This week’s winner – 28 Kosciusko Way Mount Louisa
Mount Louisa has been a strong performer in the Townsville market for the past 80 years. The sale price of $590,000 is under the highest recorded in this suburb but the owners of this beautifully elevated 4 bedroom executive home have achieved an excellent result in a market flying into tough headwinds over the few years.
The marketing agent, Ms. Lesley Rohan from Ray White Riverside applied an excellent communication and relationship strategy to deliver a “win-win-win” for everyone concerned. We will hear from Mrs. Rohan shortly as she sheds some light on the marketing campaign and the new buyer’s astute purchasing decision and the owners response to pragmatic expert advice.
But why go back 80 years you might be asking?
History of heroes and Hollywood stars
Australian and American friendships are deep and profound in this area of Townsville North Queensland. It is a fascinating and historically significant story for not just Mount Louisa and Townsville but all Australians and Americans alike.
It brings back the legend and legacy of Mount Louisa from an era when visiting Hollywood super stars touched down to build up the spirits of distant hearts with entertainment, music and stories from the “home of the brave and land of the free.”
And another type of handyman to that which is investing in Townsville today used much bigger sheds, garages and plenty of vehicle parking space to service machinery around the foot hills of 28 Kosciusko Way.
Instead of Kosciusko #28, the entire area at the foot hills of Mount Louisa was known as Depot #2, not far from TREN’s top price property of the week winner.
Thriving with aircraft maintenance crews as part of the United States military aviation squadron based here, Mount Louisa has played its part in the story of the war hero and Hollywood star.
Worthy of a Hollywood script, the American superpower erected massive sheds where the servicemen needed to repair and store the flying bombers and transport planes critical to the airborne defence of Australia during the Second World War.
If you can imagine a bustling community of 4000 American air force personnel and over 120 barracks and tents, the American presence in Mount Louisa from 1942 represented half of the current population of 8000 people living in the suburb today.
Like this property, the shed or “man cave” featured prominently across the landscape as did the distinguished service medals of heroes who died with their lives in the sea off the Townsville coastline, eerily visible from the patio and foothills above of 28 Kosciusko Way.
Although a distant memory over nearly a century, 28 Kosciusko Way stands as a small modern day testament to the legends and legacy of what man and machine have accomplished in Mount Louisa.
Just like Depot #2 that stood strong during the dark days of World War II, the signature features of this freshly refurbished home brings grand accommodation for man and machine once again.
Estate agent introduction
 |
Image: Front view of 28 Kosciusko Way Mount Louisa
Photo thanks: Ray White Riverside |
This time without the threat of military conflict, but with the functionally of an expansive shed and garage space, it provides the graceful comforts and sophistication of a modern home for an active family.
Over the past 11 years since the house was built, the property has served 4 generations of families. In 2006 the house was built on the 720 m2 of elevated land eventually selling as a 2nd generation home for $655,000. The property sold again in December 2012 for $540,000 as a 3rd generation home and again now for $590,000.
Ms. Rohan said the sellers and buyers were “great families to work with”. In her statement to TREN, the Ray White Riverside marketing agent shared her experience and insights about the property and the parties involved with the sale.
She said, “This has been a very rewarding experience for me and a great result for the vendor selling the home in the timeframe they wanted.”
“The owners needed to sell because of an unexpected work transfer. They were in the process of upgrading and completing their renovations to the property but quickly decided to go ahead with the sale
“The vendors contacted multiple agents to have the property appraised just to be sure. They finally decided to work with me having received a personal recommendation from a friend for whom I had sold 3 properties.
“I was able to establish an easy-going relationship with the property owners who were completely open and transparent about their situation, both good and bad. It helped to be able to position the property in the market to sell.
“The marketing attracted genuine interest as a unique property and unfortunately another interested party ended up missing the opportunity, Ms. Rohan stated.
The property
The previous owners have invested very wisely improving the functionality of the property and the home for buyers seeking to purchase a good quality home. The renovation works were major which included the installation of a shed, kitchen upgrade, painting the exterior and enclosing the outdoor area. If it were not for the timing of the sale, the sellers were planning to paint the interior also. Instead, the sellers negotiated a reasonable sale price with the buyers.
 |
Image: Entry view of 28 Kosciusko Way Mount Louisa
Photo thanks: Ray White Riverside |
Situated in a quiet court on the hillside of Mount Louisa surrounded by quality properties, walking into this beautifully presented property brings welcome exuberance like no other in the area.
The modern family, particularly those with teenagers, a car enthusiast or collector will really appreciate this home.
The home provides space for up to 6 vehicles! Wow. The shed has been designed to complement the style of the home perfectly, and it is just great for families to live the North Queensland summer lifestyle.
The home has plenty of additional features to enjoy including:
* Workshop space
* Exterior parking bays
* Security screened large outdoor entertainment area
* Air-conditioned
* Fantastic over-sized Kitchen, cleverly designed with abundant cupboard and bench space – (recent upgrade to the
kitchen appliances and bench top)
* Recently painted exterior
* No back neighbours
Property Description:
* 730 m2 allotment
* 4 bedrooms (en-suite, walk-in robe, private balcony to master suite) upstairs
* 1 study (downstairs)
* 2 bathrooms (upstairs)- (fantastic en-suite with spa bath and separate shower, double basin vanity)
* 3 toilets (3rd ground floor with vanity facility)
* Formal living, dining and family rooms
* Kitchen (when size matters – modern with stone benchtop)
* Casual living/family zone (fantastic) joins the kitchen and opens to outdoor living area and back yard
* Alfresco dining with shade sail
* 2 x garage attached to home with internal entry
* 4 x vehicles shed or garage workshop (e.g. storage for cars, boats, bikes)
* Parking area on property – this is perfect giving off street parking for visitors.
The design layout is brilliant with great use of space throughout the home such as the formal separate living and dining, lavish streamlined kitchen, which is certainly one to impress the chef, and a perfectly positioned indoor outdoor family living and entertainment area.
A home office or study, laundry and 3rd toilet or powder room are all conveniently placed in the design downstairs. All 4 bedrooms on the upper level provide a sense of peace and calm away from the living area below.
The master bedroom is private with a balcony and impressive en-suite and walk-in robe – a perfect parent’s retreat! The timber stairwell adds a smart feature to the home design also.
A garden area to the back of the home has a lovely grassed area with a modern fence designed to allow the natural backdrop of plants from the adjoining bushland to garnish the property. From the living area, the greenery provides a wonderful backdrop. The yard also has room for an in-ground swimming pool.
For the energetic and healthy at heart, head out through the back gate to the exercise and walking tracks that meander through the hillside of Crestbrook Estate and Mount Louisa.
Investment profile
Demographics
TREN’s research has identified that the suburb of Mount Louisa has a population of 8825 people as defined in the 2016 census. The 2011 census recorded a population of 7992. This represents an increase in population of 9.5% between 2011 and 2016.
The residential increase in the population of Mount Louisa occurred in the mid 1980 to 1990s and again when the Crestbrook Estate development started in the early to mid 2000 to 2010 towards the northern end of Bayswater Road. Between 2001 and 2016, the number of dwellings increased by 1050.
Houses
The suburb has a current median house price of $380,000, down approximately -1.6% percent from $386,000 over 12 months ago. Over the past 8 years, the median house price has increased by 10.5% from $340,000.
The sale price achieved for this property of $590,000 will have a positive impact on the median house price in Mount Louisa as it exceeds the current median house price for the suburb.
 |
Image: Google map of 28 Kosciusko Way Mount Louisa |
Due to the annual volume of sales, the $210,000 achieved in excess of the current median house price is favourable but unlikely to have a significant impact on the statistics as a lot more sales are completed below the median in the suburb on average.
Approximately 150 house sales have been recorded in Mount Louisa over the past 12 months.
Units
Mount Louisa has an insufficient stock of unit sales to warrant an investment profile. A median price for units could not be derived from such a limited data pool.
Rentals and Yields
The median rental price for houses in Mount Louisa today is $345 per week producing a yield of approximately 4.7 percent based on 365 tenanted properties in last 12 months. The rental yield has been steadily declining since 2011 from 5.9 per cent as the median rental prices had reached $400 per week then.
Today, four (4) bedroom houses have a median rental price of $360 per week. Units have a median rental price of $285 per week however the volumes are insignificant in this category to draw reliable data.
Nearly 97 per cent of dwellings in Mount Louisa are houses. 57 percent of the houses have 4 bedrooms. 19 percent or 544 of the suburbs dwellings are owned outright whilst 43 percent are secured by mortgage. 36 percent of all dwellings in Mount Louisa at the time of the 2016 census were rentals.
Mount Louisa has a desirable lifestyle for couples. Shops and schools and well established. The landscaped streets are breezy in an elevated position approximately 15 metres above sea level on average.
Maturing, established and older couples and their families make up 61% of the population. Independent youth make up 9% and the elderly make up 10% of the population respectively.
Mount Louisa shares a boundary with Garbutt which is one of the most populated industrial areas of Townsville employing many individuals and couples that live in Mount Louisa. The suburb is also conveniently placed off Woolcocks Street and Dalrymple Road with easy vehicle access to the airport, city, shops and schools.
Calvary Christian Collage is approximately 1.2 kilometres from the property. And two of the largest schools in the Townsville district, Kirwan State High School and Heatley High Schools, are approximately 2.5 kilometres from the property.
Free subscription offer
Further reading:
How to stay up-to-date
Do you have an opinion about real estate pricing or marketing?
The TREN community wants to hear your story.
