We get a lot of inquiries from first home buyers — locals who've been saving, young families who want to plant some roots, people moving up from interstate who've heard Brisbane is the place to be. And they're not wrong about that last part. Brisbane is absolutely the place to be. The problem is, getting into it as a first home buyer has become genuinely tough.
Here's the core issue: land prices. Brisbane land values have climbed to the point where the government's first home buyer threshold just doesn't stretch far enough. By the time you find a block in a decent location — even in the outer suburbs — you're looking at $500,000 or more for the land alone. Add a house to that, and you're over the threshold before you've even started talking finishes and fixtures. That's not a budget problem, that's a structural problem with how much land costs in this city right now.
Developers aren't helping. Land isn't being released fast enough to meet the demand that's out there, and that gap keeps prices elevated. There are some growth corridors worth watching — the Caboolture area and up around One Bay have new estates going in, and that's still accessible for buyers who are flexible about location. But if you've got your heart set on Brisbane South or the northern Gold Coast fringe, you need to go in with realistic expectations about what your money will get you.
So what's the actual advice? A few honest thoughts:
Be willing to look further out. The blocks are there — they're just not in the suburbs that get all the attention. Areas like Beenleigh, Logan, and further out toward Pimpama and Coomera still offer genuine value for first home buyers who are building rather than buying established.
Build, don't buy established. A custom new home in a growth corridor is almost always better value than buying something older and paying the premium for someone else's location. You get a new home warranty, modern energy efficiency, and a design that actually suits your life — not someone else's from twenty years ago.
Get your numbers right before you fall in love with a block. Understand what the threshold is, where you'll sit relative to it, and what concessions you can access. Talk to your builder and your broker together — not separately — so everyone's working off the same numbers.
I won't pretend there's a magic solution here. Brisbane's land market is what it is. But for first home buyers who are prepared to be a bit flexible and willing to look at where the growth is heading rather than where it's already been, there are still genuine opportunities. You just have to know where to look.
If you're at the start of that journey and want a straight conversation about what's realistic in Brisbane South, reach out. I'm at inh.com.au/BrisbaneSouth.
