I have sold stacks of Queenslanders and lots of modern brick and tiles and lived in both too so I'll give my 2 cents.
Qldrs are old homes and therefore by nature mostly are within 10kms of the city. On the other hand the modern homes are usually 5-7km+ out from the city. Ipswich is an area which doesn't fit into this theory but in general its how it is. Qldrs are full of character and tradition, amazing homes with big rooms, solid hardwood timber ideally built to suit the hot and humid Qld weather. This is why they were built off the ground to allow the breeze to flow underneath also. They are high maintenance however and the windows are not designed for flyscreens, which is why many are replaced with aluminium windows. This then destroys its character and is a major turn off to potential buyers. It's vital to maintain the character of a Qldr. Building in underneath by using brick is also another turnoff to Qldr buyers.
Jacque is spot on regarding wiring and plumbing, it is important to make an electrical inspection part of every purchase on a Qld timber home. This is not included in your building insp and the old wiring is not suitable to current living needs and is dangerous. Roofs, gutters, painting, white ants and rooms which flow to other rooms are all issues in the common Qldr.
Brick homes have smaller rooms, especially bedrooms. They also have formal lounge and dining rooms which i found were rarely ever used and we were no different. Ensuites are also overrated, but thats my opinion
A major advantage of the brick and tile is garaging. Qldrs often only have carports whereas Brick most often provides a lock up garage usually with internal access and remote control. Kitchens tend to be more practical in modern homes. Our last home, a lowset brick and tile at Carseldine is the coolest house we have lived in, not taking into account our house now is fully air conditioned
Tiles help enormously in keeping a house cool.
Personally I think brick and tile areas are boring. Albany Ck is an example of an area where every house looks much the same and they are on top of each other like sardines. No character at all. The Bridgeman Estate off Becketts Rd at Bridgeman Downs is excellent but the price tag is a little higher. 500k should get you into something though. If I went back to brick and tile it would have to be on a 1000m2 block minimum. By the time you fit a modern brick home on a 607m2 block there's little room for kids,a pool or dog. We have polished floors throughout now and seeing the dust, dirt and everything else we sweep up every couple of days is scary, considering thats what lays in your carpet.
Character homes will perform better in a slow market but the cost of owning one is higher. At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and whether it is for Principal place of residence or investment.
Kev
www.gogecko.com.au
