![QLD_CM_REALESTATE_EXTRABEDROOM_29AUG26](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jerrami Shaw and James Curran with children Theodore (4) and Hudson (13). Image: Annette Dew.
A Brisbane family just looking for another bedroom and a backyard was faced with a brutal reality: upgrading could mean having to fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars more.
Jerrami Shaw and James Curran bought their first home, a three-bedroom townhouse in Everton Park, off-plan in 2022 following the birth of their youngest son.
It was her ticket into the real estate market.
Now her two sons are growing up, Ms. Shaw is working from home more, and the family needs what generations before them might have considered a fairly modest upgrade – a four-bedroom house with a backyard.
A three-bedroom townhouse is soon to hit the market in this nearly new building in Everton Park, which has a pool and great amenities.
But after being glued to realestate.com.au for a month, they’ve discovered just how big the financial jump can be.
The family saw a price reduction of about $400,000 on a property they were considering.
“It’s really hard,” Ms. Shaw said. “Our oldest loves basketball and wants to have his own hoop, and our youngest just wants to be outside and kick a ball.”
The couple expects to spend at least $100,000 to $200,000 more to secure an extra bedroom and perhaps additional living space and a yard — and will likely have to leave the neighborhood they love to do so.
A three-bedroom townhouse is soon to hit the market in this nearly new building in Everton Park, which has a pool and great amenities.
Her children go to school in Everton Hills and her current townhouse has cafes, shops and other amenities within walking distance.
But the location could be a compromise that makes their next home affordable.
Ms Shaw said even older homes in her price range often had smaller bedrooms and awkward layouts that didn’t suit her family.
Their townhouse at 44/31 Woolworths Street will soon go on the market through agent Alex Rutherford of Place New Farm, with equity and time savings helping to enable the family to take their next step.
But despite fears that prices could rise further, Ms Shaw is not prepared to panic buy.
“I’d rather not rush into anything and make a decision too quickly,” she said.
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New figures from realestate.com.au show Queensland families looking for room to grow are facing the highest costs of upsizing, with the cost of adding just one bedroom in some suburbs exceeding even Sydney’s priciest enclaves.
The data shows Main Beach, Surfers Paradise and New Farm are among the hardest places in Australia to expand, with families having to fork out up to $2.3 million extra just to move into a home with another bedroom.
