A successful Olympics bid for SEQ will mean huge impacts on the property market.

We welcome and celebrate this opportunity; however, we do warn that there must be proper measures in place to address the issues the property market will face.

Bringing the Olympics to town will fast track the growth of the Sunshine Coast and halve the time in which property market milestones were predicted. It will see all the planned infrastructure projects brought forward as well as new projects added to the list.

There are so many positives associated with this including adding to the already wonderful lifestyle of the Sunshine Coast that will be given the international spotlight come 2032.

This will bring more jobs and more people which is great for the region’s economy, BUT it also exacerbates the housing issue.

Our COO Mal Cayley was recently interviewed by media to help explain and share this message, view the story on SunshineCoastNews.com.au and WIN News.

https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2021/02/26/olympics-2032-sunshine-coast/

https://www.facebook.com/WINNewsSunshineCoast/videos/3680817005373046

The Sunshine Coast is already out of balance with supply of housing Vs the demand. It’s actually experiencing the most significant undersupply of the top 10 cities in Australian history!

We are seeing this already with dramatically increasing home prices and rents. More people and less homes is seeing people fighting for a place to live and it drives up the prices of both property sales and rentals. At the current rate it wont be too long until we’ll be seeing dozens if not hundreds of people sleeping in makeshift arrangements such as those that were forced to sleep in tents in the Hobart showgrounds in 2018.

The circumstances for the Sunshine Coast are already unprecedented and adding the biggest international event to our region will just keep multiplying the effect. Without proper planning we will see an extended rental crisis which will eventually price people out of the market and make it very difficult for those who can afford to live here to enjoy the lifestyle they bought into. There needs to be diversity in a community in order for it to live and thrive.

There is an opportunity to effectively plan now.

We encourage mature and robust discussion around better managing the balance of supply and demand of housing. We can’t afford any kind of extremism in this debate – over development is just as unhealthy as the view of stopping all development. People will come, they are coming, and we need a solid plan for managing that demand in a way that protects the culture and lifestyle of this Region.

Considered planning and development will allow more people to live here affordably. Investors can build wealth while being part of the housing solution. Infill development can make room for more homes without having a negative impact on our precious natural habitat or lifestyle.

There are opportunities here that we could all benefit from if the right conversations are had, the red tape is reduced, and fair and honest decisions are made. This needs to happen regardless of a successful Olympic bid, but even more so if we get the green light to play host and put the Coast on the international stage in 2032.