High set vs low set - Logan QLD

[Greenjoy3001]

Hi All,

Looking to buy an IP in the Logan area in QLD and have the choice of a low set brick and tile house or a high-set Queenslander. As a general rule, would one make a better investment than the other? Do tenants in Logan have a preference either way?

Considering that I plan to a build a granny flat down the track, would this fact favour one or the other? In the case of a high-set, my thoughts are that the granny flat may have less privacy in this instance. Although I suppose this could be mitigated with the right design/orientation of the granny flat.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Beanie Girl]

Hi All,

Looking to buy an IP in the Logan area in QLD and have the choice of a low set brick and tile house or a high-set Queenslander. As a general rule, would one make a better investment than the other? Do tenants in Logan have a preference either way?

A large number of tenants in Logan like big houses because they have large extended families but there is still demand for brick low-sets as well because of smaller families or couples who want to rent.

Advantage of brick - no need for paint maintenance of the exterior
Highset with weatherboard top - needs some painting maintenance, every 7 years approximate

Some elderly people or people with disabilities prefer lowests and not climbing stairs

Highsets may come with pre-existing rooms/bathrooms built-under or can have opportunity to build-under with 2 rooms, lounge, kitchen, bathrooms/toilet. That will make the highset a very spacious house with more living area.

This can give you the opportunity to self-assess the built in downstairs as an 'auxiliary unit' that can be rented out to a separate household. Let me quote the relevant provision.

"An Auxiliary unit development (previously known as "dual key") is classified as a "material change of use". This type of development can occur in an existing building provided that building meets the criteria of the relevant codes.
Provided an existing granny flat is able to meet the Auxiliary unit self-assessable criteria (and any other applicable planning scheme criteria such as overlays), it could be reclassified as an Auxiliary unit and be rented out separately. No development permit is required if the proposal meets the self-assessable criteria."

Thanks.

Hope this helps to clarify things a bit.

 

[Greenjoy3001]

Thanks for your advice Beanie Girl. I can definitely see that a high-set with a properly done up downstairs area can be an advantage. Not sure that I would want to rent the downstairs separately though - as another person wrote on another thread, I can't imagine how you could live with the noise that would carry through the floorboards.