Deborah and Joel Flom, a couple who left Colorado in the United States, returned to Australia in late 2025 after deciding that a warmer climate and a more relaxed lifestyle would better suit their family’s needs. Their move proved successful as they secured a home in Queensland despite the intense competition in the property market.

The search quickly turned into a demanding process because numerous other buyers were also targeting the limited inventory.

House Hunting Experience

According to Joel, “the market was very intense” when they began attending inspections, and he observed that roughly half of the properties they viewed were already sold or under contract. Their budget was capped at $1.2 million, and they preferred a cash purchase to avoid the delays and costs associated with financing. They were coming into a market where they got a good exchange rate from US dollars, but it was immediately apparent to them that they were on the lower end of the market here.

Deborah described the experience as “very exhausting,” noting that she was staying in an Airbnb while working full time and attending property inspections on weekends. Half of the open for inspections were at the same time, so they found themselves driving to multiple listings in the same afternoon.

To improve their chances, they hired a buyer’s agent from Vendee who started going to the inspections for them. The agent was weeding out properties and doing things that they may have missed, including identifying issues with a couple of homes they loved, such as one that was in a flood zone. Since they knew they were at the lower end of the market, they had to be creative about balancing their wish list with their budget, and the agent helped them handle those trade-offs.

New Home

After about six weeks of coordinated viewings and negotiations, the pair purchased a four-bedroom, three-bathroom terrace-style home in a development at Peregian Springs for $1.13 million, staying comfortably below their maximum budget. They submitted an offer that was $20,000 higher than the asking price, and the seller accepted it quickly.

Deborah said, “We miss our son and family members still back in the States, but overall, no, we love it here.”