Buyer guide · Downsizing

Downsizing to a finished new home in South East Queensland.

The question almost every downsizer asks first is a timing question, not a house question. Here is how settlement works when the home you are buying is already built, what low maintenance actually means on these blocks, and how buying finished sits alongside commissioning a build.

General information only, not financial advice. Last updated: August 2026.

Warranty and maintenance terms are those that apply to a new home built in Queensland under the QBCC Home Warranty Scheme. The 7 Star figure is the National Construction Code energy rating standard every Pearson Bros home is built to. Settlement periods are indicative and are agreed in the contract.

How does the timing work if my house has not sold yet?

The home is already built, so there is nothing to wait for at our end. Once you sign, settlement runs on the ordinary property timeline of about 30 to 60 days. That window is the tool: you can set it long, or set a date to match your own sale.

It works this way because you are buying a finished property, not commissioning one. There is one contract of sale at a fixed price, no progress payments and no build stages, so the only date anyone has to coordinate is settlement day. That is the same mechanics as buying an established house, on a house nobody has lived in.

Three timing patterns come up again and again with downsizers:

• Sell first, then buy. You know your number before you commit, and you buy a home you can walk through rather than one that still has to be built.
• Buy with a longer settlement. The settlement date is negotiated in the contract, so it can be pushed out to give your own sale room to complete.
• Buy with the gap covered. Some buyers arrange for the overlap with their lender or broker. That part is a finance question, so take it to them and to your conveyancer.

What none of these involve is a rental year in the middle. The house is standing, the certificates are done, and the keys hand over at settlement.

What does low maintenance mean on these blocks?

In practice it means one level and no stairs, a compact block, and a house where nothing is due for replacement. The home is new, built to the NCC 7 Star energy standard, and it carries a 12 month maintenance period after handover for anything that needs attention.

Downsizing usually means trading yard for time. The newer estates across the corridors we build in are laid out on regular, level blocks, which is what makes single level floorplans practical there and keeps the grounds to a size one person can look after on a Saturday morning.

The other half of low maintenance is age. On a brand new home, the roof, the hot water system, the wiring and the wet areas all start their life the day you move in. The build is covered by a seven year structural warranty under the QBCC Home Warranty Scheme. Every Pearson Bros home is built by FRD Homes, a related builder under common family ownership, QBCC licence 15046435.

And because each home is finished before it is listed, what you inspect is what you settle on. There is no allowance list and no colour selection appointment to sit through, and no gap between the render and the house.

How does buying finished compare with building at 60?

Building to order is a good option for people who want to choose every fixture and have somewhere to live while it happens. Buying finished answers a different need: you walk through the actual house, sign one contract of sale, settle in about 30 to 60 days and move in.

For a downsizer in their sixties, the practical differences usually come down to these:

• One contract instead of two. A finished home is a single contract of sale for a completed property, rather than a land contract plus a building contract.
• A fixed price you know at signing. There are no progress claims and no variations to track through a build.
• No interim housing. You move from the house you are selling into the house you have bought, with settlement as the hinge.
• You inspect the real thing. Ceiling heights, door widths, the step into the shower, the walk from the car to the front door. These are the details that matter most when you are buying the home you plan to stay in, and you can stand in them before you sign.

Both routes end with a new home built to the same code. The difference is when you get it and how many moving parts you carry to get there.

Which South East Queensland areas have single level homes?

We build across four growth corridors: Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay and the Scenic Rim. Single level floorplans are common in all four, because the newer estates there are being built on regular, level blocks. Each listing states the layout, the block and the suburb it sits in.

These are the corridors where the single level stock actually is, and each has a different character for a downsizer: Logan on the Mount Lindesay Highway corridor south of Brisbane, Ipswich to the west, Moreton Bay to the north, and the Scenic Rim further out for buyers who want space and a country town rather than a new suburb.

Logan grew 3.1 percent in 2024-25 and Ipswich was Queensland's fastest growing city at 3.5 percent in the year to 30 June 2025, which is why the newest housing is going in where it is. If you want the current price picture in two of those corridors, read how Ipswich and Moreton Bay home prices are running against Brisbane.

Sources: Logan local government area population growth of 3.1 percent in 2024-25, QGSO; Ipswich the fastest growing city in Queensland at 3.5 percent in the year to 30 June 2025, ABS Regional Population via Ipswich First. Figures are for the local government areas, not individual suburbs, and describe past periods only.

You can see what is finished and available right now on the completed homes page, or browse everything currently listed under properties.

Frequently asked questions

General information only. Nothing on this page is financial, tax, credit or legal advice, and no return, price movement or outcome is forecast or guaranteed. Settlement periods, warranty terms and the availability of any particular home depend on the individual contract and property. Market data is indicative, sourced as noted and describes past periods only. Obtain your own advice from your conveyancer, accountant or a licensed adviser before buying.