Latest news with #Woolard
News.com.au
02-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Qld leads nation with 15 ‘supercharged' property markets
Queensland has topped the nation for supercharged suburbs primed for price growth, with 15 city and regional locations flagged for soaring home sales. New research pinpointed 50 Aussie suburbs with the best prospects for investors, underpinned by a sustained rise in property sales. Hotspotting's Price Predictor Index (PPI) highlighted a total of 28 house and 22 unit markets, with the Sunshine State 'dominating' the seasonal list, report author and property analyst Terry Ryder said. 'The Supercharged Suburbs [are] places likely to deliver price uplift,' Mr Ryder said. 'Locations with a strong trend of rising sales activity from quarter to quarter are generally primed for price growth in the near future.' With most of the latest supercharged suburbs found in capital cities, Greater Brisbane's standout performers included house markets in Manly West, Thornlands, Regents Park, Victoria Point, and Banksia Beach, and units in New Farm, Upper Mount Gravatt, Woodridge and Calamvale. Four Gold Coast suburbs made the list, including Mermaid Beach, Palm Beach and Burleigh Heads for units, and Ormeau for houses. Other regional hotspots were houses in Redlynch, Cairns, and Sippy Downs, Sunshine Coast. Trailing Queensland, Victoria had 14 supercharged suburbs, NSW and South Australia seven each, the Northern Territory three, and both Western Australia and the ACT had two. New Farm recorded the highest quarterly sales of any Queensland suburb on the list with 91 unit sales in the most recent period, up from 52 a year earlier. Aaron Woolard, of Place Estate Agents, said New Farm's popularity had exploded with the gentrification of the area, with downsizing buyers finding value in the riverfront apartment market. 'New Farm always attracts such a wide demographic of buyers, and although investor inquiry has been a little lighter over the last few years, we are starting to see a comeback with the easing of interest rates and the strong rental demand in the area,' Mr Woolard said. 'The local apartment market continues to outperform surrounding areas and even houses, with the gap in price between the two sorts of properties decreasing.' Recent sales included $1.96m for a two-bedder in the riverfront Gemini building which had been held by the same family for more than 50 years, and a one-bedroom unit on Sydney Street sold for $640,000 to a first-home buyer who beat out three other offers made within days of listing. Mr Woolard said the last sale for that style of property was $595,000 six months ago, indicating intensifying demand for traditional investor stock. First-home buyers Flyn Park and Olivia Farrell knew they had to act quickly when they found their dream apartment in the inner-city hotspot, securing a riverview two-bedder for $785,000. It last sold three years ago for $500,000. The couple had narrowed their search to New Farm's classic 1970s-style brick buildings, seeking a unit in an elevated corner position to take advantage of the river breeze. 'I knew what I wanted. We were looking for some time, and we watched the market here go crazy,' Mr Park, 25, said. 'You want to buy in an area where lots of people want to live – so when we found what we were looking for, we jumped on it.' On the Gold Coast, Palm Beach jumped from 65 to 106 unit sales, while Burleigh Heads more than doubled from 35 to 101. Buyers agent Oliver Dunstan, of Rose and Jones, said rising sales activity was being driven by a mix of long-term owners cashing out and more recent buyers offloading properties due to increased holding costs. 'Coming from a low base level of sales volume over recent years, we have witnessed a mixture of long-term owners trading out of assets to release funds, but also vendors who bought at high prices during Covid and are now selling due to rising ownership costs,' Mr Dunstan said. 'Being such high-demand areas, vendors don't need to wait for market improvements — there's almost always a strong pool of buyers ready to act.' Mr Dunstan investor sentiment on the Gold Coast remained 'suppressed' due to broader economic uncertainty, but expected a rebound later this year after the federal election and predicted interest rate cuts. 'The rental market remains very competitive, so strong yields are still available for investors willing to enter the market,' he said. The report also noted Queensland's dominance among the nation's most stable property performers, with 13 suburbs making the Top 50 Most Consistent Markets. 'The value of consistent markets should not be overlooked,' Mr Ryder said. 'These often deliver good price growth and tend to be safe places to invest.' The Gold Coast's Hope Island, Robina and Mermaid Waters unit markets were all marked for sustained buyer demand, alongside affordable Brisbane growth pockets such as Caboolture South and Redcliffe. But not all markets were surging. Five Queensland suburbs were flagged among the nation's 30 worst performers — including Murrumba Downs, Newport and Redcliffe, where rising prices may be pricing out buyers. 'Prices in all three suburbs have steadily increased in the past two years and the slowdown of sales may now be reflective of traditional buyers in those markets now being priced out,' Mr Ryder said. Across the board, regional Queensland emerged as one of the nation's most promising investment prospects. Sales activity was up 20 per cent on last year and 24 per cent compared to two years ago, with major centres like Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Townsville, Cairns, and the Whitsundays all recording strong upward trends. Aussies warned: One thing worse than dud rates On the Gold Coast, 64 per cent of markets posted positive transaction levels, with only three suburbs in decline. 'Sales activity has risen quarter by quarter over the past year,' the report noted. Brisbane was described as 'steady,' with sales volumes across Greater Brisbane up 13 per cent on the previous year and 30 per cent higher than two years ago. More than half of its suburbs recorded positive trends. 'The Brisbane market continues to be positive,' Mr Ryder said. 'Unit markets remain strong, comprising around 33 per cent of sales in recent quarters, up from 30 per cent a year earlier.' House markets in Ashgrove, Aspley, Springwood, Strathpine, and Capalaba were highlighted for strong sales growth, while unit markets in Milton, Carina, Cannon Hill, Teneriffe, and Woodridge were also rising.
USA Today
24-04-2025
- USA Today
'Doesn't get easier': Loved ones remember NC student months after killing
'Doesn't get easier': Loved ones remember NC student months after killing Sha'Mari Parker was excited to graduate from East Carolina University this year, move to another city and pursue one of two job offers extended to him. But the 20-year-old never got that chance. Remembered by loved ones as a cancer survivor, a "beautiful soul," and a hard worker, Parker was found shot to death in Washington, North Carolina in what police believe was an attempted robbery. Officers found Parker suffering from a gunshot wound on the evening of Jan. 7 after someone alerted police about a vehicle collision at an intersection in Beaufort County, about 38 miles north of New Bern. Parker was pronounced dead at the scene, Washington police said in a news release. Months later, one suspect is in custody while another remains at large. Zaydrian Starkie, 17, has been charged with murder and armed robbery, according to the Washington Police Department. Another teen, 16-year-old Quamir Razor, is wanted for murder and armed robbery charges, police confirmed to USA TODAY. Police: Suspects shot Parker, leading to crash Police believe the suspects were in the car with Parker, who was driving, a spokesperson from the Washington Police Department told USA TODAY on April 23. Officials think the suspects shot Parker, ran off, and that's when Parker's vehicle hit a pole. The gun Parker was shot with did not belong to him, authorities told USA TODAY. They declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation. The District Attorney's Office for Prosecutorial District 2 in North Carolina declined to comment on April 23, also citing the ongoing investigation and North Carolina law prohibiting them from commenting. It was not immediately clear this week who was representing Starkie in court. 'I hope that's not my baby's car' Cortyne Woolard, Parker's mother, said her son worked as a stocker at Walmart, often working 10-hour shifts. He was studying construction management at East Carolina University. Woolard said her son had a gun the teens may have been after. He'd asked for one last Christmas. Uneasy around guns, his mother was hesitant, but got it for him anyway because he was a good kid. He was a "workaholic," so the day he died, he'd been resting before work. Later, his little sister had a feeling she should stay home with him, but she decided to go to a basketball game at Washington High School with her mom instead. Woolard texted her son and asked him to transfer her $5 since she only had cash and needed a card to pay for her basketball game ticket. He sent her the money, sent her a thumb's up, and that's the last she heard from him, she told USA TODAY. Not too long after, she and her daughter were watching the game when news of an incident involving a 2017 Ford Escape, just like her son's vehicle, began circulating. 'I hope it's not my baby's car,' Woolard recalled saying at the time. They went to the scene and spoke to an officer, who verified some information such as tattoos her son had. The officer eventually showed her a photo. 'I saw the blood on my son's arm,' she said. 'From there, it was just a blur.' Slain college student previously beat cancer Parker was the oldest of four children. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was just a child, his mother said. He was hospitalized and underwent radiation and chemo. He also underwent a lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, which would usually take a few days to recover from, his mother said. But by 2018, his cancer was in remission. While undergoing cancer treatment, Parker's bones were weakened, so he needed surgery on his ankle, his mom said. The day after surgery, he still wanted to go to class. 'He was so serious about his education,' his mother recalled. 'I drove him around for the rest of the semester. He said 'Ma, I can't miss this class.'' Suspect repeatedly called victim and asked for a ride Woolard said her son knew Starkie, who has been charged. She said he also knew of Razor, who is still at large. His mother looked at her son's laptop and saw that on Jan. 7, Starkie asked her son for a ride. Parker initially said he couldn't do it because he had work later. 'The little boy had been calling, calling, calling, texting,' she said, adding that her son likely agreed to give him a ride so he'd leave him alone. Police announced on Jan. 22 and Jan. 31 that a $5,000 reward had been offered for tips leading to Razor's arrest. According to Woolard, police don't think Razor is in the area anymore. 'I miss him every day' Parker's mother misses everything about her son, she said. She added that he didn't have a real childhood due to his cancer diagnosis and treatment. He didn't go many places or do much other than work, go to school, play video games and eat. He was known to ask her 'Ma, what you gon' cook?' she said, adding that he loved wings, steak, fries, oxtails and more. His girlfriend, Ayanni Bryant, said he was humble with a gentle spirit. The pair met in 9th grade, she told USA TODAY. 'He is my best friend and high school sweetheart,' she said. 'I miss him every day. The pain and his missing presence doesn't get easier or better. It's only easier to control the tears around people. He was truly a beautiful soul gone too soon.' Washington police ask that anyone with information in connection to Parker's death contact them at (252) 946-1444 or Beaufort County Crime Stoppers at (252) 974-6400. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
