Displaying Creativity Pays Off

Newcastle Herald

Saturday April 23, 2005

By SALLY CROXTON

BELLEVALE Homes' new display house at Somerset Park was initially considered too adventurous to appeal to the Newcastle market.

But judging by the comments and number of people inspecting the project home on its debut showing last weekend, it is a gamble that has paid off.

The company's sales and marketing manager Alan Sullivan said last week there had been some debate about building the house at its Thornton display village rather than in Sydney, fearing it might be too different to appeal to a more conservative Hunter market.

But the single-level, 301.7-square-metre, four-bedroom, three-bathroom Queenscliff Panorama presents as a refreshing change from the "MacMansion" double-storey style of project home.

Different both outside and in, the exterior features a stacked stone wall, independently opening garage doors and a large covered patio.

Inside it offers a truly open-plan design with large, more formal areas flowing into casual living space arranged around a central kitchen and out to the rear covered outdoor meals area and side courtyard.

The Queenscliff with the Panorama facade begins at $172,400 excluding land.

It is open for inspection daily from 10am to 5pm.

Bellevale also recently bought from another developer the last 15 lots at Lakeside Estate, Raymond Terrace.

The 560- to 600-square-metre lots were released for sale earlier this month, with three already sold. The final level cul-de-sac lots at Adastra Close, in an area favoured by both young families and retirees, are available from $149,950 to $159,950.

Designer goes to town

CLEAN styling, space, sophisticated finishes and a quiet spot in convenient Cooks Hill characterise a new-to-the-market Torrens title town house.

Positioned off a private driveway at 60 Bull Street, the new family-sized four-bedroom two-bathroom town house, with a rare-for-Cooks-Hill double garage, offers some schmick design features including a polished concrete floor to the living area, high square-set ceilings and full floor-to-ceiling doors.

The spacious living area and kitchen with a Carara marble benchtop and Miele appliances face out to a rear courtyard and to another at the side with a plunge pool backed by a white tiled wall that doubles as a water feature.

All the bedrooms are large and carpeted. The three upstairs come with generous built-ins and the downstairs bedroom could also be used as a study.

Built by Monument Developments, it is on the market with Anthony Merlo of Robinson Property at $849,000.

Putting money down

A WEEK into the marketing campaign and there are five deposits on the 15 town houses built for defence personnel at Brunker Road, Adamstown.

All the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, double-garage Torrens title town houses are being sold with a 12-year lease plus a three-year option to Defence Housing Australia (a shorter term can be negotiated).

You can see what's on offer for yourself tomorrow from 1pm to 2pm when a display unit is open for inspection at 343 Brunker Road.

Apart from one end town house, the properties are each for sale at $414,000, with an initial rent of $355 a week.

There are no vacancy costs or letting fees but there is a 16.5 per cent management fee which includes some maintenance.

Other features include a landscaped courtyard, downstairs toilet, reverse-cycle air-conditioning and an upstairs balcony.

They are the first stage of the development which will later include detached houses facing Merewether Golf Course.

The first stage is being officially opened by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, Teresa Gambaro, on Tuesday at 2pm.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home