Gold Coast Still Oversupplied

"The high-rise market on the Gold Coast is nothing like any other Australian market.

"It's a unique market and it's driven by speculation and not necessarily the fundamentals. But we just don't need any more high-rise developments for the moment.''

Mr Morris said his latest research indicated there were 625 new high-rise apartments for sale on the Coast. That represented a 2 1/2-year supply based on the average sales rate over the past two years.

"But the figure is a bit camouflaged by a rather big project in Southport - Philip Usher Constructions' $200 million H20 on Broadwater development, which is completed, but has not yet been put to the market.

"So there's another 350 apartments just sitting there which, when they get released for sale will add another year to supply, increasing it to 3 1/2 years.''

In the wake of the GFC, the Gold Coast high-rise apartment market has been hit by spiralling valuations and two high-profile victims of receivership, Southport Central and the twin-tower The Oracle Broadbeach.

It has led to heavy discounting of stock, with prices of some luxury apartments slashed by as much as 30 per cent.

But Mr Morris believed prices could fall even further throughout 2012.

"Most of the stock on the Gold Coast is held by receivers and the prices are not being driven by the market.

They're being driven by what the receivers have to do to get rid of the debt,'' he said. ``So it's quite possible the average price of new apartments could sink below the average price of resale stock.''

Research by the Oliver Hume Real Estate Group shows the Coast's total supply of available apartments - low, medium and high-rise - has reached 1626, down from its peak of more than 2000 over the past couple of years.  And the figure is expected to continue to fall with predictions of the strongest summer sales since the GFC. 

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