This week, Ipswich and Logan Granny Flats, the expert Granny Flat builders, bring to you an article on the Tiny House movement in Australia. With demand outstripping supply, these tiny houses could be the solution in some circumstances, according to the experts…

Read and enjoy:

Milton Ulladulla Times | Jessica Clifford
March 31 2016

Tiny houses may be the solution to Australia’s housing shortage according to Bawley Point builder, Grant Emans.

After 16 years as a builder he caught wind of the tiny house movement which has taken off in America and decided to start building the homes from the South Coast.

He has recently given up building full sized houses to focus his efforts on his new business, Designer Eco Tiny Homes.

“I put the concept out and had a client in Milton who wanted one,” Grant said.

“He’s using it as an office and library space

“It’s a new concept and there are only a handful of these in Australia.

“It could be the future of housing,” he said.

The tiny houses come in several sizes, from nine square metres to 60 square metres for the full granny flat.

Each house can be uniquely designed to suit the home it would be sitting alongside and is made from recyclable materials.

They are governed by the same rules as a caravan in terms of transport, and they do not require council approval to be installed.

The installation process takes 45 minutes.

They are designed with a hybrid power supply, partially solar but also connected to power from the main home’s supply.

They can also be built with bathrooms.

Grant is in the process of setting up a display home at Burrill Lake for people to view if they are considering building a tiny house.

“People can use them for anything,” Grant said.

Usages included on the website include a quick extension for growing families, granny flats for elderly parents, a backyard office, extra space for university students and a home for those building a bigger home who do not want to pay rent, however the options are endless.

“The biggest size can sleep up to seven people,” Grant said.

Grant is currently in America at the Tiny House Conference where he hopes to get a sneak peak of the emerging trends in tiny homes and bring these home to apply to his designs.

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This week, Ipswich Granny Flats & Logan Granny Flats, the expert granny flat builders – bring you the latest news on what industry experts are saying about Logan and Moreton Bay being “hot spots”. This stellar growth is set to continue as the year goes on…

The ripple effect is alive and well…

Sophie Foster
The Courier Mail
Saturday 19^th March 23

New data predicting where property prices will rise has three Queensland precincts among the “star growth markets” nationally – including a fresh riser in Brisbane.

The Price Predictor Index, which tracks increased sales to pinpoint where prices will rise, tipped Gold Coast canal suburbs, Beenleigh and Logan City, and Moreton Bay region for “five-star growth”.

Moreton Bay was named “national growth star” region after a stellar rise to now run neck and neck with Logan/Beenleigh regions for Brisbane area top spot. Both locations have 15 suburbs that are “rising fast” or “rising steadily”.

Report author Terry Ryder of Ryder Research Resources said Moreton Bay was “the big improver among all markets in Australia” but the Gold Coast was still the country’s top location for growth suburbs, with 25 under its belt.

Mr Ryder said changes in number of sales were a good sign prices would shift. “This means investors can buy ahead of price growth, by finding locations where sales volumes are rising but prices have not yet moved.”

REIQ chief executive Antonia Mercorella said the December quarter was the 14^th consecutive quarter of growth for Brisbane median house prices.

The standout in the Brisbane precinct was expected to be Shailer Park where good affordability had seen sales jump to 105 a quarter from just 65 18 months ago.

Three Moreton Bay suburbs made it into the national top 30 growth suburbs list – Deception Bay, Morayfield and Warner.

Heather Murray of Jan Jones Real Estate said the last four to five months had seen Deception Bay demand grow. “You can still pick up a three-bed, one-bath brick and tile home in the late $200, 000s.”

Kirsty and Graham Walker, who moved into a four-bedroom Deception Bay home a week ago, were happy. “Hooray, that’s fantastic now that we’ve already bought there,” Mrs Walker said.

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WANT TO BUILD A GRANNY FLAT IN LOGAN OR MORETON BAY?

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MORETON BAY GRANNY FLATS 2016 – COMING SOON

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Granny Flats – All About Good Design

Sonia Woolley
22 February 2016

Gone are the days of backyard sheds or garages renovated to become separate living spaces or unofficial Granny Flats.

The humble Granny Flat has now come of age. Experts in the industry are all saying the same thing – more and more people are utilizing a second building on their property as an investment strategy, and often the only way you can make an investment property cash flow positive.

I would say there has definitely been a change in attitude in the last couple of years towards granny flats, certainly here in Ipswich. We were the first council in SE Queensland to allow granny flats to be built that are able to be rented out to others than immediate family members.

Here at Ipswich Granny Flats we have found it’s predominantly investors that are looking at granny flats as a means of improving their cash flow on investment properties. But looking at our statistics, it appears that roughly one in four projects are for the family home being given over to the now grown children with their own families. The newly built granny flat is for mum and dad who are now looking at downsizing and retirement. In some instances, both mum and dad and the kids have sold their respective family homes; bought a property together with mum and dad then built a granny flat for themselves with the kids having the existing main house.

Gone also are the days of turning the garage into a bedroom / living area with toilet and shower as an illegal/unofficial flat.

We have our own architect, Russell Wombey (Wombey Architects) do all our designs – site specific per property. So we end up with not one granny flat design the same, often with input from the owners themselves. You see people start to think outside the square about what is actually being designed, how the spaces flow, how they would like to live in the space. And a custom-designed, purpose built granny flat need not be any more expensive than a modular building or conversion of existing space. At Ipswich Granny Flats we believe the extra time and energy spent on good design initially, will deliver better returns.

We have seen this within our local area. I have seen transportable auxiliary dwellings or project home builders granny flats, and they don’t achieve anywhere near the rent return on our own architect designed granny flats – for very similar money!

Unfortunately at this point in time, there is little evidence of granny flats built on existing properties that have been on-sold. We have found that on valuation after the granny flat has been completed, it has at least valued $ for $.

Interestingly, what we have found is that people that are renting them out, even 50m2 one bedroom granny flats are getting the same rent or very similar as an equivalent house that is say a 2 bedroom postwar home. That’s a great return on this level of investment.

Most granny flats these days include a full kitchen and living area, and when we build a granny flat, a covered car accommodation with a covered outdoor entertainment area complete with timber floating decks. Probably the main consideration is to ensure that the second building fits in with and is sympathetic to the existing property. You want to build something that is complementary to what’s already there. Simple things like similar finishes and style of existing buildings. So there are important design factors we believe you need to consider.

Too often we see new project brick homes built in areas that have character housing throughout – they stick out like a pimple on a bum! No thought has been given to the orientation in this instance. It faces west, not a good idea here in hot, sunny SE Qld! Full height glass windows, a driveway most tenants wont’ use because of the steep incline and no turning circle for the tenants car. What were they thinking? Not a lot, obviously – can you imagine the tenants in the middle of summer? The air conditioning will be working overtime!

This is an example of no real thought about placement of the second building or the problems any prospective tenants are going to have living in the house.

Good design is paramount when building anything, especially if it’s a smaller space. Building in sympathy with the existing area or house style is also a smart move. One of our main points of difference here at Ipswich Granny Flats is having an in-house architect! As a result, all our granny flat designs have full passive solar orientation, no wasted hallway spaces to name just a few things.

Yes Good Design – you can’t beat it. And I say, leave it to the experts, not those that think they are experts…

DO YOU HAVE A LARGE BACKYARD ?

IS IT JUST SITTING THERE – A WASTED SPACE WHEN YOU COULD BE EARNING AN INCOME FROM IT?

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Ipswich Granny Flats, the expert Granny Flat Builders bring to you some up to date statistical information for growth in the Ipswich area – according to the industry experts.

Read and enjoy:

Michael Crawford | 10 February 2016
Property Observer

Brisbane house prices are predicted to increase by 5 percent over the next 12 months according to JLL, who believe the change in unit prices will remain flat over the 12 months.

The Brisbane Residential Market Report to December 2015 found the median house price is up 4.4% on the year and the median apartment price down 0.3% on the year and down 0.34% on the quarter.

The report noted listings are selling, with total house listings down 10.2%, new house listings down 1.1% on last year with total apartment listings down 1.7%. It found the Inner Brisbane region has shown the strongest price growth for houses, up 11.3% on last year to $938,000

“Southeast Inner Brisbane was up 5.3% to $733,000. Growth levels have been lowest for Caboolture, Ipswich City, Pine Rivers and Logan City, up between 2.2% and 5.0%. Ipswich City offers the cheapest median price at $327,000,” the report found.

“For apartments, growth levels have been much lower, with Inner Brisbane unchanged over last year at $496,000. The strongest growth rates on substantial turnover have been in Southeast Inner Brisbane and Caboolture, at 4.7% and 6.0% respectively.

“The inner suburbs are most in demand, with median house prices above $800,000. This falls rapidly with distance from the CBD to around $550,000 10km or more from the city and $400,000 20km or more from the city.”

Median Brisbane house prices showed the strongest quarterly growth to December 2015 nationwide with an increase of 4.4% according to new figures released by JLL.

The median house price is up 4.4% on the year and the median apartment price down 0.3% on the year and down 0.34% on the quarter.

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WANT TO BUY AN INVESTMENT PROPERTY IN THE IPSWICH AREA ?

SPECIFICALLY TO BUILD A GRANNY FLAT ?

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Ipswich/Logan Granny Flats, the expert Granny Flat Builders and part of the Vision Property Group (Qld), bring you an article on the increasing popularity of granny flats – the industry professionals have spoken! There are many positives to building a granny flat that can benefit your lifestyle…

Read on and enjoy:

Megan Neil, AAP | News.com.au
February 17 2016

Granny flats are no longer only for grannies.

Granny flats seem to be becoming more prevalent and popular than before, Housing Industry Association senior economist Shane Garrett says.

“It does add value to people’s homes,” Mr Garrett said.

“There are of course situations where it does what it says and the granny flat is actually used to house granny.

“For others, it’s a way of generating additional rent on their home.”

Riki Tawhara, Hills District and western Sydney manager for buyer’s agents Cohen Handler, says many clients want to capitalise on land values when they buy a house, which typically does not have as strong an investment yield as a unit or townhouse.

“We’re seeing a lot of them buying houses and looking to get a granny flat built,” Mr Tawhara said.

“It just gives buyers the opportunity to be able to buy houses and own land and still get a good yield.”

Not all states and councils allow granny flats, which are typically limited to 60 square metres in size, to be rented out.

NSW introduced measures in July 2009 to make it easier to get secondary dwellings or granny flats approved.

The number of development applications for granny flats in NSW grew by almost 20 per cent to 3,640 in 2014/15, state planning department data shows.

Mr Tawhara says one of his clients has a two-bedroom granny flat on her property in Queens Park that is rented out for $600 a week.

“This one is pretty much your own little house. It’s completely separate from the house so they’ve got their own little driveway, their own little yard. It’s really, really nice.”

The interest in granny flats is a logical response to the increase in land and dwelling prices, Mr Garrett says.

“They can borrow the home equity and construct a granny flat, which in turn increases the value of the home further.”

In many cases a granny flat can make more optimal use of a backyard space, Mr Garrett says.

Some people use granny flats to cater for family members other than grandparents, such as providing a secure retreat for teenagers.

Mortgage broker Mortgage Choice spokeswoman Jessica Darnbrough says there has been a big step-up in homeowners with a decent-sized block considering putting in a self-contained unit, to rent out if allowed.

But she cautions homeowners to do their research, as even the financing options for building a separate flat differ to those for accommodation joined to a house.

“In the first instance homeowners need to check the relevant requirements because regulations regarding construction and occupancy do vary from state to state and council to council, so they really have to do their due diligence and make sure they’re working within the right parameters.”

They also need to consider how to get services such as electricity to the granny flat and whether it is for granny or a renter, in which case will there be street access and parking.

“It’s not just about do you have the room in your backyard,” Ms Darnbrough said.

“It’s about what do you plan to do with the granny flat.”

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This week, Ipswich Granny Flats & Logan Granny Flats, the expert Granny Flat Builders bring you an article on the Brisbane market and it’s strong emergence of the Moreton Bay Region.

The Ripple Effect is alive and well …

Read and enjoy :

Terry Ryder | 10 February 2016
Property Observer

The latest event in the evolution of the Brisbane market is the strong emergence of the Moreton Bay Region in the far north of the city.

It has joined Logan City in the far south as the precinct with the most momentum in the Greater Brisbane area. Meanwhile, Ipswich City in the south-west is putting its hand up as well.

Most national commentators misunderstand what’s happening with the Brisbane market. They look at that single figure which apparently describes the whole Brisbane metropolitan area and conclude not much is happening. Australian Property Monitors says Brisbane prices rose 5% last year while CoreLogic RP Data says 4%.

But beneath that one generalised (and highly misleading) figure, there has been lots of activity in precincts which have recorded double-digit annual growth in median house prices.

Markets in the Greater Brisbane area have been on the move for about two years. The inner-city suburbs were busy a couple of years ago and then the middle-ring suburbs on the northside surged. Many of them had annual growth in the 13% to 15% range. The middle-ring suburbs on the southside joined the party 12-18 months ago.

Now it’s the outer-ring areas that are leading. There are still rising suburbs in those northside and southside middle-market precincts, but it’s the cheaper areas on the outskirts that have the greatest activity and momentum.

In this regard, Brisbane is displaying the same pattern we have seen over the past three years in Sydney and Melbourne – the upturn started in the near-city areas and gradually gravitated outwards from the centre. The Ripple Effect is alive and well in residential real estate.

In Brisbane, Logan City (which is the urban bridge between Brisbane and the Gold Coast) has been the market leader in terms of sales volumes for the past 12 months or so. But now it’s counterpart in the north, the Moreton Bay Region local government area (which is the urban bridge between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast) has mounted a challenge.

Like Logan City, Moreton Bay Region is all about affordability, transport infrastructure and jobs nodes. Many of the suburbs of Moreton Bay Region – including Caboolture (the capital suburb), Morayfield and Deception Bay – have median prices in the $300,000s, while Burpengary and Narangba are in the low $400,000s.

These are high-volume housing markets: Caboolture, Deception Bay, Morayfield and Narangba have each recorded over 340 house sales in the past 12 months. Some have seen median prices rise 6-7% in the past year – but, in terms of price growth, they’re just getting started.

Median rental yields are an attraction for investors, ranging from 5.2% to 5.6% in most of the suburbs of the Moreton Bay Region.

The LGA includes the Redcliffe Peninsula, which has heightened appeal because the long-awaited Moreton Bay Rail Link will be completed this year.

The overall region has improved amenity through the evolution of the North Lakes master-planned community, which includes major retail (and will soon include an Ikea superstore).

The region also has good proximity to Brisbane Airport, the Port of Brisbane and the Australia Trade Coast industrial precinct, which means plenty of jobs are handy to the suburbs of Moreton Bay Region.

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MORETON BAY GRANNY FLATS 2016

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COMING SOON

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