Directors Message

The Gold Coast cannot be ignored.

Without exaggerating, billions are being spent on infrastructure and major developments.

There is some cautionary commentary in the media in regards to the level of apartment stock. The Gold Coast has welcomed 23 new apartment project launches during the past 12 months. Seven new projects have launched this quarter with another 22 set to launch over the next six months, bringing another 2,165 new apartments to the market. However residential suburbs in the growth corridor like Coomera and Pimpama all have rising markets and are receiving favourable commentary in the media as hot spots.

The Gold Coast currently has more suburbs with growing sales activity than any other Local Government Area in Australia and was recently named in the top 100 cities in the world for students to live in by the 2016 QS Best Student Cities.

In the lead up to the Commonwealth Games, the Gold Coast CBD is undergoing a transformation with $5 billion worth of public or private investment planned, under way or recently completed.

One of the key projects includes the development of the light rail network. The first section of the system, running from Griffith University Parkwood to Broadbeach, opened in 2014. Tenders for the second stage, Parkwood to Helensvale, closed in December 2015 with the Federal Government pledging $95 million and the Gold Coast City Council $55 million. Meanwhile, discussions are being held about a third section of light rail to connect Broadbeach to the Gold Coast Airport, Coolangatta and an approach has been made to the Federal Government for a contribution of $480 million.

Another project is the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, a world class swimming facility located in Southport’s Broadwater Parklands. Costing $42 million and opening in 2014, it will be the swimming and diving facility for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Also, three of the four major shopping centres (Pacific Fair, Australia Fair and Harbour Town), as well as Jupiters Casino, are spending serious money on upgrading their facilities.

In 2014 we had 4.3 million overnight visitors on the coast. These were predominantly from Chinese visitors and our friends across the ‘ditch’. It is forecast that over 8 million visitors will spend in excess of $113 billion dollars in 2017 and 11 million visitors will spend approximately $145 billion dollars in 2025. To accommodate this projection there is major spending on infrastructure including a $345 million dollar casino redevelopment, talk of a $2 billion dollar resort and casino and a $670 million Pacific Fair development. In addition a $1 billion dollar Iluka redevelopment, a $200 million airport expansion, a $2 billion Ruby development, a $1 billion Jewel development, a proposed $1.2 billion dollar cruise ship terminal and the $750 million Coomera Town Centre.

Around 690,000 visitors are expected to arrive on the Gold Coast in April 2018 for the Commonwealth Games, according to council documents, with around 1.5 million people attending ticketed events.

Regardless of the economic activity that the Commonwealth Games will generate, strong population growth will independently spur on development. Coomera is recognised in the South East Queensland Regional Plan as a regional development area for residential and employment growth. The area is expected to provide 25,000 new dwellings to house 50,000 residents.

Jason & Sandra
Directors

Professionals 2016

“We have some very exciting news”

It’s with great excitement to inform you that Professionals will be rolling out it’s new branding from the 4th April. After 12 months of research and development, we feel our new look and feel is a beautiful and respectful evolution of our brand.

We have kept our uniquely vibrant and energetic colours and redesigned our highly recognisable star, keeping our connection to excellence and the bond between Australia and New Zealand strong. Finally our font is now more modern and engaging, ensuring we remain the fresh, friendly and approachable brand you have known and trusted for decades.

In fact Professionals turns 40 this year, which is an impressive milestone for any business.

What’s On?

1st to the 10th April – Gold Coast Film Festival

3rd April – End of Daylight Savings for NSW, VIC, SA, TAS & ACT

8th to the 10th April – QPOW on Broadbeach

9th April – Seafire, Surfers Paradise Beach

10th April – Gold Coast Triathlon

22nd April – Earth Day

25th April – ANZAC Day

Olly’s Home Selling Hints and Tips

Taking on the renovation of a new purchase is a huge part of home ownership. Once comfortable in the new home it is very common to get a list together of all the projects you’d want to tackle in the future. The other time a homeowner will look to get renovations done is when getting the home ready for sale.

According to studies done, the type of project you should get done depends on just that, whether you are planning to enjoy the finished product or trying to get the best bang for your buck with potential buyers. An example of this is most homeowners who are just moving in rank the addition of a new main bathroom, new kitchen, or new ensuite as their top priorities. These however have a very personal touch to them and whatever you put in, the next owner may not like. You don’t want to spend $15,000 on a new bathroom when the new owner may like a different style to you and rip it straight out.

If you want to get the best value for money and stick with the old saying of “every dollar you spend you want to get $2 back” then first impressions count. You need to get people in the door so ensuring that the front of your house is in sparkling condition is very important. Most buyers are more likely to have a look at the house with a neat and modern look from the street rather than the one with the fence falling down and the rusty garage door. Remember it doesn’t matter how good a renovation is if people drive past to have a look and then keep on driving.

Stay tuned for more hints and tips in next months newsletter,
Olly

Proposed Coomera River dredging could bring millions

The Coomera River will be dredged for the first time in 15 years, opening up a superyacht ‘highway’ to the city, more jobs in the marine industry and the potential for tens of millions of dollars to be injected into the city’s economy.

The long-awaited dredging is expected to start in the middle of the year with the opening of a $3 million facility at Coomera which will, for the first time, safely treat and dispose of river sediment.

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New Atlas Robot Shows Off Humanlike Qualities

Boston Dynamics — the Google-owned engineering company dedicated to creating robots that move like animals — has shown off a updated version of its human-like Atlas design with a new video.
Standing 175 centimetres tall and weighing 82 kilograms, the new Atlas has long arms, short legs, a tiny cylindrical head and is designed to operate outdoors as well as inside buildings.

Boston Dynamics is renowned online for its quirky videos of new robots that don’t seem quite ready to handle the tasks they’re attempting — stumbling like babies over rough terrain or being shoved and kicked by researchers until they fall flat on their metal face.

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20 things that will shock first time visitors to Japan

It’s no insult to say that Japan is strange. Because to first-time visitors, everything in this amazing land is so different and foreign that there really is no other word for it. It’s strange. Japan is endlessly fascinating, and amusingly bizarre. There’s plenty to shock even those who’ve spent a whole lifetime there.

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Top 14 amazing getaways from Gold Coast

Check out these tips for top Gold Coast weekend getaways.

It only takes two days to make an awesome Staycation!

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Six tips for buying a house to renovate

You want to buy a renovator’s dream but how do you make sure that the restoration doesn’t send you over the edge and way over budget?

“It’s a good idea to be able to do a quick assessment on a property as to whether it is suitable for reno or is a potential money pit so you don’t spend time, money and energy when it’s not a goer” says Bernadette Janson, director of the School Of Renovating in Sydney, who has 25 years renovating experience.

Follow these tips for renovation success.

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Five hot destinations that are more accessible to Aussies

Aussie travellers are always enthusiastic about going off the beaten track but a lack of transport, absence of accommodation, or scant supply of tours often make it hard to plan a holiday.

However, new air routes, hotels, ferry services and guided tours mean some quiet corners of the planet – as far-flung as the Arctic Circle and as near as across the Tasman – will be easier to see this year.

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How architecture has inspired the Game of Thrones set

Behind every great masterpiece lies a hidden influence and the Game of Thrones production design is no exception.

The hit series’ art director and production designer, Australian Deborah Riley, has revealed the inspiration behind the design of some of the show’s best scenes, homes, battles and buildings.

Riley, who joined the cast for the production of season four, has spent most of her career working on films, including The Matrix, Anna and the King and Moulin Rouge.

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Australians are falling in love with these next big holiday destinations

Move over Kuta … Colombo is where it’s at for Aussie travellers in 2016.

Sri Lanka is the latest island to catch the attention of Australian holiday-makers.

It’s is one of the next wave destinations that have shot up in popularity this year, with return flights from Australia available from less than $600 and convenient connections to Europe boosting its appeal.

Colombo bookings have risen by 99 per cent since last year, according to figures from travel booking site kayak.com.au.

And even faster growth has been recorded for India’s intriguing “City of Pearls”, Hyderabad, where Australian bookings have more than doubled in the past year.

Other cities to record dramatic increases in Aussie visitors include San Francisco, Manchester, Hanoi, Manila and Shanghai.

Here’s a look at the holiday spots you can expect to hear more about in 2016:

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Deadpool Movie Review

Cheeky, Fun, And Not For Kids!

“Deadpool” may be the comic book movie spoof to end all comic book movie spoofs. At its core, Deadpool is a surprisingly conventional comic book flick that would be forgettable if not for its entirely unconventional tone and structure. Definitely worth putting on your list for a laugh.

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