$138m ticked up in property sales

MORE than $138 million worth of property – including land and commercial enterprises – was sold on the Northern Rivers in the first quarter of the year, according to data from Australian Property Monitors (APM).

Of the 443 properties reported as sold by the end of March on the APM website, the most expensive was in Ballina, at $2.3 million.

The cheapest house was in Grevillia, in the Kyogle Shire. Sited on 8000sqm, the house sold for $110,000.

A 990sqm parcel of land in Woodenbong fetched $38,500.

Kyogle was not the best value local government area on the Northern Rivers, however. Richmond Valley beat it with a median price of $236,000; median price for the Kyogle LAG in the quarter was $268,000.

Kyogle town itself saw the greatest number of sales – a function of density – with 12 of the 27 transactions. The sale of a large rural holding, at $600,000, was the biggest return.

Sixty-six properties sold in the Richmond Valley LGA for a total of $13.8 million. A house in Rileys Hill Road, Broadwater, was sold for $660,000 – top price for the area.

The Lismore LGA was the third most affordable in the region, with a median price of $325,000.

Best buy was a house in Goonellabah for $155,000, while the biggest money was spent on a house and large block of land at Mountain Top.

Goonellabah was reported as having the largest number of properties sold on the Northern Rivers.

The sale of 54 houses, units and parcels of land there involved the exchange of nearly $10 million, according to APM. Top price in the suburb was $520,000 for a house in Acacia Avenue sold by Wal Murray Lismore.

On the coast, Ballina witnessed 49 sales, Lennox Head 35 and East Ballina 30. Sales in Ballina Shire, at 127, were only pipped by Lismore, at 131.

In the north of the region, Byron Bay, Suffolk Park and Ocean Shores all showed high levels of activity.

Mal McPherson, of the Professionals in Ocean Shores, said the suburb was a “hidden secret”, and was att-ractive for downsizing retirees and young families alike.