Family leaves newly-made dream home after “scary” build prices

An interstate family was able to build their dream home on a rare patch of land in one of Queensland’s most popular suburbs – but the price was heavier than they expected.

Sarah and Marlon Cornell said they realised they and their two kids were outgrowing their Melbourne home, and begun searching for a new place.

“Our babies were Covid babies; they’re now 5,” Mr Cornell said. “We wanted to move somewhere warm, have that outdoor lifestyle. During Covid, winter with kids was really tough, especially in a small home.”

Sarah and Marlon Cornell moved with their kids from Melbourne to Nundah, building their dream home – but they didn’t expect how much it would be. Picture: Steve Pohlner

After settling on Queensland, the family felt Nundah was one of the best options in their price range. In 2021, two managed to find a patch of land at $750,000, and set to work remotely building their new home.

But when they did, they found rising build costs drove up their build by a sizeable fee of 25 per cent.

“When we were dealing with our builder, I wasn’t expecting the end price of the build to be the amount that it was,” Mr Cornell said. “But the builder very quickly reminded us that trades, building materials were all going up, and we were a part of that wave.”

“That time was a bit scary, because you had all these builders every week being announced to be liquidised.”

The Cornells found their home build cost 25 per cent more than they expected, due to rising build expenses. Picture: Steve Pohlner

A new Nundah development from Gardner Vaughan Group. Nundah is one of Queensland’s most popular selling suburbs from sales in the past year.

Despite this, the family were glad to buy in Nundah.

“Our research [looked for] crime stats and flood information and school zones,” Ms Cornell said. “We knew that we wanted Nundah based on that.”

“We built, then we moved up and just went straight in … we were just really lucky we bought on the street that we did. The neighbours are amazing, we’ve got so many good things.”

Now, Nundah is one of Queensland’s most popular-selling suburbs. The area saw more sales in the last year than they were days, sitting at 374 apartment sales within those 12 months.

Currently, Nundah sits at a median unit price of $666,000 and a median house price of $1,242,500.

The Cornells are selling their home at 1 Villeroy St to find a place with less of a mortgage, in a market eager for new turnkey homes.

Place Nundah Agent Jonathan Tesese said with land space limited and “extremely valued”, there was a strong demand for turnkey homes in Nundah’s current market.

“We’re not making any more land,” he said, “so for someone to be able to come in and custom build something that fits their lifestyle to a T, it’s just what buyers are wanting.”

He added that despite rising build prices, Nundah’s popularity meant investors were still keen on homes to turn into new projects.

“What we’re seeing now is a lot of demand for knockdown homes, post-war homes, or places that can be subdivided,” he said.

The family plan to stay in Nundah, having fallen for the area’s family feel. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Seeking a home with a smaller mortgage to get some money back, the Cornell family have decided to sell their place at 1 Villeroy St – but plan to stay in Nundah if possible.

“Nundah’s ideal,” Mr Cornell said. “We wanted to choose a suburb that was relatively close to the CBD … [and] we’re pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to schools.”

“Nundah definitely has that family feel. There are heaps of parks, markets and whatnot, people are out and about … you get a sense of community.”

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