Sixty-eight former Defence Housing Australia properties in the Townsville suburb of Aitkenvale have hit the market with price guides ranging from $110,000 to $190,000 across three categories — as much as $430,000 below the suburb's circa $620,000 average sale price, news.com.au reported.
Local firm Renewable Homes has secured the contract to relocate the vacant dwellings, which sit across three blocks bounded by Nathan, Leopold, Kimball, and Kenealy Streets. Advertised prices include transport to a new site and a restumping allowance, making the package a potential entry point for first-home buyers, downsizers, and investors prepared to relocate and refurbish.
That price point is striking against a national backdrop where entry-level homes have never been more expensive. Domain's 2026 First Home Buyer Report found entry-level house prices rose 15% in the past year, averaging an extra $150,000 across Australian cities, with Brisbane recording entry-level growth of at least 20% — and the national average saving time for a 20% deposit now sitting at five years.
Most of the stock comprises three-bedroom, one-bathroom high-set homes, with a handful of four-bedroom options. Four homes have already gone under contract at prices between $110,000 and $160,000, with open inspections under way.
The portfolio is split into three pricing categories, and Renewable Homes director Jo Veneman has urged prospective buyers to confirm a property's category before submitting an offer.
"When you offer a price, please ensure you ask which pricing category they are in," Veneman wrote on social media. "We had 60 people through our last open home inspections and because they were unaware of the pricing structure, they missed out on securing a home."
Buyers attending inspections are required to wear enclosed shoes and asbestos registers will be available on the day, with B-class asbestos removal by licensed contractors required before the homes leave the site.
Lender policies on relocatable and high-set dwellings can vary from standard residential lending, including deposit requirements and valuation approaches.
Aitkenvale sits within one of Townsville's stronger rental markets, with a reported yield of 5.43%, backed by a Queensland statewide vacancy rate of just 0.9% in the March Quarter, according to the REIQ's latest Residential Vacancy Rate Report.
Looking ahead, Defence Housing Australia is preparing a new master plan for the Aitkenvale blocks that could deliver a mix of single dwellings, terraces, and potentially low-rise apartments, with a development application expected to be lodged with Townsville City Council later this year. The rezoning could affect property values in the surrounding area.
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