by Janine Hill

A NEW real estate agency has opened in Nambour, signalling confidence in the future of the hinterland property market.

Harcourts Hinterland, in Currie Street, between the Club Hotel Namba and C-Square, will focus on property sales in Nambour and surrounding areas west of the highway.

The office of four is headed up by agents Lina Hosier and Michael Scott, who have worked in the area in another franchise and know the market.

Michael said Nambour was the obvious choice of headquarters for a new hinterland agency although their hope is to open in other hinterland towns over time.

“The reason we aimed for opening in Nambour is because it was the heart of the hinterland and people still see it as that today,” he said.

A Nambour resident, he said it was a great town for living and working in and people who thought otherwise had the wrong idea.

“Often, when people from the other side of the highway talk about Nambour, they talk down, but it’s the best place to bring up a family and it’s not as busy as along the coast,” he said.

Lina said buyers had been waking up to what Nambour and the hinterland had to offer for the past few years.

“A lot of people come to the coast and realise there’s better value this side of the highway. A lot of people, before and after covid, want more space and it doesn’t have the stigma that it used to,” she said.

Michael said that sale prices were continuing in an upward trajectory in the area despite forecasts of property prices falling due to interest rate rises.

He said the larger block sizes in Nambour and surrounding areas mean buyers had opportunities to build granny flats and similar which would produce capital growth.

“It makes them feel a little bit more secure here than if they spend $1.2 million on a house in Maroochydore where there isn’t any opportunity to improve the value,” he said.

For information go to https://harcourts.net/au/office/hinterland