Caloundra, Queensland: Where you can buy a beach holiday unit under $200,000

For those who’ve ever dreamed of owning their own beach holiday escape, it can still be done for less than $200,000 – and on the Sunshine Coast no less.

Caloundra, the southernmost community on the Sunshine Coast and only an hour and 15-minute drive from Brisbane, is a laid-back town with excellent cafes, bars, restaurants and playgrounds.

Units within walking distance of some of Caloundra’s most beautiful beaches are being snapped up by savvy buyers keen to snare their own slice of the Sunshine Coast, such as this beachfront bargain that sold in May for $184,000, or this poolside apartment for $175,000 in January.

Remax First agent Lachlan Anderson is marketing Caloundra’s most affordable property, a one-bedroom, one-bathroom contemporary apartment with ocean views.

Listed at offers over $199,000, it’s set in a prime position close to shops, cafes and boutiques and is a short walk from the beachfront.

“Understandably, properties in this price bracket are extremely popular,” Mr Anderson says.

Most popular are the two-bedroom units in older complexes without lifts or pools and, moreover, low body corporates. They generally start in the $300,000s and sell within the first week, Mr Anderson says.

“Buyers can see the value here. Where else in Australia can you buy this close to the beach, with these views, at this price?”

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Traditionally considered the quieter and more family-orientated cousin of neighbouring towns such as Noosa and Mooloolaba, Caloundra has all the warmth of a country town wrapped up in a spectacular package of picturesque coastline and beautiful beaches.

A considered development approach has ensured beaches such as Moffatt, Shelly and Dicky Beach have remained residentially protected zones and, as such, these beaches are dotted with stunning ocean front properties that can never be built out.

So it comes as no surprise that Caloundra’s prestige properties come highly sought after.

Ray White Caloundra director Andrew Garland is marketing the exclusive Shelly Beach home belonging to local solicitor Geoff Lyons – a stunning Trevor Reitsma-designed masterpiece that offers breathtaking ocean views from almost every room. Co-director Tom Garland says the appetite for properties like this is at record levels.

“This market is so strong. We’ve recently auctioned a number of properties and they’ve all sold somewhere within the range of $3.5 million to $4.2 million,” he says.

Mr Garland says the past 12 to 18 months have seen record prices paid for luxury beachfront homes.

“Every auction we’ve got five to 12 registered bidders – that many people with that capacity to pay those prices are here wanting to buy. The buyers that were missing five years ago have now come back.”

Domain Group figures show prices for units in Caloundra have grown by a whopping 9.2 per cent over the past six months alone. In the past 12 months, units rose 4.9 per cent and houses 19 per cent.

Mr Garland says despite the buoyancy of the market, prices are still markedly off where they were pre-GFC.

“A lot of that growth can be attributed to those units under $400,000 – that’s where we’re seeing the greatest number of sales,” he says.

“In other price ranges, some properties are lagging as far behind as a few hundred thousand dollars. But we are seeing a change – those buyers that were nowhere to be seen when the GFC hit have now returned.

“I think the point is that there is still a lot of value in the Caloundra market. Whether you’ve got $200,000 or $5 million to spend, there’s something for everyone here.”