Meet the neighbours before you buy: The real estate portal taking buyers behind the scenes

Jason Spencer is passionate about technology, but not for the sake of it. Instead, Spencer’s focus is the kind of ‘life changing’ technologies that make a difference in the way we live and do business. His most recent obsession is Homely, a real estate platform with a difference, offering reviews of suburbs and streets — by the people who live there. Founded with Adam Spencer, it’s the kind of game changer Jason wished was around when he was on his home buying journey, tapping into a desire from buyers to take a deep dive before purchasing, as well as giving locals the opportunity to share what they love about their area. The Homely story starts with a very personal experience, as Jason Spencer explains.

Homely draws back the curtain for buyers, giving them access to street and suburb reviews from the people who live there. Credit: davidf/Getty Images

Kanebridge News: The Homely story comes out of your personal experience of moving to a suburb in inner Melbourne. What happened? Why did you hate it?

Jason Spencer: Homely was created out of my own frustrations with real estate. After buying my home in a nice leafy suburb in Melbourne, I quickly realised that the street wasn’t for me. Almost immediately after we moved in, we had all sorts of issues. First it was the neighbours, who we didn’t get along with, then it was the cut-through traffic and noise, the flooding and — the final straw—the swarms of bats that flew over our house each night, settling in our backyard! One night I remember saying to my co-founder, “If only I knew about this street before I bought the house”. And that was the lightbulb moment. That was when Homely was born.

KN: What would you have liked to have known before buying?

JS: The inspiration for Homely was the truth that “finding the right neighbourhood is just as important as finding the right home.” I’d like to have known what the locals thought, not just of suburbs but of individual streets as well. Before Homely, the majority of people would rely on generic suburb information available on Google and if lucky they’d find a static local guide page, census data or Wikipedia entry. To address this gap, we established a forum and community where real locals could openly share their experiences, insights, and history about their streets, suburbs, and towns. This kind of information is invaluable for making an informed decision about property, especially considering it’s one of the most significant decisions someone can make.

KN: Did you move? If so, what did you do differently the next time you were in the property market?

JS: Yes I did. I moved to something a little further out from the city but with more land and a bigger home for a similar price. This time, I did a lot more research on Homely and by asking locals what they thought. People were more than happy to share what they loved about their home suburb and streets, which is why we have the wealth of content on Homely we do.

KN: How did that personal experience spur you and Adam on to found Homely?

JS: For most of us, finding a home is one of the most difficult and stressful decisions we can make. As founders, we felt the combination of useful local information written by those that live in the neighbourhood combined with the access and utility of a real estate portal would make for a very unique way to find a home online. We wanted to create for real estate what sites like TripAdvisor had done to travel.

Homely co-founders Adam (left) and Jason Spencer (right) want to connect buyers with the right street and the right neighbourhood.

KN: You’re starting to build a substantial database of suburb reviews now. Where are the reviewers drawn from?

JS: Our reviews come from all over Australia. When we launched the site, we received some great media coverage, which generated an initial base of content. This encouraged locals to have their say about areas they knew well, which in turn created a sense of community on the Homely platform that grew, along with relevant property listings from all over Australia. We have seen some intense debate about suburbs, which is always interesting!

KN: What has surprised you, if anything, about the reviews?

JS: The amount of information (and passion) that locals are prepared to share about where they live. People love to talk about the great schools in a suburb, the best restaurants and shopping. Of course, crime and safety are always hot topics.

KN: What can a review on Homely give a buyer that a visit to a suburb cannot?

JS: Homely gives you immediate access to reach out to a community and unlock secrets and truths about the neighbourhood that you just can’t do easily by visiting the suburb. You can also ask questions and join local forums. We’ve had feedback that Homely reviews have saved people time and money, as they’ve been able to refine their property search and time spent on inspections.

KN: How specific can reviews get? Is it possible to read a street review?

JS: We pride ourselves on being the first in Australia to offer reviews down to the street level, delivering “hyperlocal” content that even includes vendors reviewing their own streets to give potential buyers a sense of what drew them to the area initially.

KN: What have buyers said about the value of the reviews?

JS: Buyers consistently tell us that Homely is a great starting point to the home buying journey. Whether they’re investors seeking information to bolster their decisions, or families searching for the perfect suburb, Homely reviews often serve as a first stop, offering valuable information they can’t get anywhere else. We find many buyers land on our street and suburb reviews via Google after searching for a specific location. While reviews can be diverse it’s the nuggets of information contained within the reviews that really help buyers.

KN: You’ve been in property for 25 years. What still excites you about the residential market?

JS: The untapped opportunities for innovation in the proptech space and the property seeking journey are what excites me most. From the birth of the first property websites in the early 2000s, to the innovations that Web 2.0 and Google Maps brought to portals in 2007, to the role of smartphone technology in the search experience, I’m now very excited to be a part of how AI and blockchain can enhance the home search experience.

KN: What’s next for Homely?
JS: We have a strong pipeline of innovations to make the home search experience better for every consumer. We are looking forward to a big 2024 with an increase in residential listings hitting the market and a forecast record number of home buyers and renters looking on Homely to discover their next perfect place to call home.

One of Burleigh Heads’ most architecturally significant penthouses has hit the market for the first time since its completion five years ago.

The listing provides the first real look inside the two-level penthouse crowning Norfolk, Forme’s award-winning Goodwin Terrace development which was completed in 2021.

The penthouse sold off the plan for $5.35 million around 18 months before construction was completed and has remained tightly held ever since, meaning its resale offers the first insight inside one of Burleigh’s most architecturally impressive apartment buildings.

The four-bedroom residence spans approximately 461 sqm, comprising 276 sqm of internal living and a further 185 sqm of outdoor space across its two levels.

Its position on Goodwin Terrace gives the penthouse one of the Gold Coast’s comparatively rare true north-to-water aspects, with views stretching from Burleigh Headland along the coastline towards the towers of Surfers Paradise. Floor-to-ceiling glazing has been used extensively throughout the residence, framing the ocean outlook from almost every principal living space.

Forme, led by Managing Director David Calvisi, acquired the prime 1,012 sqm site, formerly home to The Fish House restaurant, before developing Norfolk as the first new multi-residential project delivered on Goodwin Terrace in around three decades.

The strength of the location was clear. The more unusual proposition was the building itself.

Forme appointed Koichi Takada Architects to design the 10-level development, marking the practice’s first Gold Coast building. Rather than treating Norfolk’s beachfront setting as a backdrop, Takada used the Norfolk Island pines along the foreshore as the basis for the architecture.

Curved balcony slabs and horizontal battens create the building’s distinctive layered exterior. Sliding timber screens can be repositioned for privacy, shade and protection from the coastal conditions, continuously changing the appearance of the façade.

Takada has compared the concept to the structure of a pinecone, whose overlapping layers open and close according to environmental conditions. In an earlier account of the project, the architect said the objective was to celebrate the site and create a stronger connection between the residences and the elements outside.

The response helped turn Norfolk into an architectural marker for Burleigh’s transformation.

Norfolk comprises 12 half-floor apartments, two dual-level penthouses and one two-level beach house. MIM Design created the interiors, Hutchinson Builders undertook construction and Plus Architecture supplied documentation services for the builder.

Inside Residence 901, MIM Design’s restrained palette brings together timber, natural stone and tailored joinery without competing with the outlook. Travertine surfaces have subsequently received paint-protection film, while the home is being offered with a custom furniture package.

A private lift opens directly into the main living level. Living, dining and media spaces are arranged along the view, accompanied by a concealed bar and a broad north-eastern terrace.

The kitchen has an oversized stone island, European appliances and bespoke cabinetry, supported by a butler’s pantry and separate scullery. An integrated RTI system controls lighting, climate, fans, security, entertainment and audio using in-home touchscreens or a smartphone application.

The principal suite occupies a private wing with ocean views, a dressing room and ensuite. Two additional bedrooms have their own ensuites, while a fourth bedroom can operate as an executive study. A concealed Murphy bed allows that room to accommodate guests when required.

The rooftop is what moves the residence beyond even a generously proportioned beachfront apartment.

Reserved exclusively for the penthouse, it contains a heated lap pool, landscaped gardens, several entertaining areas and an alfresco kitchen with a built-in barbecue. An integrated outdoor cinema allows the rooftop to function as an open-air screening room above the Pacific.

Four side-by-side secure car spaces, dedicated electric-vehicle charging and private storage address practical constraints often encountered by prestige-apartment buyers. The parking allocation is particularly relevant for owners moving from a large house or maintaining a car collection.

Norfolk’s wider amenities include a beach-club-style residents’ area, swimming pool, gymnasium and sauna. Burleigh Beach is directly opposite, while James Street, Burleigh Head National Park and restaurants including Rick Shores and The Tropic are within walking distance.

The building’s reputation has also moved well beyond its beachfront address. Norfolk received both jury and popular-choice honours in the mid-rise multi-unit housing category at the 2022 Architizer A+Awards. It won a Queensland Australian Institute of Architects award for multiple housing and was named the 2022 Medium-Density Residential Development of the Year by The Urban Developer. Further recognition came from the Master Builders awards and Architecture MasterPrize.

Calvisi later said the aim with Norfolk was to produce something the Gold Coast had not previously seen.

The penthouse is being marketed through expressions of interest by Dean Pegoraro of Whitefox Gold Coast.

Meet the neighbours before you buy: The real estate portal taking buyers behind the scenes

Co-founder of Homely, Jason Spencer, discusses how his own experience of a failed property purchase led to a lightbulb moment, and the birth of a new property platform

A two-level penthouse atop Burleigh Heads’ award-winning Norfolk development has hit the market for the first time, offering sweeping ocean views and a private rooftop pool.