Showing posts with label saville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saville. Show all posts

Sunday, February 25, 2018

West Village in West End

The West Village development in Boundary St, West End is being heavily marketed at present.

Is this a good place to invest?  I have a number of concerns:
  • The development consists of 11 new apartment buildings, going as high as 22 storeys, with a huge number of new apartments.  It is being developed and sold in stages, with the first two buildings settling at the end of 2018.  If you buy today, not only will you be living near a construction site for years, you will be competing with new apartments as they come online over the next few years.  Hard to resell or rent in this situation.
  • In my opinion, the apartments do not appear to be high quality.  For example, in the two bedroom apartments, the second bedroom is not air-conditioned.  The air-conditioning is not a central system, but a split system with unsightly head ends on the wall.  
  • Most of the bedrooms do not have large windows -- they appear to have one tiny window, and I suspect they will be dark and feel pokey.
  • The bathrooms are small.  (None have a separate bath -- compare Saville Southbank by comparison.)
  • Most bedrooms don't have access to the balcony.  Of itself, this is not an issue, but it makes both the bedroom dark (and for the smaller apartments, the balcony will be dark and alley-like). 
  • The apartment layouts are troubling.  For example, in 1 bedroom apartments, the bathroom is a long way from the bedroom, through the kitchen.  For most two bedroom apartments, the second bedroom is too close to the main bedroom and too far from the bathroom.   
  • The prices are expensive!  For example, a one bedroom apartment is selling for $467,000 on a low floor.  This apartment is 54 sqm internal.   (The balconies are long and skinny, with an air-conditioning compressor on the balcony.  The apartment, especially the kitchen, is likely to be dark.)
  • The 3 bedrooms are being sold for more than $1.6M.  Small two bedroom apartments (only 84 sqm internal) start at $700,000!

    The design is such that you can't even put a sofa in front of the TV!

    It is worth comparing the West Village apartment with a similar recent development nearby, for example, Opera on Cordelia Street that settled about 6 months ago.  A similar size brand new one bedroom in Opera, which I feel is a better quality development is a better location, recently sold for $415,000 on a midlevel floor.  A floor plan for the Opera apartment is below.  When you compare the apartments side by side, you can see that the Opera living room space is bigger, and the design is better.  Opera even has a walk-in wardrobe and a separate laundry, plus more storage cupboards, and an island kitchen bench.  (It is also better quality, for example, deducted air conditioning.)


    So make sure you compare what is currently happening in the market, for existing apartments, before buying in a risky new off-the-plan development.

    Thursday, January 26, 2017

    Recent Southbank Sales in Brisbane

    Arbour on Grey
    180 Grey St
    3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car, 191 sqm, sold for $1,165,000
    2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car, 106 sqm, sold for $740,000
    174 Grey St
    3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car, 186 sqm, sold for $1,487,500
    3 bed? 128 sqm - sold for $820,000
    172 Grey St
    3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car, 155 sqm, sold for $1,010,000

    Saville
    161 Grey St
    2 bed, 2 bath, 2 car, 119 sqm, sold for $920,000

    Galleria
    15 Tribune St
    2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car, 120 sqm, sold for $570,000

    Saville Southbank

    Saturday, November 2, 2013

    Recent Brisbane City Apartment Sales

    A list of some recent reported apartment sales in Brisbane CBD area, since June 2013.

    Admiralty One
    - Apt 93, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, direct river views, large 132 sqm - $880,000
    - Apt 125, 2 bedrooms, side river views - $600,000

    Admiralty Towers Two
    - Apt 132 - 2 bedrooms, direct river views, 116 sqm - $760,000
    - Apt 26 - 2 bedrooms, direct river views - $662,000
    - Apt 124 - 2 bedrooms, direct river views - $705,000

    Admiralty Quays
    - Apt 104 - 3 bedrooms - $960,000

    Riverplace
    - Apt 146, 1 bedroom - $370,000
    - Apt 82 - 2 bedrooms - $750,000
    - Apt 165 - 1 bedroom - $500,000
    - Apt 31 - 2 bedrooms - $650,000

    Metro 21
    - Apt 283, 1 bedroom on level 28, no carpark - $307,000
    - Apt 301, 2 bedroom on level 30 - $553,500

    Felix
    - Apt 312, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - $555,000
    - Apt 294, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - $485,000
    - Apt 324, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - $475,000

    Quay West - construction starting next door, and disharmony in building
    - Apt 86, 2 bedrooms - $655,000
    - Apt 129, 3 bedrooms - $1M

    Saville South Bank - reports of two bedroom apartments selling above $900,000.

    It appears that pricing is picking up.  In some instances, apartments are selling for record highs.  In other instances, prices are still below the 2007/2008 peak.  Volumes of sales in the period June to September do not appear to be high, although in recent weeks, this may have changed.  The high end sales appear to be to owner occupiers.

    Friday, August 9, 2013

    Buyers Retuning to the Market?

    Real estate agents are reporting that buyers are coming back to the market in Brisbane, and that prices achieved are increasing.  For example, two bedroom apartments in higher quality city apartments that, at the height of the boom achieved above $800,000, and then dropped to the mid $600,000 range, are now selling in the $700,000 plus range, and sometimes more.  This includes a two bedroom apartment in Quay West, sold for about $700,000; a two bedroom in Admiralty Towers Two sold above $750,000 and a two bedroom in Saville at Southbank for more than $800,000.  In fact, another two bedroom at Saville is now listed for sale in the $900,000 range.

    Investors appear to be returning to the market, due to lower interest rates.  Owner-occuppiers are looking for larger apartments, and there are not many high quality larger apartments available for sale (partly because developers have been focusing on building very small apartments that have been sold to foreign investors).  With interest rates low, many investors who currently own property are not selling, because these properties are now becoming positively geared -- why sell, unless the price offered is high?  There is a shortage of apartments for sale for owner-occuppiers; and a shortage of existing apartments (compared with off-the-plan apartments) for investors.

    Towers like Infinity, aimed at Chinese investors, do not provide what local Brisbane buyers want in my view.

    Photo of Infinity, under construction on the right.  Evolution Apartments is the smaller building in the middle of the photo.  The Supreme Court building is on the right in the foreground; the Magistrates Court building on the left in the foreground.  400 George St is the taller building on the left.

    Monday, July 22, 2013

    SouthPoint

    After delays and false starts, it now appears that SouthPoint at SouthBank is ready for a sales launch.  See this site and this site, for example.  The development is on Grey Street, opposite the Galleria and next to the train line, on what has been called the Collins Place site.

    According to sales agents, the SouthPoint building has three sections, arranged vertically.  The central section will be an Emporium Hotel, with residential apartment sections on either side (called the North and South cores).  On the rooftop will be a 25m wet edge infinity pool, a day spa with massage rooms, hairdressing and manicure options, a roof top bar and gymnasium.

    From what I have been told, in the South core, the one bedroom apartments range from $425,000 with a Southern aspect and no car parking, to $560,000 for the top level facing the river with a car park.  The one bedroom apartments are all less than 60 sqm in size.  Two bedroom apartments in the South core start at $645,000 for a lower level rear apartment facing the railway line to around $840,000 for the top level river and city view apartment.  These two bedroom apartments are all less than 80 sqm internal size, so are much smaller than similar apartments in Saville (Mantra) SouthBank.  Compare also apartments in Quay West, where one bedroom one car apartments are about 73 sqm, and sell for about $450,000 with river views and furniture.

    In the North core, there are three bedroom apartments that range between $1.7million and $3.8 million. These appear to be large apartments.

    Apartments on the rear of the building face West, looking over the train line.  There are surrounding buildings, so to get a good view, you will want to be on a higher floor.

    This development is by Anthony John Group, who is doing lower priced apartments in Cannon Hill.  Their apartments in the Valley Emporium development were not, in my opinion, high quality apartments.  It seems that SouthPoint will have three levels of finishes, so care must be taken to ensure that you understand what level of finish will apply to each apartment.


    Saturday, August 4, 2012

    South Brisbane Apartments

    There are two large apartment buildings currently in presales in South Brisbane.  One is Metro's The Plaza development.  The other is Pradella's Canvas.

    The Plaza is 12 levels of one and two bedroom apartments, priced up to $575,000.  It is on the corner of Russell and Manning Streets.

    Canvas is located on Boundary Street, and has 141 one and two bedroom apartments.  The one bedrooms start at $346,000 and the two bedrooms start at $538,000.  The one bedrooms shown on the website are small -- 44 sqm internal plus a 10 sqm balcony.  This is about the size of a hotel suite.  The two bedrooms range in size (internally) from 76 to 82 sqm.  They are lower quality apartments, with the air conditioning compressor on the balcony for example.

    To get a good idea of how small these apartments will be, have a look at a prior Pradella project in South Brisbane -- Allegro.  Some details about Allegro are here, and video here.  Go and have a look before you buy off the plan, so you can see what a small apartment is like.  Apt 96 is for sale for $410,000, and it has two bedrooms.  Apt 72 is two bedrooms with city views, listed at $420,000.

    Or you can buy a top quality 2 bedroom apartment today in Saville South Bank, for $500,000 to $540,000.  Saville is in a better location than The Plaza and Canvas, and is a much higher quality build than Allegro.  Apt 1115 is a two bedroom listed for sale for $529,000, and it is 85 sqm internal with a 10 sqm balcony.  I could be wrong, but this seems to me to be a much better buy than a smaller, lower quality apartment in Canvas which is more expensive, and has the added significant risk factor of buying off-the-plan.

    Tuesday, July 17, 2012

    South Bank Census Data

    One area of Brisbane where there are many apartments is the South Bank area of South Brisbane.  However, there is little data available about this area because it is leasehold land.  The 2011 Census has some interesting data.  The apartments in this area include Arbour on Grey, Saville Southbank (also known as Mantra Southbank) and Urbanest student accommodation.



    • population - 804 people
    • median age - 22
    • Most people are in the 20 to 24 age group (31% of the population)
    • 91 families
    • 17% married
    • 66% have University qualifications (compared with 13.5% for Qld or 14.35 for Australia as a whole).
    • 231 dwellings in total (of which, 92% are apartments)
    • Average of 2.1 people per household
    • 66% of dwellings had 2 bedrooms
    • Median weekly household income - $1,687
    • 70% of dwellings are rented
    • Median rent - $500 per week
    • 0.9 cars per dwelling
    • Ancestry: "The most common ancestries were English 17.2%, Chinese 16.1%, Australian 11.9%, Irish 5.0% and Scottish 4.7%."
    • Country of birth: "In 3111003 (Statistical Area Level 1), 31.4% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) 6.0%, Hong Kong (SAR of China) 4.9%, Singapore 4.4%, England 4.2% and Korea, Republic of (South) 4.0%."
    • 68% had both parents born outside of Australia.

    Sunday, January 29, 2012

    Grey Street, South Bank

    Part of Grey Street at South Bank (South Brisbane) is getting a major and needed facelift.
    All of these improvements add value to the apartments on Grey Street (such as Saville and Arbour).

    Monday, May 30, 2011

    Saville SouthBank

    One of my favourite apartment buildings in Brisbane is the Saville SouthBank, above the Mantra. It is rare for good apartments to be listed for sale in this building. A 3 bedroom penthouse recently sold in a few weeks for over $1.7M after strong interest. A large 2 bedroom has recently been listed for sale.

    Friday, April 22, 2011

    Good Size Two Bedroom Apartments in Brisbane

    I have been asked recently as to which apartment buildings have good sized two bedroom apartments in inner Brisbane. Not including the super luxury apartments (such as Riparian, or Coronation Residences (169 sqm)), the following list of Brisbane apartments gives some examples of larger two bedroom apartments (all including balcony, not including car park or storage rooms):
    There are others, and I would be happy to add to this list with more examples.

    Sunday, March 27, 2011

    How Many Apartments for Sale in Brisbane?

    There has been some press recently about the number of apartments for sale in Queensland, and the slow sales rate. This may be the case for the Gold Coast, and for overpriced off-the-plan developments. But if you look at the quality buildings in Brisbane, there are very few apartments for sale.

    For example:
    • Quay West: 4 apartments for sale (two 2 beds; two 1 beds).
    • Admiralty Quays: two 2 beds
    • Admiralty Towers: one 2 bed at rear
    • Admiralty Two: one 2 bed; one three bed
    • Arbour on Grey: 2 apartments for sale (one 2 bed; one 3 bed).
    • Saville SouthBank: zero
    Across these buildings, that is less than 2% of the total apartments in these buildings for sale.

    Some buildings have a large number of apartments for sale: Skyline, Aurora, Macrossan, & Riparian all have a number of apartments for sale. Strangely, The Grosvenor, which usually has no apartments for sale, has about 3 for sale at present.

    So there may be an oversupply in some areas and for some buildings, but for the quality buildings, there are not that many available to purchase, particularly below the $900,000 price point. And the flooding of Brisbane does not appear to have impacted pricing of these apartments at all.

    Sunday, January 17, 2010

    South Bank Student Accommodation

    Urbanest is operating a student dormitory accommodation building at South Bank, near the TAFE. It has a total of 713 rooms and studios, which are furnished and air-conditioned. The rooms are small and tight -- for example, 5 bedrooms will share a kitchen. And the pricing is amazing -- for example, a studio for one person is listed on the website as being $435 a week, or a bedroom in a 4 bedroom hallway is $336 per week.

    For $650 a week, you could rent a large two bed furnished apartment in the Arbour on Grey, or for $750 a luxury two bed furnished apartment in Saville South Bank. So two students sharing a two bedroom apartment would do much better than renting in Urbanest.

    Sunday, August 9, 2009

    Finding a Good Apartment to Rent in Brisbane

    Introduction

    Even though the vacancy rate is increasing in Brisbane, many of the good apartments for rent are hard to find. Often, this is because the existing tenant does not leave, and when they do become available, are snapped up quickly. For the better buildings, a large percentage of the apartments are occupied by the owner, and so are not rented out. Also, onsite managers often control the rental rolls, and don't often advertise on the usual property websites (as they don't need to do so). Some have their own website. Also, onsite managers may have a relationship with executive relocation services, that are fed the better apartments.

    At one time, a good specialist website for apartments was http://www.seqrents.com.au However, it seems that some buildings are not using this site anymore, or are not bothering to update their listing on this site. So, although useful, it is less useful.

    The largest number of listings are located on RealEstate.com.au, but a number of onsite managers do not use this website.

    You have to find out how each manager advertises his/her vacancy.

    Generally, you want to avoid any buildings managed by Oaks, as they focus on short term hotel style rentals.

    Also, look at the posts and links on this blog. This website has a list of most city apartment buildings, with useful information and links about them. Also, try this customized search engine.

    Inner City Brisbane:

    I recommend Arbour on Grey at SouthBank: http://arbour.com.au/cms/welcome.html

    Also, Saville at SouthBank is one of the nicest buildings if you get a river facing apartment: http://www.seqrents.com.au/saville/index.htm. The best thing to do here is call, because the website is not updated regularly. Telephone 07 3305 2559

    If you want to live downtown, then I recommend the Admiralty Precinct. This comprises three first-tier buildings (Admiralty One, Admiralty Two and Admiralty Quays), plus River Place (good location, not as good quality) and Skyline (second tier).

    Admiralty One is good value, and has some of the largest two bedroom apartments in Brisbane - http://www.admiraltyone.com.au/

    Admiralty Two also has good sized apartments, and the building has great facilities. http://www.admiraltytwo.com.au/

    Admiralty Quays is newer, and has a great pool, but the apartments are smaller. and it is more expensive. http://www.admiraltyquays.com/

    Nearby on the river in the city is River Place, that is not as good quality, but is likely to have availability as this is a large complex. Careful of Storey Bridge noise. Great views.

    On Alice Street in the city, if you can get an apartment in Quay West, that is fantastic, as it has park and river views -- for long term rentals, the best agent to try is Blockside & Fergerson for this building. Half of this building is a hotel managed, so it is easy to get short term accommodation in Quay West. All apartments are privately owned. You want to get above level 7.

    For an inner city downtown building, Metro 21 is one of the better quality buildings. It has only 4 apartments per floor -- and tries to be more upmarket so is better than most buildings that aim at students -- it seems to have better availability, and some of the two bedroom apartments have three bathrooms. The baloneys are large: http://www.realestate.com.au/realestate/agent/metro+21+brisbane/mlibri
    and http://www.metro21apartments.com.au/

    Apartments in Suburbs

    The suburbs that I recommend, due to location, transport and large number of better quality apartments, are Toowong, St Lucia, Taringa, Indooroopilly and possibly Milton and Hamilton. I don't recommend Chermside.

    The newest complex in the Toowong / Taringa area is Fresh. This complex has two pools, a gym and great gardens. http://www.realestate.com.au/realestate/agent/acorn+realty+taringa/nrqhzu

    Next door to Fresh is Encore, which is a relatively nice complex, with good pricing (but not as nice as Fresh, and some of the apartments are small). http://www.seqrents.com.au/encore/

    St Lucia is harder to find quality -- there are few onsite managers. So you have to try local real estate agents, such as Ray White (who also has listings in Fresh).

    In Indooroopilly, there has been recent construction, so there are a number of new, quality buildings. My two picks are Riva and Ciana.

    Riva has apartments with great river views. It is a quiet building, with a pool, and is close to the train station and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre http://www.seqrents.com.au/riva/

    Ciana is a larger new complex, in a central location, with many large apartments. There is a pool and gym, plus a bowls club! http://www.ciana.com.au/

    If you want an apartment complex that feels more suburban, then Parklands at Sherwood is a great choice. Many apartments have park/rural views, and there is a great pool and bbq area http://www.centralsherwood.com.au/.

    Nearby is Tennyson Reach, where you can get a large new apartment on the river. This is a new complex, but (apart from river views) not a great location.

    This is a list by a selling agent about various inner city buildings:
    http://www.openhouserealty.com.au/html/residential/21/apartment-buildings

    Saturday, March 28, 2009

    Grey Street South Bank

    The Brisbane Convention Centre is upgrading and rebuilding on Grey Street at South Bank.

    See this video.

    This can only improve the values of apartments in South Bank.

    Monday, May 19, 2008

    Example Rents in Brisbane City

    New Buildings - Furnished

    1 bed, no car - M on Mary - $500 per week
    2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car - Evolution - $900 per week
    2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car - Skyline - $1,300 per week
    3 bed, 2 bath, 1 car - Skyline - $900 per week
    3 bed, 2 bath, 3 cars - Riparian - $2200 per week

    Other Buildings - Furnished

    2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car - Admiralty Towers - $680 per week
    2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car - Saville South Bank - $740 per week

    New Buildings - Unfurnished

    2 bed, 1 bath, 1 car - Evolution - $650 per week
    2 bed, 2 bath, no car - Aurora - $660 per week
    3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car - Skyline - $1500 per week
    3 bed, 2 bath, 3 car - Riparian - $1850 per week

    Other Buildings - Unfurnished

    2 bed, 2 bath, 1 car - Admiralty Two - $580 per week
    2 bed, 3 bath, 1 car - Metro 21 - $575 per week

    Saturday, May 17, 2008

    Grey Street Redevelopment


    The street scape at Grey Street at South Bank will greatly improved with the proposed development of Stage Two of the Brisbane Convention Centre. The development will be over the rail line, and will front Grey Street, next to Rydges Hotel. It will improve the street when walking from the Cultural Centre and Museums along Grey Street to the Saville Hotel area.

    See South Bank Newsletter.

    Friday, April 25, 2008

    How to Find a Great Apartment to Rent in Brisbane

    ** Updated post click here **

    It is becoming harder to find a good apartment to rent in Brisbane. Not only are rents increasing, but there are few new buildings opening over the next few years and a number of existing buildings are being turned into short stay "hotels".

    Good apartments are often snapped up quickly. Also, onsite managers control the majority of apartments for rent in most buildings, and don't often advertise on the usual property websites (as they don't need to do so). Some have their own website. Onsite managers may have a relationship with executive relocation services that are given preference.

    You have to find out how each manager advertises his/her vacancy.

    If you are looking for a place to rent a good inner city apartment, I believe that this is one of the better sites to look at: http://www.seqrents.com.au

    This website has a list of most city apartment buildings, with useful information and links about them. Also, try this customized search engine.

    You want to avoid any buildings that are primarily short stay buildings (unless of course you want to stay for 2 nights to 2 months.) So avoid buildings managed by Oaks, as they focus on short term hotel style rentals. Look here if you want a short stay apartment in Brisbane.

    There are some cross-over buildings, that are officially hotels but that have apartments on higher floors. Usually, the apartments in these buildings have the option of receiving hotel services. Two examples are Quay West and Saville South Bank, which are good places to live.

    Look around -- the rents for some of the newer buildings are much higher, and the apartments are smaller, than in buildings that are five to ten years old.

    Some places to look:

    In the downtown area:

    Admiralty One, is good value: http://www.seqrents.com.au/admiralty/

    Admiralty Quays and Admiralty Two are also good quality. At present, I think some of the best value apartments for rent are in Admiralty Two.

    Admiralty One (also called Admiralty Towers), Admiralty Two and Admiralty Quays were all developed by the same developer and are direct river front, an easy walk to the downtown. They all have one or more swimming pools.

    Next door to Admiralty Quays on the river in the city is River Place , that is clearly not as good quality (it is a Devine built building), but is likely to have availability as this is a large complex. Careful of Storey Bridge noise. Great views. Recently taken over by Mint Apartments, which is doing short stay and hotel rentals.

    For an inner city downtown building, Metro 21 is one of the better quality buildings. It has only 4 apartments per floor -- and tries to be more upmarket so is better than most buildings that aim at students -- it seems to have better availability, and some of the two bedroom apartments have three bathrooms. It does not do short stay. The balconies are large: http://www.realestate.com.au/realestate/agent/metro+21+brisbane/mlibri
    and http://www.metro21apartments.com.au/

    On Alice Street in the city, if you can get an apartment in Quay West, that is fantastic, as it has park and river views. Half of this building is a hotel managed by Mirvac. All apartments are privately owned. You want to get above level 7.

    It is also worth trying some of the off-site agents:

    In my opinion, some of the buildings to avoid (see prior posts) are

    • 212 Margaret
    • Festival Towers
    • Charlotte Towers
    • Aurora
    • River City
    • Felix
    • Casino Towers
    In SouthBank:

    I recommend Arbour on Grey at SouthBank: http://arbour.com.au/cms/welcome.html

    Also, Saville at SouthBank is one of the nicest buildings if you get a river facing apartment: http://www.seqrents.com.au/saville/index.htm

    I know people at LeftBank at West End who like living there, but it is a little bit far to walk to any shops -- it is in an industrial area: http://www.seqrents.com.au/leftbank/

    In the suburbs:

    In the back of Toowong, Encore is a relatively nice complex, with good pricing (but currently construction next door, so take care of which apartment). http://www.seqrents.com.au/encore/

    St Lucia is harder to find quality -- the quality is there, it is just that there are few onsite managers and it is harder work to find good available apartments.

    In Indooroopilly, Riva is the only quality building -- again, some noise in some apartments due to nearby construction. Some have river views. http://www.seqrents.com.au/riva/

    There are very few vacancies in quality apartments in the suburbs.

    Monday, November 5, 2007

    Brisbane Apartment Short Term or Hotel Stays in Suites

    I am often asked which apartment buildings are good for short term stays. That is, which apartments in Brisbane downtown and nearby are furnished, safe and have good facilities.

    These are my recommendations, in this order:

    1. Quay West, on Alice Street overlooking the Botanical Gardens.

    Consistently rated as the number one hotel in Brisbane on TripAdvisor.
    One and two bedroom suites, with daily service and room service. Pool, gym, restaurant. Large balcony. Great location and great views from all suites. The one bedroom suites have kitchen, large living area with desk, laundry room, bathroom and large bedroom. Two modern flat screen TVs. The nicest pool in Brisbane. Operated by Mirvac.
    Book here.

    2. Felix Apartments on Felix Street at Eagle Street.

    An apartment building that Oaks has turned into a short term stay building. Good location, and most rooms have river views. Pool. Partly air conditioned (not central air conditioning). No room service. No hotel facilities. Good clientèle. Weekly clean.
    Book here.

    3. Saville Hotel at SouthBank

    Only 18 months old, one of the newest hotels in Brisbane. Great location, just out of the downtown, but with many good restaurants nearby. A full service modern hotel. Pool and gym. Room service.
    Book here.

    4. Oaks - 212 Margaret Street

    This was once a good place to stay, but now has a large construction site next door. No services.
    Book here.

    5. Oxygen Apartments, at Spring Hill

    This is a favourite place for IT workers. Small apartments, just out of the city. No services.
    Book here.

    ...

    The best hotel, for a standard hotel room, is Stamford Plaza, on the Brisbane River. Book here.

    Sunday, May 20, 2007

    Where to Find Good Apartments for Rent in Brisbane

    See updated post: click here.

    Many of the good apartments for rent are hard to find. Often, this is because they are snapped up quickly. Also, onsite managers often control the rental rolls, and don't often advertise on the usual property websites (as they don't need to do so). Some have their own website. Also, onsite managers may have a relationship with executive relocation services, that are feed the better apartments.

    If you are looking for a place to rent a good inner city apartment, I believe that this is the best site to look at: http://www.seqrents.com.au

    Also, try: http://www.raas.com.au

    You have to find out how each manager advertises his/her vacancy. You want to avoid any buildings managed by Oaks, as they focus on short term hotel style rentals.

    Some places to look:

    I recommend Arbour on Grey at SouthBank: http://arbour.com.au/cms/welcome.html

    Also, Saville at SouthBank is one of the nicest buildings if you get a river facing apartment: http://www.seqrents.com.au/saville/index.htm

    I know people at LeftBank at West End who like living there, but it is a little bit far to walk to any shops -- it is in an industrial area: http://www.seqrents.com.au/leftbank/

    In the city, Admiralty One, is good value - see prior posts: http://www.seqrents.com.au/admiralty/

    Admiralty Quays and Admiralty Two are also good quality.

    Nearby on the river in the city is River Place, that is not as good quality, but is likely to have availability as this is a large complex. Careful of Storey Bridge noise. Great views.

    On Alice Street in the city, if you can get an apartment in Quay West, that is fantastic, as it has park and river views -- for long term rentals, the best agent to try is Blockside & Fergerson for this building. Half of this building is a hotel managed, so it is easy to get short term accommodation in Quay West. All apartments are privately owned. You want to get above level 7.

    For an inner city downtown building, Metro 21 is one of the better quality buildings. It has only 4 apartments per floor -- and tries to be more upmarket so is better than most buildings that aim at students -- it seems to have better availability, and some of the two bedroom apartments have three bathrooms. The baloneys are large: http://www.realestate.com.au/realestate/agent/metro+21+brisbane/mlibri
    and http://www.metro21apartments.com.au/

    In the back of Toowong, Encore is a relatively nice complex, with good pricing (but currently construction next door, so take care of which apartment). http://www.seqrents.com.au/encore/

    St Lucia is harder to find quality -- there are few onsite managers.

    In Indooroopilly, Riva is the only quality building -- again, some are noisy due to nearby construction. Some have river views. http://www.seqrents.com.au/riva/

    This is a list by a selling agent about various innercity buildings:
    http://www.openhouserealty.com.au/html/residential/21/apartment-buildings