Real estate agents on the Sunshine Coast have revealed property continues to be snapped up near coastal areas, despite a possible recent crocodile sighting in Noosa.
Realestate.com.au reports the prices on the Sunshine Coast hotspot are continuing to rise, having already seen a major bump in the pandemic.
Executive manager of REA Group Angus Moore said people are still being enticed from the cities to the coast, although the market is showing signs of a slowdown.
“Prices are up a little over 5% in the past year, which is still solid, but slower than what we had been seeing through 2024, and much slower than what we were seeing during the pandemic,” Mr Moore said.
Noosa has been in the spotlight after a possible surprise sighting of a crocodile.
Matt Powe, a real estate agent in Noosa, said crocodiles were not the main concern of people who were living on the Sunshine Coast.
“Black snakes, brown snakes and pythons are more top of mind,” he said.
He added that the issue of crocodiles was more likely to concern people in Cairns and northern Queensland where saltwater crocodiles usually live.
“Plenty of people would happily line up to buy property in quays and adjacent to waterways,” he said.
“They’re just a bit more conscious, not swimming and being a bit more careful with launching boats,” he said.
The recent possible sighting of the crocodile was reported on July 20 by fisherman James Graham who shared video of a croc sighting at Noosa Spit.
“Your eyes tell you immediately what you see but then you try to put logic to that and you think: ‘There’s no crocs in Noosa,” he told 7NEWS Sunshine Coast.
Queensland wildlife authorities investigated but found no evidence.
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has estimated that there are between 20,000 to 30,000 crocodiles in Queensland, with most of them living in more tropical areas in the north.