From $93k to $4.75m: Departing radio stars’ property empires

Ash Bradnam announced Friday November 28 as his last at Nova, pictured here with co-hosts David “Luttsy” Lutteral and Nikki Osborne. Picture: Nova 106.9.

From $93,500 starter units to $4.75 million dream homes, Australia’s newly departed radio stars have quietly amassed property portfolios that tell the story of two decades of extraordinary real estate growth.

As major network shake-ups saw Ash Bradnam, Robin Bailey, Corey Oates and Kip Wightman all exit their shows this week, public records reveal how these radio personalities rode one of the hottest property booms on record – with strategic buying and selling that has built them substantial safety nets for their next chapters.

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KIIS 97.3’s outgoing breakfast trio Kip Wightman, Robin Bailey, and Corey Oates. Picture: Liam Kidston

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Their collective property journey spans multiple market cycles, offering a window into how consistent investment in Brisbane and Gold Coast real estate has delivered returns that dwarf typical superannuation balances.

In Brisbane LGA alone, house prices have jumped 82.7 per cent in the last five years, according to PropTrack data, whilst the Gold Coast has recorded 87 per cent growth and Ipswich a staggering 111 per cent. The timing of these radio personalities’ purchases – many dating back to the early 2000s when entry prices were a fraction of today’s values – has positioned them to capitalise on multiple growth cycles across Queensland’s hottest markets.

Nova Brisbane breakfast hosts Ash Bradnam and David Lutteral with former co-host Susie O’Neill in the centre.

Ash Bradnam

Ash Bradnam informed listeners Friday morning that it was his final day at Nova 106.9 and the high rating show he headlined Ash, Luttsy and Nikki – a push that comes after two decades on the airwaves.

Ironically his last day coincides with former Ash, Kip and Luttsy show co-host Kip Wightman’s last day at the KIIS 97.3 breakfast show.

Mr Bradnam walks away having spent millions on real estate over his term, including picking up an entire floor three bedroom apartment at Main Beach for $1.15m in August 2021 which he still owns.

In January 2022 he sold his waterfront Runaway Bay home on the Gold Coast for $3m – a massive gain having paid $1.175m for it nine years earlier. The five-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-car-space house is one of the few designed with water views at both the front and back of the home, as well as access to the water.

There was also a huge surge in sales price for a five-bedroom house in Surfers Paradise. Records show its transferring to him for $375,000 in 1999 and then selling more than 12 years later for $1.16m – a gain of $785,000 in that time. The area has seen such a jump in demand that today the property is worth $3.8-4.52m, according to RPData estimates.

Property records show he has had a change of heart at times, letting go of a cottage in Hervey Bay within one year of ownership – taking a $15k hit as a result. He had bought the 1950s four bedder in March 2018 for $375,000 before selling in April 2019 for $360,000.

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Robin Bailey at home in Paddington after her KIIS 97.3 departure was announced. Picture: Liam Kidston

Robin Bailey

She notched three decades across the airwaves across multiple stations before KIIS announced it would be changing direction with its breakfast show, leaving Robin Bailey to decide what her next chapter will be.

Ms Bailey has sold five properties along her investment journey and she still owns two others in Paddington and on the Gold Coast.

The first home in her name was bought in 2001 for what would have seemed like a steep amount at the time – $93,500 for a two-bedroom unit in Chelmer. Ms Bailey held on to that property for about 18 years, before selling for $290,000. Valuation estimates put that unit at about $577 a week rental potential in today’s market.

She has also sold in Brisbane’s Indooroopilly, a four bedder on a large 716sq m block that had been bought for a dreamy $169,000. The home was sold five years later for almost double that, perhaps an early sign of the juggernaut Brisbane’s property market would become.

A beloved six bedroom house with a pool in Kenmore – bought for $344,500 in 2002 – was sold 13 years later for $775,000.

Her three bedroom Barellan Point property on 0.54ha overlooking the Brisbane River was sold for $500,112 in the year before the pandemic. She had paid $445,000 for it six years earlier when she publicly contemplated moving out there.

“I always had ideas it would be my forever home. Those dreams I had were lovely but my life has changed dramatically,” she said at the time.

Her most recent sale was a stunning waterfront home in Fig Tree Pocket which saw her secure a $450,000 gain on the price. She had bought it for $1.15m a decade ago and sold for $1.6m two years ago.

In June last year she marked the end of an era when her mother sold the Abbotsford NSW family home of 57 years – a property that held sentimental rather than investment value for Ms Bailey. “Raising a glass to my family home in Abbotsford NSW,” she posted. “Also to you mum … the matriarch who made this house our loving home for 57 years! #home #goodbye #newbegining #love”

Her current escape is a stunning 1910 three bedder in Paddington – bought for $1.275m in 2023 with valuation estimates putting it between $1.57m-$1.76m now – which she could get anywhere from $793 to $904 a week rent for if she chooses.

She has also retained her two bedroom unit in Surfers Paradise on the coast, bought for $495,000 four years ago. Today the area sees properties like it fetch $935 to $1,000 a week in rent, with valuations as high as $967,000.

From Broncos to KIIS 97.3 radio presenter to podcaster, Corey Oates is making big changes. Picture: Liam Kidston

Corey Oates

One of the NRL Brisbane Broncos longest serving stars came off contract at the end of the 2024 season then added his star power to the KIIS 97.3 line-up.

He has been a savvy property investor from when he turned 20, setting himself up as a landlord.

The former Brisbane Broncos star owns three properties in Brisbane including a stunner that he and wife Tegan developed in Samford Valley. They’d bought a 9,560sq m block for $880,000 in June 2019 and built their dream home on it. It was listed for sale at offers over $4.75m in June this year.

Mr Oates is also a landlord, having built a four-bedroom house in Collingwood Park on land he bought for $190,000 in 2017. The house was listed for rent early this year at $610 a week – circa $32,000 a year which is a $12k jump from when he first began renting it out in 2018. The property is in one of the fastest growing parts of Greater Brisbane about half an hour’s drive from Brisbane CBD where rents have jumped dramatically since the pandemic.

The property’s estimated value was about $740,000 to as high as $807,000 in January, but has increased to $820-$884,000 since then, according to RPData calculations.

He also bought a three bedroom townhouse in Everton Park in 2017 for $610,000, with valuation estimates on that property now over $1m ($1.03-1.11m) – which would be as much as an 82 per cent gain in the time he’s owned it.

As a rental, it could fetch him anywhere from $722 to $830 a week in gross income ($37,544-43,160) in the suburb, according to estimates.

Mr Oates bought his first home when he was 20, a year and a half after he debuted for the Broncos – a four-bedroom house in Albany Creek on a large 815sq m block. He’d paid $462,000 for the property in December 2014, selling it for $685,000 in April 2020 – a $223,000 gain and 48pc rise in price.

The Courier-Mail reported Mr Wightman and Mr Oates will join ex Broncos star Sam Thaiday in The Unofficial Broncos Podcast with Sammy, Oatesy and Kip, which launches in February via podcast firm Podshape, while Ms Bailey has plans to finalise her book.

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