At some point, most Brisbane homeowners hit a wall with their current home. The kitchen is too small, the layout doesn’t work for how the family actually lives, or you’ve simply outgrown the place. The question that follows is almost always the same: do we renovate, or do we move?
It’s not a simple question. Both options cost more than most people initially expect, and the right answer depends on factors that are specific to your home, your suburb, and your situation. But there are some useful ways to think it through.
Start with Why you Want to Leave
Before you do anything else, get specific about what isn’t working. “We need more space” is a starting point, not an answer. More space where? A bigger kitchen? An extra bedroom? A living area that doesn’t feel cramped when everyone’s home?
The reason this matters is that some problems are genuinely hard to solve with a renovation. If you’re in a suburb you don’t want to be in, or your block is too small to extend, moving might be the only real option. But if the home itself is fundamentally sound and the issues are about layout, size or condition, renovation is worth considering.
The Real Cost of Moving
Moving feels like a clean slate, but the costs can stack up quickly. In Queensland, stamp duty on a $900,000 home is around $30,000 for an owner-occupier. Add agent fees on the sale of your current home, typically 2-3% of the sale price, plus conveyancing, moving costs, and any work needed on the new property, and you’re looking at $60,000 to $80,000 or more before you’ve changed a single thing about how you live. That’s money that could go toward the renovation you need.
There’s also the market to consider. Brisbane has seen strong property values over recent years, and buying back into the same area after selling often means paying significantly more for something comparable. You might move, spend more than expected, and still not end up with exactly what you wanted.
When Renovating Makes More Sense
Renovating tends to be the better decision when:
Your home is in a location you want to stay in. Proximity to schools, work, family, or a suburb you genuinely like is hard to put a price on. If the location is right and the home is the problem, fix the home.
The structure is sound. Older homes like Queenslanders and post-war houses often have good bones. Solid timber framing, large blocks, and established gardens are things you can’t easily replicate in a new build. A renovation lets you keep what’s working and change what isn’t.
You need more space but have room to grow. If your block allows for an extension, adding square footage to your existing home can be more cost-effective than buying a larger one. A well-designed home extension can add a bedroom, expand the living area, or create more indoor-outdoor connection.
The issues are fixable. An outdated kitchen, a bathroom that hasn’t been touched in 20 years, a layout that feels choppy and disconnected. These are renovation problems, not moving problems. A full home renovation addresses all of it in one project rather than years of compromise in a new home that also needs work.
When Moving Makes More Sense
To be fair, there are situations where moving is the right call.
If the block genuinely can’t accommodate what you need, whether that’s council restrictions, slope, or simply not enough land, there’s a limit to what renovation can achieve. Similarly, if the home has significant structural issues that would cost as much to fix as to rebuild, the numbers may not stack up.
If your circumstances have changed in ways that aren’t about the house at all, like a job in a different part of the city, wanting to be closer to ageing parents, or a lifestyle change that requires a different kind of home, then no amount of renovation fixes that.
The honest answer is that moving is sometimes the right decision. It just costs more than most people account for upfront, and it’s worth doing the full comparison before committing.
The Renovation Conversation
If you’re leaning toward renovating, it’s time to start researching and getting advice. Understanding what your home can accommodate, what council will allow, and what a realistic budget will get you, takes a lot of the uncertainty out of the decision.
At JM Homes we work with homeowners across Brisbane’s north on everything from kitchen and bathroom renovations through to full home renovations, extensions, raises, and new builds. If you’re weighing up your options and want a straight conversation about what makes sense for your home, get in touch.
