Gemma White has sold a three-bedroom Cova Estate villa in Hope Island for $1,085,000 after pivoting from an off-market approach to a public campaign.
Gemma White started with an off-market offer for a three-bedroom villa at 17 Mayfair Lane in Hope Island’s Cova Estate. The offer was solid, but her instinct — honed by living in the estate herself and dominating its sales — told her there was more value waiting.
She was right. Taking the property public with a targeted marketing campaign attracted multiple offers, and the villa sold in 10 days for $1,085,000 via private treaty.
The strategic pivot
Gemma’s initial off-market approach reflected her deep database of active buyers in the Cova Estate precinct. When the first offer came in, she could have accepted it and moved on. Instead, she advised the vendors to test the open market.
“We took the property to market and received a further three offers,” Gemma said.
The decision to pivot wasn’t a gamble — it was market intelligence in action. Gemma knew the buyer demand existed because she’d built her business around understanding exactly who wants to live in Cova Estate and why.
Video and database marketing
The public campaign centred on video and social media marketing, tools Gemma has turned into competitive advantages. Her platforms reach buyers before properties hit the major portals, creating early engagement that translates into busy open homes.
“We reach out to our buyer pool and we try to create a busy open home so that we can achieve the best results for our clients,” Gemma said.
For this villa, the strategy worked exactly as designed. The combination of targeted database outreach and compelling video content brought multiple buyers to the table quickly, creating the competition needed to push the result beyond the initial off-market offer.
The buyer profile
The successful buyer was a first-home buyer who had missed out on previous properties and was ready to move decisively. They saw the Cova Estate as an area with growth potential and wanted to secure a foothold sooner rather than later.
That urgency, combined with the competitive environment Gemma created, meant the buyer was prepared to act quickly when the opportunity arose. For vendors, it’s exactly the buyer profile you want walking through the door — motivated, informed, and ready to commit.
The location advantage
Hope Island sits on Queensland’s Northern Gold Coast, known for its waterfront lifestyle properties and master-planned communities. The Cova Estate, where Gemma both lives and specialises, attracts buyers seeking the area’s blend of resort-style amenities and proximity to schools including Helensvale State High School and Coombabah State School. The suburb’s 72 percent owner-occupancy rate signals strong residential appeal in a region balancing lifestyle aspirations with family practicality.
What it demonstrates
The sale demonstrates the value of local expertise paired with confidence in your own market read. Gemma could have taken the path of least resistance with the off-market offer. Instead, she backed her knowledge of the Cova Estate buyer pool and her ability to reach them through targeted marketing.
The result — a record price achieved in just over a week — validated that decision. The vendors, Gemma noted, were thrilled with the outcome.
For sellers in the Cova Estate precinct, the message is clear: hyper-local knowledge combined with strategic marketing can create the competitive pressure needed to maximise outcomes, even in a market where accepting the first offer might seem like the safer choice.
About the Agent
Gemma White is a luxury residential specialist with Professionals Vertullo Real Estate, recognised across the Northern Gold Coast for her market authority within Cova Estate — where she lives herself. A former Miss Australia, Gemma built her business on video storytelling, database marketing, and a relentless focus on breaking records for her clients. Visit Gemma’s website for more information or call Gemma on +61 404366063.