Hervey Bay. Just saying it drops my blood pressure back to normal readings! I like saying it – Hervey Bay. It makes me feel better. I really believe the mere mention of the place improves my health.
But, why?
Hervey Bay is good for my blood pressure because …
It’s laid back. Life is easy going. It’s slow paced. It’s relaxed. Just my speed.
It’s got plenty of people. The population is somewhere around 60,000 plus, so you’re not isolated and alone. If you want to meet folks, make new friends, no problem.
Plenty of People; Not Much Traffic!
And, a major contributor to blood pressure reduction – hardly any traffic in Hervey Bay! Lots of people, yes. But, traffic, no! Not sure why this is the case. But, there seem to be only 2 roads where you can use the term “ traffic” – but you must use it loosely. The minute you travel to Brisbane, traffic takes on a whole new meaning! But, for Hervey Bay, you may experience some “traffic” on Boat Harbour Drive and the Esplinade. Other than that, you can just about remove the word traffic from your vocab while living or visiting Hervey Bay!
Can you say Affordable Housing?
Oh, yeah, almost forgot … Hervey Bay house prices are the best. What do I mean by the best? Well, let’s just say you get a lot of house for the money here in Hervey Bay.
You can buy a 4 bedroom, brand new home, with 2 car garage, tiled roof, ensuite on 700 sqm of land for around the $315,000 to $330,000 mark.
For Australia, that’s affordable.
My daughter just bought a 3 bedroom unit in Alice Springs for $380,000. Her friend just bought a 3 bedroom unit in Alice Springs for $420,000. Both of these are considered good buys in the current Alice Springs market. These prices are at or a bit below “market.” Alice is not what I’d consider “affordable.”
Why is Hervey Bay so affordable?
Well, I believe it comes down one thing. It’s the same “thing” that explains why Alice Springs prices are so high.
What is this thing? What is this magic item that determines whether a town has relatively high or low house prices?
Well, it’s just a word. A word people use every day. A word everyone knows. A word the politicians use on a regular basis to win votes. A word that can conjure up images of prosperity or poverty; joy or fear. It’s a small word. It’s easy to spell. It’s easy to pronounce.
JOBS!
You show me a town with lots of jobs and I’ll show you high home prices. Show me a town with limited jobs and I’ll show you a town with more affordable housing.
There are lots of jobs in Alice Springs. High paying jobs; move up the ladder fast jobs. Low skill work with high pay, great benefits. High skill work with even better pay and even better benefits!
And, house prices in Alice Springs are relatively high. Rents are high. Don’t take my word for it, check out realestate.com.au and look at a few properties. Do you think the prices are high?
There appears to be fewer job opportunities in Hervey Bay. Hence, check out the house prices; check out the rent prices – they’re relatively low.
In Hervey Bay you can rent a 4 bedroom, 2 car garage, ensuite, 700 sqm of land, virtually new modern home for $320 to $380 per week.
In Alice Springs, a home like that would run easily $700 per week; probably closer to $800 depending on the neighbourhood.
You could buy that same home in Hervey Bay for about $330,000 or less! In the Alice, you’d be paying upwards of $750,000!
Lots of jobs, high home prices; high rents. Not so many jobs, lower home prices; lower rents.
Hervey Bay, great for your blood pressure, great for low home prices and low rents.
But, for how long will this last?
What happens when the giant new addition to the Hervey Bay Hospital is built? It looks bigger than the existing hospital! Doesn’t this mean more jobs? More workers? More housing needed?
What about when the baby boomers discover Hervey Bay? What happens when they decide to buy up all this affordable housing and live by the ocean? They don’t need jobs, they have money. Will more jobs be created to serve these boomers?
Who knows?
I feel Hervey Bay is a great spot; a great spot to live. And, it appears to be a good time to get in while housing affordability is still low; while the rest of Australia is still not fully aware of its charm, its beauty, and its blood pressure reducing lifestyle!