Brutal reality facing Brisbane families wanting an extra bedroom

Jerrami Shaw and James Curran with kids, Theodore, 4, and Hudson, 13. Picture: Annette Dew. A Brisbane family looking for just one more bedroom and a backyard has been hit with a brutal reality — upgrading can mean having to find hundreds of thousands of dollars more. Jerrami Shaw and James Curran bought their first home, a three-bedroom Everton Park townhouse, off-the-plan in 2022 after the birth of their youngest son. It was their ticket into the property market. Now their two boys are getting bigger, Ms Shaw is working from home more and the family needs what generations before them might have considered a fairly modest upgrade — a four-bedroom house with a backyard. A three-bedroom townhouse is about to hit the market in this near-new building in Everton Park, which has a pool and great amenity. But after a month glued to realestate.com.au, they have discovered just how big the financial leap can be. At one property they considered, the family found themselves priced out by about $400,000. “It’s really hard,” Ms Shaw said. “Our eldest is into basketball and wants his own hoop and our youngest just wants to be outside kicking a ball around.” The couple expects they will need to ...