Brisbane radio host Abby Coleman is putting her much-loved family home of 10 years on the market after agonising over whether to sell or hold onto the property amid changing conditions in the city’s housing market.
Coleman and her husband, Scott Burdon, had considered keeping the Carina Heights home as an investment property, but after going “back and forward” ultimately decided their family was ready to move on.
RELATED: From $93k to $4.75m: Departing radio stars’ property empires
Former Hi-5 star Charli Robinson lists Sydney investment property for sale
![QLD_CM_REALESTATE_ABBYCOLEMANSELLING_16AUG26](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Abby Coleman and Scott Burdon, with their children, Finlay, 14, Jagger, 11, Koa, 7, and Zeus the Bordoodle. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
“I think the right time to buy and the right time to sell is when you’re ready, rather than trying to work out whether a market is going up or down,” Coleman said. “It’s such an interesting time.”
The couple bought the property on a 600sq m block for $600,000 in 2016, and have since completely rebuilt it into the ultimate family home.
Selling agent Mikaela Crone, of Place Bulimba, is expecting buyers in the mid-$2m range for the spacious, two-level, five-bedroom property.
Breakfast radio host Abby Coleman is selling her Carina Heights home of nearly a decade. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
Ms Crone said interest rate rises earlier this year had put some strain on the market and changed buyer sentiment, particularly at lower price points.
But she said quality buyers remained active, particularly families looking to upgrade their principal place of residence in sought-after suburbs.
“There are still quality buyers out there, they’re just being more decisive in their decision-making,” she said.
The shift has also prompted a change in sales strategy for the property.
Abby Coleman and Scott Burdon are selling their home in Carina Heights. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
Ms Crone said that while she would previously have recommended a campaign without a price guide, buyers now wanted greater transparency.
“Given the change in overall buyer sentiment, I think people just want to cut to the chase and understand where the value lies,” she said.
And, Coleman agreed. “Auctions always freak me out, whether I’m buying or selling,” she said. “Because of what’s happening at the moment, people just need transparency.”
But for the co-host of B105 breakfast show Stav, Abby & Matt, the decision to sell has been about much more than timing the property market.
The property backs onto bushland, making it extremely private. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
Coleman burst into tears when the “coming soon” sign went up outside the home — despite joking she did not even cry on her sons’ first days of school.
“We’ve renovated and moved a lot, but this is the first house we’ve all been in together,” she said.
“All the memories have just been so good. It feels like the boys are growing up and this is the first move because they’re growing up.
“For the past 10 years, this has been so much more than a house. It’s where we’ve raised our family, hosted family dance parties in the hallway, and held basketball trick shot competitions that, yes, only ended in a fight!”
Abby Coleman is selling her beautiful family home in Carina Heights. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
The home became particularly important to the family during the Covid lockdowns, when its pool, backyard and Ninja Warrior-style set-up provided plenty of entertainment for their three boys.
“We loved lockdown because we had everything here,” Coleman said. “We’ve got a private park and a private path to the IGA that had all the toilet paper.”
The boys have since outgrown the Ninja Warrior equipment, something Coleman said reflected how much their family had changed during their decade in the house.
“Everyone on this street has young kids. Now we’re the only ones with teenagers,” she said.
When Coleman and Burdon bought the property, it was a single-level cottage — and Burdon had not even seen it before they bought it.
The home was perfect for Abby and Scott while the kids were young, but now they’re growing into teenagers. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
“We were just looking for another project,” Coleman said.
Her interest in renovating and property stretches back to childhood.
“I’m obsessed with it,” she said. “My nanna would take me to open homes as a kid and she always said, ‘You buy the worst house in the best street’.”
MORE: Sellers rush to beat property slump as homes flood market
Queensland’s 11 correction-proof housing markets
Burdon, a carpenter and builder, went on to lift and gut the original cottage, transforming it into a five-bedroom family home with a study, two decks, restored timber floors and polished concrete downstairs.
Abby Coleman and Scott Burdon are selling their family home. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
Ms Crone, who was once the family’s next-door neighbour, said the home’s private, leafy position was one of its biggest drawcards.
“It’s just the green outlook, the wildlife, and it’s so quiet and private and surrounded by families,” she said.
She expected it to appeal particularly to families with younger children looking for an established home in the area.
“I think people will be really impressed,” she said.
The family spends a lot of time on the back deck overlooking the pool. Photo: Steve Pohlner.
Coleman and Burdon have already built their next family home at Camp Hill, designed to suit the next stage of their lives.
Coleman’s parents regularly travel from Adelaide to stay with the family and the couple deliberately incorporated greater accessibility into the design of the new home.
Their teenage sons are also on board with the move — helped by the inclusion of a soundproof media room.
For Coleman, however, leaving the street where her boys have grown up remains bittersweet.
“It’s time to make a change,” she said. “I’m not leaving the WhatsApp group.”
The property is being marketed by Mikaela Crone and Shannon Gordon of Place Bulimba.
