How this Brisbane couple added a sea change to their downsizing

Meet Susie and Glenn Molloy, a couple in their sixties who have undergone a sea change away from Brisbane.

Tell us a little about yourself

Susie: I was a nurse for 42 years but retired to care for my mum, who passed away from cancer last year. My husband Glenn is a doctor. We’ve been talking about moving away from Brisbane for about five years especially with both of our daughters all grown up. After my mum passed away, we then thought about that move more seriously – it was our window of opportunity.

What did you initially want?

Susie: We wanted a gentle life near the water – that lifestyle where there were not as many people.

What we wanted was something close to the water, and to have three bedrooms so we could have family come and stay. It also had to be quiet.

We’ve been at our Camp Hill house, which we’re set to sell, for 16 years, which has been phenomenal. But living by the water was our dream, and we thought we’d run with it now that we’re in our 60s. Camp Hill is based six kilometres south-east of the Brisbane CBD.

What was the process like?

Glenn: When Susie’s mum died, that made us take stock of our lives and I looked to quit one of my jobs. We then began lining up our ducks in the second half of last year. All of my jobs can now be done remotely.

I then quit one of my jobs in March and we found a buyer’s agent in Chad Dunn of Acquired HQ. But we first booked a holiday overseas which we hadn’t done in a couple of years before officially starting the house hunt.

When we got back in April, we started getting our Camp Hill house ready for sale. At the same time, Chad started finding us a home and it was probably four weeks until he found our home. Susie flew down to get a look and feel of the place, which she loved. We then put in an offer and the owner accepted.

What did you end up buying?

Glenn: We bought a two-storey duplex in a suburb called Corlette, based near Port Stephens in NSW, that has uninterrupted views of the water for $1.43 million.

It was a little bit tired, but we’re freshening it up now so we’re redoing carpets, security screens, painting and air conditioning. After that’s done, we’ll move in sometime in late August or early September.

It’s got three bedrooms, a two-car garage, two and a half bathrooms and a huge balcony. It’s ideal for the family to come for the holidays. It’s perfectly set up as it’s very quiet down in Corlette. It’s near many beaches and little parks for our grandson. It’s just beautiful.

Our Camp Hill home is a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house with a single garage and carpet. It has a lovely lush green garden in the back so we’ll miss it, but we were ready for a change. It’s expected to get back enough to cover the new home and leave us with some money too.

What’s the housing market like?

Susie: The prices are huge. When we bought our Camp Hill house 16 years ago, the market has changed. We do think we got a very good deal in Corlette compared to how Brisbane prices have increased. Our Camp Hill home was close to where our girls went to school, but we didn’t realise it would have so much appeal down the track so we’ve been very lucky.

For Corlette, I was a bit surprised by the prices. I don’t know why I initially thought it would have been a little cheaper. But certainly, if we tried buying the same thing in Brisbane, it would have been out of our price range for sure.