Gone troppo: This Port Douglas pad is selling at a $500K discount

The swaying palms and balmy breezes of Port Douglas are hard to beat, and savvy buyers on the hunt for a holiday home could snap up a bargain to the tune of a half a million dollar discount.

A Caribbean-inspired pad at 4 Rankin Street, Newell has just had its listing price slashed by a whopping $500,000.

"This is beachside prestige at distressed pricing... at this point it's a bit of a steal," said SQM Research in their distressed listings report.

The home has been on the market for a while, with an original listing price of $1.495 million.

The current homeowners are long-term locals who are selling due to health issues and the need to downsize. Now described as motivated sellers, the property has come down to offers over $995,000 - a drop of half a million.

"Newell is perhaps Port Douglas' best-kept secret," said SQM Research, a sentiment echoed by newly-appointed listing agent Keithea Schaedler of Cote Nord Property Port Douglas.

"You have to almost know Newell to be looking for Newell, and I think that's been part of the issue with the listing being on the market for a while," she said.

Ms Schaedler describes Newell as a sort of 'if you know, you know' prestige enclave 20 minutes' north of Port Douglas.

"Newell Beach, as well as being a small, local residential community, also has several high-level holiday homes."

The plantation-style pad is full of charm and character, and you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd landed on a Caribbean island.

To the front, you have the sparkling blue sea. To the back, rural views of horses, cows, and rainforest-clad mountain ranges.

Ms Schaedler believes this particular property is an excellent buy for someone after a quality home without the big price tag.

"It's now been reduced to what I think is less than replacement value," she said.

"They've just poured money into the property with what they've done to it.

"She's added features like Egyptian stained glass, and there's just a lot of amazing attention to detail. The home is very stylish, it has a beautiful, boho-chic feel to it."

The beach pad has undergone a full refurbishment, with two independent living spaces fitted with full designer kitchens with SMEG appliances.

The layout is ideal for an extended or multi-generational family; there's even a chair lift fitted on one set of stairs for accessibility, or to enjoy one area and rent out the other.

Expect timber floors (polished silky oak and mixed rainforest woods), raked ceilings, plantation shutters, French and barn doors, airconditioning as well as overhead fans, a three-metre-wide verandah upstairs, and other features like stained glass windows, concealed LED lighting, fencing and solar-powered gates.

Ms Schaedler said the largest target market has been interstate buyers, "people who maybe want to spend a bit of time up here, particularly during these cooler, winter months when it is glorious."

Currently, the median house price in Port Douglas is sitting at $1.2 million.

Port Douglas holiday home buys for under $1 million

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