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Promoted by the South West Queensland Regional\u00a0Organisation\u00a0of Councils<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n South West Queensland\u00a0is a large region that epitomizes outback lifestyle and charm.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n It enjoys strong economic growth that outpaces Queensland and numerous other regions thanks to its diversified agricultural industry and booming resource sector.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This growth has led to both private and public sector\u00a0organizations\u00a0seeking to expand their local workforce.\u00a0<\/p>\n These forces have combined to create strong demand for rental properties across many of the towns in South West Queensland. Currently, there is demand for over 600 new residential dwellings across the region.1\u00a0<\/p>\n A real estate agent in Roma cited a waiting list of 80 people looking for a house to rent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Mark Minnis, Ray White Principal\u00a0in Charleville, has 15 families that are seeking to rent a house.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have families trying to move out here for work, others that are just trying to get away from the\u00a0City,\u201d\u00a0Mr\u00a0Minnis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe just don\u2019t have any rental stock for the people who are looking.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Charleville will have even more demand after the $9 million expansion of the local meatworks is completed next year. Western Meat Exporters will create 60 new jobs in the community, all needing housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Further south in St. George, it’s a similar story. There are\u00a080\u00a0jobs currently advertised across agriculture, government, retail, and hospitality.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to SQM Research, the current residential vacancy rate in St. George is 0.4%, or just two properties available for rent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Susan Schwerin, an agent with Ray White in St. George said, \u201cThe rental market in St George has always been very strong. It is even stronger at the moment with very few rental properties available.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Residential vacancy rates across the region\u00a0are low, ranging from\u00a00% to 1.7% over the last year, demonstrating\u00a0the\u00a0chronic lack of housing.2\u00a0As demand continues to increase, there is a unique opportunity to deliver new housing to take advantage of the strong rental market.\u00a0<\/p>\n Serviced residential land\u00a0across the region\u00a0is plentiful\u00a0with 134 blocks ready to go today and more in the pipeline. Land is also very\u00a0affordable, costing between $2,000 and $25,000 per\u00a0serviced\u00a0block.\u00a0<\/p>\n The local and state government is another source of demand for rental properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Queensland Police Force, Department of Health,\u00a0Department of Education, and numerous local governments all have new staff requirements and need housing for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mayor of\u00a0Paroo\u00a0Shire, Suzette Beresford<\/a> said, \u201cCouncil is looking for houses, the police force\u00a0is looking for houses, the health services\u00a0are also looking;\u00a0we all need housing to support our growing workforce.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The local governments alone require 42 new dwellings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Susan Schwerin\u00a0from St. George\u00a0said, \u201cBased on the strong demand for rental properties, we have a real need right now to greatly increase our residential rental stock.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In\u00a0the last\u00a012\u00a0months, over $41 million has been invested across a range of infrastructure projects including transport, agriculture, tourism, and telecommunications that will continue to support strong growth into the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mayor Beresford said, \u201cThe region has invested significantly in\u00a0infrastructure,\u00a0and we have a great lifestyle to offer everyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n It is a great time to explore housing investment opportunities in South West Queensland.\u00a0<\/p>\n For more information about South West Queensland visit\u00a0www.swqroc.com.au<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0Regional Australia Institute 2021\u00a0<\/cite><\/p>\n 2<\/sup>\u00a0SQM Research October 2021\u00a0<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n