A DESIGNER home is turning heads in Broadbeach Waters, with some unusual landscaping attracting as much attention as the house itself.

A rooftop garden can be seen spilling over the edge of the new-build home at 140 Rio Vista Boulevard while grass pads dot the dirt around circular stepping stones leading to the front door.

140 Rio Vista Boulevard, Broadbeach Waters.

Kurt and Scott Reid, of John Reid Real Estate Broadbeach Waters, are marketing the eye-catching property with an asking price of $2.395 million.

Up-and-coming Mermaid Beach practice Studio

HOBART’S Elizabeth Street Pier has been sold for a huge sum.

A private interstate-based investor, who has numerous other interests in Tasmania, has purchased the property from the State Government’s Treasury Department for $30.1 million.

Knight Frank partner Scott Newton said there had been worldwide interest in the freehold strata investment property from more than 100 parties.

Mr Newton said sales such as this one reveal the confidence investors have in Tasmania.

“They are playing a long game, and take a long view of it,” he said.

“They

Many Australians are being forced into home isolation as the Coronavirus outbreak takes hold.

It means some prospective home buyers are staying away from open-for-inspections to minimise their risk of spreading or contracting the illness.

With millions more buyers on realestate.com.au compared to last year, marketers of new developments have invented new ways of delivering to hungry home hunters amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

Leveraging digital technology

Modern technology has paved the way for innovative solutions to social distancing restrictions. Virtual tours, webinars and online forums are just some of the techniques agents are using to connect with off-the-plan buyers.

Uncertainty over the effect of coronavirus may have sent stocks plunging to 30-year lows but property values are unlikely to get a similar hit – even in a recession, real estate analysts claim.

There is still considerable uncertainty over how the pandemic will impact the market but recent interest rate cuts suggest it will be largely insulated from a major crash.

The housing market also has a history of performing relatively well after economic shocks compared to the more volatile share market, according to CoreLogic head of Australian research Eliza Owen.

MORE: Bold bidding tactics emerge amid virus panic

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KEEN property hunters — with excellent memories — might remember when Tasmanian artistic couple John and Penny Smith’s space-aged geodesic dome home at Mount Nelson hit the market.

With its curved shape, sustainability-focused design and impeccable retro chic, it is a property that’s hard to forget.

For those who love the idea of a dome, but have also been eyeing Bruny Island properties — for a full-time dwelling, weekender or short-term accommodation — this property at Apollo Bay might tick every box.

One of a kind on the island.

Check out the windows.