Ashley and Renay Cullen are ready to take the next step up the property ladder after renovating their first home in one of Brisbane’s best-value markets.
The couple has listed their three-bedroom Birkdale house complete with a picture-perfect white picket fence with a price tag of $839,000.
Finder’s analysis of the income threshold required to buy in every Queensland suburb places the coastal hub of Birkdale east of the city just within reach for a double-income household based on average annual earnings of $182,265 (ABS).
A minimum income of $177,911 and 20 per cent deposit is sufficient to fund a 30-year home loan in Birkdale, where a typical house costs $904,878. Loan repayments in 2024 were $4,448, according to the Finder data.
Mr Cullen, an aircraft maintenance engineer who describes himself as a, “classic jack of all trades”, said they bought the home in 2016 for its potential to add value through upgrades including remodelling the kitchen and living space.
“I was an apprentice at the time, we had one child under 2 and my wife worked from home, so we basically bought the most suitable property we could afford,” Mr Cullen said.
“The place has evolved over time as we’ve lived in it and worked out what needed to be done, and wherever we could we did the work ourselves.
“We are hoping to use property to transition out of the 9 to 5, but still having young kids and renovating is always a juggle and this being our first project as a couple it has also been a learning process.”
The couple has two sons, Aidan, 9, and James, 6, and hope to use equity from the sale of their home to move even closer to the water and renovate again.
Ms Cullen, a healthcare consultant, said they were mindful of creating a modern space that would appeal to families, by rendering and repainting surfaces, replacing flooring, fans and air conditioning, and installing on-trend fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen.
Taking the reigns of the modern coastal interior design, she said buyers coming through open home inspections had shown appreciation for “aesthetically pleasing” finishes in high-traffic areas.
“People can’t see the high quality insulation or solar you’ve installed, but they want to see the on-trend tiles and tapware,” she said.
The property on a 616 sqm lot is marketed by Luke Humphrys and Clay Malineack, of Bayside Property Agents Birkdale.
Source: realestate.com.au