McGrath Estate Agents has strengthened its footprint on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast with the opening of a new office in Coolum, headed by franchise partners Chris Pace and Damien Michael.
The expansion comes as the Sunshine Coast was recently identified as one of the ten hottest housing markets globally in the Knight Frank Wealth Report.
Mr Pace and Mr Michael, who joined McGrath in 2013 when they opened the Buderim office and later expanded to Mooloolaba in 2016, will now lead their third office in the region.
Chris Mourd, Head of Franchise for McGrath, said the expansion was timely and reflected the principals’ focus and success in an important lifestyle and growth market.
“Importantly we have seen how both Chris and Damien have expanded their business footprint and continue to immerse themselves and invest in the local community,” Mr Mourd said.
“They are well-liked and respected and have built a wonderful culture within their operation. We are proud to have them as franchise partners and have watched them build great businesses with integrity during their 12 years at McGrath.”
The new McGrath Coolum office will service the area from Coolum Beach in the north to Twin Waters in the south, and to Yandina and Maroochy River in the west. Key suburbs include Coolum Beach, Yaroomba, Twin Waters, Mudjimba and Mount Coolum.
Mr Pace said that the market has witnessed strong price growth in recent times.
“Coolum Beach and its neighbouring suburbs continue to experience strong growth in population and property values,” Mr Pace said.
“The area’s appealing coastal lifestyle, combined with proximity to the Sunshine Coast airport and South-East Queensland’s significant growth post-Covid, positions it as an attractive location for residents and investors alike.”
According to CoreLogic data, the area has seen price growth of 7.2 per cent in the 12 months to November 2024, with a median house sale price of $1.37 million.
Mr Michael highlighted the area’s impressive growth trajectory over recent years.
“The Coolum region is renowned for its stretch of patrolled beaches, ideal for swimming and surfing not to mention one of the Sunshine Coast’s greatest icons – Mt Coolum,” Mr Michael said.
“The area has also seen significant spikes in property values with the median price of homes rising from $950,000 in 2020 to now be sitting at almost $1,365,000. Similarly, the local unit market has also risen sharply from $600,000 to $965,000 in the past 5 years.”
The principals, both proud Sunshine Coast locals, will lead a local sales team of four: Daniel Powers, Rohan Molineux, Vicky Dinsmore and Daniel Gabrielli, boosting the group’s sales team to 29 across their three-office network.
Both Mr Pace and Mr Michael have strong family ties and share a deep passion for supporting local community initiatives, including Sunshine Coast Netball, Maroochydore Hockey Club, Headland Golf Club and the Maroochydore Roos AFL club.
Highly respected within the McGrath network, the pair were recipients of the Outstanding Sales Leadership Award in 2024 and together bring over 40 years’ experience with deep knowledge of the local property market.
McGrath Coolum is located at 1810 David Low Way, Coolum Beach.
