Home values continue to rise

Local Gladstone resident Doreen McKeon at her Off Lane property.

Kerry Thomas

HOME values are always changing, usually only in one direction.

Since the day Doreen McKeon moved into her current home 66 years ago, she has seen home values experience wild change.

She and her husband bought their home in Off Lane, Gladstone, in 1945, and she speaks fondly of its role in her life.

In those days, Gladstone was considered a cheap place to buy a home. But times have changed. She is well aware it would now be worth a hefty sum of money

After all those decades in her home, she never would have believed that one day its value would reach the prices seen today.

Some homeowners in Gladstone will be thrilled by new data showing the town had the state's highest median sales value of any regional centre in September.

But Mrs McKeon won't be getting too excited about her increased home value. For starters, she says the financial value of her home doesn't matter much to her, since she plans on living there for the rest of her life.

More importantly, she worries that high property values will make it tough for young families trying to establish their first home in Gladstone.

"It doesn't make much difference to me," she said of her home value. "But I think for the next generation it will matter."

"I think (buying a house in Gladstone) would be harder today than it was before."