness’ of how animals live is a kind of physical wisdom which can teach us much.

I think many of us also struggle to define what we mean by wisdom but we know what it is when we see or hear it.

Definitions use words like experience, knowledge, common sense, sound judgement and understanding.

One of the best definitions came from a Tibetan monk. He said that when faced with a decision or dilemma, wisdom can come from either the head or the heart. Wisdom for him was knowing which one to choose in that moment. He also said that sometimes decisions that seem to be wise in the short-term can be revealed as unwise as unforeseen (or foreseen) consequences manifest the initial decision or course of action.

I am always amazed at the wisdom of youth. While wisdom can be found coming from the mouths of babes, I am talking more about teenagers and those in their early twenties.

Much of this can be found in popular songs where lyrics expose a level of self-awareness and, indeed a universal awareness that leaves me dumbfounded when I think of myself at the same age.

While the much-maligned ‘threechord song’ which underpins many pop songs can sometimes be trite and simplistic, there are lyrics which explore deep themes which have bemused and fascinated our species for generations.

Just like the Top Ten, my wisdom needs change regularly. Key themes seem to emerge and fade as I bother the topic of connecting to the natural world, our place in the universe, or particular emotions which might be the focus of my energy for a variety of reasons.

When one embarks on a search for wisdom it becomes apparent that most of us spend our mental and emotional energy reinventing the wheel and that we are often stuck in a giant repeat cycle of questioning and emotional tumult.

Decisions are motivated by where we were at and what was happening at that time. The goal is to learn from decisions and the consequences in the hope that over time, the number of unwise decisions diminishes.

This is not guaranteed however.

Life is not an upwards continuum in the wisdom stakes. Our individual cycles of life bring a certain ebb and flow to our level of clarity and ability to make wise decisions and to act wisely.

We are just as capable of making an unwise decision at the age of 80 as we were at age 18. Timing can be everything when it comes to ‘wiseness’.

There are regressions also. I have felt at certain times that I have been in a wise ‘phase’, only to see myself stumble and fall at the next hurdle like a player in snakes-and-ladders.

Part of why we tend to repeat mistakes is that while it is well-and-good collecting wise sayings and song lyrics this is all just fairy floss for the brain unless it can assist in changing the innate relationship we have with life.

We have to feel the wisdom and live it until it is part of us at every level.

Bringing learnings from the external hurly-burly to the internal hurly-burly where they become intrinsic to living seems difficult.

The wisdom of wisdom, therefore, is the transmutation from wise thought to wise life. That’s the trick.