Australian Broker's Spotlight Series is back, where we highlight standout individuals in Australia's finance and broking industries.
For this edition, we reconnected with Gordon MacVicar, co-owner of the Noosaville and Coolum Beach Mortgage Choice franchise offices.
MacVicar offers his insights on the Sunshine Coast's property markets and how he stays ahead of the shifting landscape.
The following interview has been edited for grammar and clarity.
GM: Southeast Queensland attracts people who can afford to chase a better lifestyle, moving from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, New Zealand, the UK. The problem is supply, and it's structural, not cyclical.
There's no upgrading stock. Someone who wants to move up from a four-bedroom house can't find anything to go to. And the downsizing market is nearly non-existent on the north end of the coast. People in their 50s and 60s with the kids gone are rattling around in five-bedroom homes with nowhere to downsize to. So they stay put. That keeps pressure on prices regardless of what rates are doing.
To give you a sense of how expensive it's become, $1.4 million on the Sunshine Coast now gets you a knockdown or a complete renovator. That's the reality. But it's blue-chip real estate. The demand is real, the supply constraints are real and prices keep reflecting that.
Years ago, we had Melbourne clients buying investment properties here because they couldn't afford Victoria. Now our Sunshine Coast clients are looking at Victoria for investments because the Sunshine Coast has become too expensive. That tells you everything about how much this market has shifted.
GM: It's not too late. But buyers should reset expectations. You're not buying in Coolum Beach for $600,000. Those homes are $1.4 million for a knockdown or renovator. For first-time homebuyers the opportunities are in Nambour, Gympie, Sippy Downs, areas where there's still room to get in. Every generation has heard housing is unaffordable. It is expensive. But I see first-time homebuyers saving hard over three or four years and getting there. The best time to buy is when you can. Don't wait for a crash that may never come.
GM: The client profile on the Sunshine Coast has shifted significantly over the last several years. We're seeing more high-income earners, more self-employed clients and more people with complex financial situations who want a broker that can actually engage with their circumstances rather than just process a standard application. The demographic change on the Sunshine Coast has driven that.
On the operational side, brokers who are investing in technology and systems are pulling ahead. Not because it replaces the relationship. But because it frees you up to focus on the work that actually matters.
GM: Try to get to a 'yes' or 'no' as fast as possible. Clients want certainty. Real estate agents and their vendors want certainty. The faster you give people a clear answer, the better. We prepare clients upfront: here's what we need, here's why, here's the process. We don't drip-feed document requests. And we don't send lenders deals that are 50-50 at best. We know each lender's appetite and we place deals accordingly. BDMs pick up when we call because they know we're not wasting their time.
The complex stuff is where we add the most value. Self-employed lending, ATO debt, structural deals that genuinely change someone's position. That's what our referral market attracts and that's where we enjoy working most. Our referral network is also heavily focused around property purchases. Real estate agents know we can work fast to meet finance clauses. That speed and reliability is why they keep sending clients our way.
Also, look after the book you've already built. We have someone dedicated full-time to repricing, and then calling clients after we've repriced. That one activity does three things: it saves clients money, it generates new loan opportunities when circumstances have changed and it generates referrals because clients see that you're genuinely looking after them. Regular contact, proactive repricing, genuine follow-through. That's what builds a book worth owning.
