Model Elyse Knowles buys Byron Bay reno project
It been just over a year since the move to Byron Bay, and now model Elyse Knowles and her builder boyfriend Josh Barker have splashed out on a 1960s beach house.
They’ve secured a renovation project, about 10 blocks from the beach in the old town.
It was bought, barely a week into its marketing, for $2.3 million when trading for the first time in 34 years at $65,000.
The tradie’s recently launched J & E Projects will no doubt be hired on the renovation of the two-level, four-bedroom beach house where there’s plenty of tropical garden on the 500sqm block for their two Weimaraner dogs Islae and Harlow.
It’s a busy time for J & E Projects which recently helped with the fit-out of Byron’s new Bettys Burgers.
The couple are now much closer to town than their Tallow Beach rental which has been recently listed at $1.8 million, having been bought by their landlord for $1.05 million in 2015.
Knowles, who has been an ambassador for Myer, has yet to reveal her purchase to her 900,000 Instagram followers.
Byron Bay currently has 75 properties for sale, according to realestate.com.au. Two weeks ago Byron Bay had 73 properties for sale, so no pre-winter spike
The median four-bedroom price has been $1,560,000, reflecting a 2.9 per cent annual rental yield.
Based on five years of sales, Byron Bay has seen a compound growth rate of 8 per cent.
Its rental market has 107 listings, down from 115 available two weeks ago and 117 three weeks ago.
The couple came to prominence with their journey through The Block in 2017 when they won the Channel 9 show after selling their Elsternwick renovation project to comedian Dave Hughes for $3.067 million.
The fully furnished Elsternwick house was recently back up for rent at $2000 a week.
The Block buyers agent regular Frank Valentic had initially estimated in 2017 the prospective rental could be as high as $3000 per week.
This article first appeared in The Sunday Telegraph.