Developing Queensland: Aerial view of the Brisbane Bridge at sunset. Also known as Story Bridge, it is one of the longest cantilever bridges in the world at 1,066 metres.
The Christmas break plays a big role in the property market.
People go into the break with one intention, maybe to buy or sell and then they spend time with family/friends.
These people can significantly delay or increase those pre-Christmas decisions.
Think of that opinionated relative or that friend whose opinion you truly value.
If they say ‘heck yes’ or ‘heck no’, it matters.
Ray White’s Haesley Cush. Photo: Supplied.
So last Saturday as the barge slowly lifted the ramp and began to pull away from the Dunwich Terminal at Stradbroke Island, I knew it was time for me to farewell my annual pilgrimage and get my head back in the game.
I turned my phone on to get the early mail on the 2026 market and the influence of those conversations.
The message that jumped out the most was from Dimitri Cassidy. Dimitri sells a lot of apartments in Tenerife and Newstead on the fringe of the city, in Brisbane.
This area has been a huge part of the apartment story over the last decade.
It was originally smashed with over supply about 10-12 years ago and now these units are hotter than the sand at midday on Main Beach!
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6/638 Brunswick Street, New Farm.
The unit Dimitri was updating me on was a two bedroom, two bathroom and one car park apartment.
It was launched in January, which is becoming a more and more popular time for owners to launch.
There are fewer listings on line and people have more time on their hands.
He was reselling this unit, which he sold back in 2024 for $800,000.
When it was for sale in 2024 it had a lot of interest; it had 1.7k listing views, 40 enquiries and 26 inspections, selling in just three weeks.
2315/179 Alfred Street, Fortitude Valley recently sold for $685,000.
That’s a strong campaign. It was launched in March 2024, a seasonally good selling time. So why the text?
Since it was launched a week ago the listing has already had 2.9k listing views, 18 inspections and three offers all above $980,000 and expected to sell for over $1 million.
That’s huge, considering how strong the previous campaign was and the price uplift only 18 months.
This is only one story of many that I scrolled through as the barge pulled back into Cleveland and it was time to drive off.
Now, one week in and with the last of the Stradbroke Island sand nearly washed off the driveway, I can share that the early mail is 2026 has started with a bang.
***Haesley Cush is the CEO and co-partner of Ray White Collective
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