Home buyers in Port Douglas and Cooya Beach needed to be quick last month with two houses going under contract within two weeks of hitting the market. Interestingly, the buyers in both cases were Douglas locals.

In Port, it was a Reef Park Queenslander that caught the attention of many a potential buyer, with open homes recording visits from local, Cairns-based and interstate parties.

LJ Hooker’s Matt Scott said the interest in the property started as soon as the For Sale sign went up.

“The combination of a unique property (for the area), an impressive feature set and the potential to personalise it further and really put your stamp on it seemed to resonate with buyers,” he suggested.

Originally built in the Solander area, the imposing home was later relocated to its current Reef Park site.

In Cooya Beach, the combination of a relatively new home, modern fit-out, 1000m2 block and large shed all contributed to the level of interest that it attracted.

Having prepared for a full open home schedule, LJ Hooker’s Joel Van Kalken said, as fate would have it, he didn’t have an opportunity to facilitate that many.

“Our buyer actually attended the first open home then requested a second inspection later in the same day,” he explained.

“Two days later an offer was submitted and after some negotiating to and fro, the deal was done.”

While such a short time on market is not yet typically reflective of broader activity, LJ Hooker’s Michael Samson said affordable housing stock continued to be the ‘hot ticket’ - particularly in Port Douglas.

“Like anything it all comes down to supply and demand and at the moment we are seeing an increased demand for housing that in some cases is outweighing supply,” he suggested.

“The prominence of local buyers in the market is another encouraging trend that a number of agents have reported in recent times,” he added.