Gold Coast real estate a hole in one

Plenty of tourists come through the Gold Coast every year, and there are some pretty obvious reasons for this. One of the main factors is the beach lifestyle that keeps people active, outdoors and enjoying the sun. The shopping is also off the charts, and you'll easily blow through your holiday savings in a single day if you get caught up in the fabulous stores!

A new trend that Roy Morgan Research has picked up on of late is something you might not expect – the golfing scene. Do you enjoy swinging a club every now and then, hearing the ball ping away and fizz through the air and then land smack-bang in the middle of the fairway?

Well, if you're lucky enough to be accustomed to that sort of result, congratulations! You've also probably considered a golfing holiday to the Sunshine State in the last couple of years – so why not make the move permanent and take advantage of the incredible courses on offer by buying some Gold Coast property?

Make your drives count

Golf can be a great way to do some exercise while enjoying all that the Australian great outdoors has to offer – this is especially true when you consider the Sunshine State's gorgeous weather! So, if you're going to come here for a golfing holiday, what's stopping you from making that move permanent, and ensuring the only drive you have to do to get to Emerald Lakes Golf Course is a short one?

Once you've experienced golf in the south-east of Queensland, you won't want to play anywhere else. There are so many courses available, including Palm Meadows and Burleigh, that will offer challenging and unique experiences while surrounding you with the best nature has to show.

Roy Morgan Research reports that while 40.6 per cent of people want to visit Queensland in the next two years for a regular holiday, a country-leading 49.6 per cent want to come to the state for a golfing holiday! Only Victoria and New South Wales even come close to meeting that figure, but with the staggering amount of available courses and scenery to take your breath away, it's no surprise that Queensland leads the pack.

Keeping that in mind, the holiday doesn't just have to be a short trip – you could miss out on some of the best parts of the golf courses and only having a taste of this lifestyle is never going to be enough.

Main Beach real estate is ripe for the right buyers, and you certainly won't be disappointed by the surrounding golfing options.

Is Gold Coast property affordable?

According to the CoreLogic RP Data monthly indices, the median dwelling value in Brisbane and the Gold Coast is just $539,160 – that's almost $450,000 less than Sydney!

A media release on 1 June from the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) suggests that housing affordability has returned to 2013 levels, and is looking like getting better and better.

"The latest comprehensive data shows an improvement in housing affordability nationally with the proportion of income required to meet loan repayments going down to 30 per cent from 32.4 per cent in the last quarter of 2015 and 30.8 per cent a year ago," said REIA president Neville Sanders.

"Encouragingly, seven out of eight states and territories recorded improvements, largely underpinned by lower loan sizes and moderate increases in income. A lower rate of growth in property prices, smaller loans and marginally lower interest rates resulted in lower average monthly loan repayments."

While Gold Coast real estate remains at this affordable level, and golfing is at the top of your list of requirements for leisure time, take advantage of all that this diverse region has to offer and get in touch with Ray White Surfers Paradise.