Selling Houses Australia visits sunny Mermaid Waters, Qld
Selling Houses Australia visits sunny Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast to rescue a bad property investment
Photography Melissa Heath/Selling Houses Australia
What a treat on Selling Houses Australia to visit gorgeous Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast, Queensland, helping out lovely couple Bec and Jared. They found themselves in a tricky financial situation, and the scary part is that it could happen to any of us when the housing market is changing this quickly.
Located in a fantastic canal-side suburb, Mermaid Waters encapsulates the epitome of the Gold Coast lifestyle, but what looked like a great investment on paper as a knockdown rebuild was in actuality a gloomy little home.
Without prospects to sell it to an investor, it needed reinvention. Its two major problems were the location of the bedrooms at the wrong end of the house, and a tiny kitchen that was was small and dated.
“I told Dennis to prepare - I was gonna need every penny for this update!” ~ Wendy Moore
Expanding a small kitchen into a large one
The kitchen was just so tiny – too small for a four bedroom house, and in a terrible position. But the combined footprint of the kitchen and original laundry was much bigger, so I took out the laundry wall and used the extra space for storage, adding a window so you could see out to the pool.
I removed the entry to the master bedroom, too, and added a new breakfast bar with a heavy overhang. With those simple changes, the kitchen felt much more appropriate for the size of the home and became much more appealing to young families. You can just imagine a family sitting around the breakfast bar in the morning now, can’t you? The twin ‘Organic’ pendants above are from The Lighting Outlet.
I wanted to tell a cool coastal colour story in this home, bringing forward some lovely deep teal blue greens in the kitchen cabinetry. To bring this look to life, I turned to Kaboodle, available at Bunnings. The cabinets are in two colours, neutral Cremasala paired with green throwing Matchamisu, with open timber-look shelving in Maplenut. The profile on the doors and drawers is Alpine, which is a great simple shape that doesn’t dominate the space. Benchtops in classic Almond Brittle (also Kaboodle) and a white gloss splashbacks in Spanish porcelain subway tile 4411 (from Tile Factory Outlet) along with a Blanco sink (Pleon 8), matched with Linus tapware to complete the colour story.
Appliance breakdown in the Mermaid Waters kitchen on Selling Houses Australia
Here’s a breakdown of what appliances we installed:
Euromaid 90cm freestanding electric oven with ceramic cooktop in stainless steel (FC9PS); 60cm freestanding dishwasher, the 474L French Door Fridge in stainless steel (EFD474S), a 90cm freestanding electric oven with ceramic cooktop in stainless steel (FC9PS) matched with a 90cm fixed undermount rangehood from Tradelink.
The dark laundry appliances were also Euromaid, we chose: 8.5kg front loader washing machine in Grey (EFLP850G) and a matching 7kg heat pump dryer (EHPD700G)
Flipping the living spaces in Mermaid Waters Selling Houses
Dundee Mid Craigee laminate flooring from Flooring Xtra provided a pretty but practical base for all the living areas in this home, against which I could bring forth a sophisticated but informal coastal vibe to appeal to modern buyers. My favourite colour is green, and I love to use it in my own home and when renovating on Selling Houses, in varying ways. The trick is to think about it in nature – all different tones and colours layered on top of each other. It comes together in a really, simple relaxing way.
The paint in the living zone is Wattyl White Weave against the more dramatic Run Forest of the entry, with green coming through in feature pops on the furniture and cushions from Kas. This zone also included a new entry to the backyard, which previously could only be accessed via a bedroom. We found the doors at Alidoor and dressed them in flowing sheer Tiara curtains in Chalk from Luxaflex (the window features PIrouette shades in Magnolia).
A soothing coastal bedroom for Selling Houses Mermaid Waters
The master bedroom is the only one that didn’t move on the plan – the others swapped position with the living areas. I wanted carpets in the bedrooms, to suit the more relaxed vibe of this space, choosing a gorgeous textural option from Flooring Xtra called Lake Malawi Stargazer. I chose a softer green colour in this room for the same reason – so it connects to the rest of the interior but sets a different mood. This paint is Wattyl Early Mist. The Dotta quilt cover set is from Kas, and the furniture is from Forty Winks, with lighting from The Lighting Outlet
The sales history of Selling Houses Mermaid Waters
“It’s a pretty grim situation but we need to cut our losses before it becomes catastrophic,” explained owner Jarrod on the show. The Wiseman family had lived for six years on the Gold Coast when they purchased this investment property in Mermaid Waters, with the intention of knocking it down and rebuilding. But it became a nightmare after the builder pulled the pin, Bec lost her job and interest rates started rising. They purchased the property for $1.55 million at a market peak, but when it came time to sell, accepting an offer of $1-1.2 million could have meant financial ruin. They had to sell the property.
Did Selling Houses Australia Mermaid Waters sell?
Selling Houses Australia Mermaid Waters sold! Viewers of the propery before the renovation suggested a valuation of $1.1-1.2 million. The couple bought the property for $1.550 million in February 2022, invested $80,000 in the update and the home sold for $1.65 million. It was an outcome beyond our expectations and Bec and Jared were over the moon!
Who pays for the renovations on Selling Houses Australia?
The homeowners, Bec and Jared, supplied $80K towards the renovation, and we supplied all the labour as well as products from our sponsors. We worked really hard to get them a great result and are so happy that they are now able to move on with their lives – and their new baby! Congratulations.
