WHEN the going gets tough, the property people get creative. As the Gold Coast property industry braces itself for what is tipped as its annus horribilis, property developers, agents and vendors have once again had to get inventive in a buyers' market.

A few years ago the industry's sales skills were showcased at the Gold Coast Arts Centre in a display of real estate posters from years ago -- such as the one that promoted the benefit of moving to the area to take advantage of the abolition of death duties, through to a laugh at agents' expense, declaring 'Real Estate Agent Taken by Shark', to promote the canal estates. Today, the agents are turning to other innovative ways to draw in potential buyers.

 

The developer of Huntington Downs estate at Maudsland is offering a free 'acreage accessory' on some lots that include a swimming pool, tennis court, stable or hobby shed. He is also offering lots with a 12-month golf membership at a nearby course with a set of golf clubs, bag and putter.

It follows the mid-year offer by developer Mark Chapman of a $40,000 Toyota Prius hybrid car with six of the blocks at his $80 million Currumbin Ridge project. Eager developers are offering vendor finance, free marina berths, furniture packages and rental guarantees to shift property, while some vendors are offering to leave finance in their property in a desperate bid to move it. Some developers are even offering off-contract rebates to buyers without obviously cutting the perceived property values.

 

Veteran agent Max Christmas, who saw every gimmick in the book in a five-decade career in real estate, adheres to the old French aphorism that the more things change, the more they stay the same. "The only thing that's changed is technology, the rest is the same," he said. "It's people talking to people, the skill of talking to them and understanding people and what they want."