Capes home approvals soar

The Housing Industry Association says new dwelling approvals in the Capes have risen by 45 per cent in the past year.

There were 931 dwelling approvals in Busselton and Margaret River in 2013-14, nearing a decade high for the area, the HIA said.

Statewide, building approvals jumped 23.1 per cent to 3103 in July — their highest monthly level on record.

In Busselton, Satterley Property Group’s Provence estate has close to 50 new homes under construction.

Estate manager Alan Abel said Busselton received a lot of interest from fly-in, fly-out workers. “You also have a lot of first homebuyers who are taking advantage of the smaller home sites which have been embraced by the market, as the product offers buyers affordable home ownership options, ” he said.

Mr Abel said the South West property market had improved in the past year and he predicted steady growth over the next couple of years.

In its 2013-14 Budget, the State Government increased the $7000 first-homeowner’s grant to $10,000 for those building a house and dropped it to $3000 for those buying an established home.

Busselton couple Athaley Parker-Gask and Jordan Keighley are building their first home together in Provence estate.

Ms Parker-Gask said the $10,000 grant was a big help financially.

“We were looking in Busselton for a few months, ” she said.

“It’s a good investment down here. Buying an established house isn’t as good value. That’s why we decided to build.

“We’re building our dream house for what we would have paid for an average established house.”

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