From $93,000 to $4.75 million: Property empires of departing radio stars – realestate.com.au

From $93,500 starter homes to $4.75 million dream homes, Australia’s recently departed radio stars have quietly amassed property portfolios that tell the story of two decades of extraordinary property growth.

While Ash Bradnam, Robin Bailey, Corey Oates and Kip Wightman all left their shows this week amid major network shakeups, public documents reveal how these radio personalities experienced one of the biggest real estate booms in history — with strategic buying and selling that has given them significant safety nets for their next chapters.

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KIIS 97.3’s outgoing breakfast trio Kip Wightman, Robin Bailey and Corey Oates. Photo: Liam Kidston

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Their collective real estate journey spans multiple market cycles and provides an insight into how consistent property investments in Brisbane and Gold Coast have delivered returns that dwarf typical retirement balances.

In Brisbane LGA alone, house prices have risen by 82.7 per cent over the past five years, according to PropTrack data, while the Gold Coast has seen growth of 87 per cent and Ipswich a whopping 111 per cent. The timing of these radio personalities’ purchases – many of which date back to the early 2000s, when entry prices were a fraction of today’s values ​​– has positioned them to benefit from multiple growth cycles in Queensland’s hottest markets.

The Nova Brisbane breakfast features Ash Bradnam and David Lutteral, with former co-host Susie O’Neill in the middle.

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Ash Bradnam

Ash Bradnam informed listeners Friday morning that it was his last day at Nova 106.9 and that he was headlining Ash, Luttsy and Nikki in the high ratings – a boost that comes after two decades on the air.

Ironically, his last day coincides with former Ash, Kip and Luttsy show co-host Kip Wightman’s last day on the KIIS 97.3 breakfast show.

Mr Bradnam is walking away after spending millions on real estate during his time in office, including picking up a three-bedroom, full-floor apartment on Main Beach for $1.15 million in August 2021, which he still owns.

In January 2022, he sold his waterfront home in Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast for $3 million – a huge profit after paying $1.175 million for it nine years earlier. The five-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-car home is one of the few designed with water views on both the front and back of the house, as well as water access.

There was also a huge increase in the sales price for a five-bedroom house in Surfers Paradise. Records show it was transferred to him in 1999 for $375,000 and sold more than 12 years later for $1.16 million – a profit of $785,000 at the time. Demand in the area has increased so much that today the property is worth between $3.8 million and $4.52 million, according to RPData estimates.

Property records show he occasionally changed his mind and abandoned a cottage in Hervey Bay within a year of becoming owner, resulting in a loss of $15,000. He had bought the 1950s four-bedroom in March 2018 for $375,000, before selling it for $360,000 in April 2019.

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Robin Bailey at home in Paddington after her departure to KIIS 97.3 was announced. Photo: Liam Kidston

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Robin Bailey

She was on the air for three decades on multiple stations before KIIS announced it would be changing direction with its breakfast show, leaving Robin Bailey to decide what her next chapter will be.

Ms Bailey has sold five properties during her investment journey and owns two others in Paddington and on the Gold Coast.

The first house in her name was purchased in 2001 for what seemed like a high sum at the time: $93,500 for a two-bedroom apartment in Chelmer. Mrs. Bailey owned that property for about 18 years before selling it for $290,000. Valuation estimates estimate the unit has a rental potential of approximately $577 per week in the current market.

She has also sold a four-bed home on a large 716 square meter block in Brisbane’s Indooroopilly, which was bought for a dreamy $169,000. The house sold for almost double five years later, perhaps an early sign of Brisbane’s huge property market.

A much-loved six-bedroom home with a pool in Kenmore – bought in 2002 for $344,500 – sold 13 years later for $775,000.

Her three-bedroom Barellan Point property on 0.54ha overlooking the Brisbane River sold for $500,112 in the year before the pandemic. She had paid $445,000 for it six years earlier, when she publicly considered moving there.

“I always felt this would be my forever home. The dreams I had were wonderful, but my life has changed dramatically,” she said at the time.

Her most recent sale was a beautiful waterfront home in Fig Tree Pocket, making a $450,000 profit on the price. She had bought it ten years ago for $1.15 million and sold it two years ago for $1.6 million.

In June last year she marked the end of an era when her mother sold the 57-year-old Abbotsford NSW family home – a property that for Ms Bailey had sentimental rather than investment value. “Raising a glass to my family home in Abbotsford NSW,” she posted. “Also to you mom… the matriarch who made this house our loving home for 57 years! #home #goodbye #newbegining #love”

Her current escape is a stunning 1910 three-bedroom home in Paddington – bought for $1.275 million in 2023 and estimated to now be worth between $1.57 and $1.76 million – which she could get between $793 and $904 a week in rent if she wanted.

She has also kept her two-bedroom apartment in Surfers Paradise on the coast, which she bought four years ago for $495,000. Today, such properties in this area fetch between $935 and $1,000 per week in rent, with appraisals as high as $967,000.

From Broncos to KIIS 97.3 radio host to podcaster, Corey Oates is making big changes. Photo: Liam Kidston

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Corey Oates

One of the NRL Brisbane Broncos’ longest-serving stars was out of contract at the end of the 2024 season and added his star power to the KIIS 97.3 lineup.

He has been a smart real estate investor since he was twenty and has set himself up as a landlord.

The former Brisbane Broncos star owns three properties in Brisbane, including a stunner he and his wife Tegan developed in Samford Valley. They had bought a 9,560 square meter block for $880,000 in June 2019 and built their dream home on it. It was put up for sale in June this year at bids of more than $4.75 million.

Mr Oates is also a landlord and has built a four-bedroom house in Collingwood Park on land he bought for $190,000 in 2017. The house was listed for rent at the beginning of this year for $610 per week – about $32,000 per year, which is a jump of $12,000 since he first started renting it out in 2018. The property is located in one of the fastest growing parts of Greater Brisbane, approximately half an hour’s drive from Brisbane CBD, where rental prices have risen dramatically since the pandemic.

The property’s assessed value was about $740,000 to as high as $807,000 in January, but has since risen to $820-$884,000, according to RPData calculations.

He also bought a three-bedroom mansion in Everton Park for $610,000 in 2017, with that property now valued at over $1 million ($1.03-1.11 million) – which would be a whopping 82 percent gain in the time he owned it.

Estimates say it could earn him between $722 and $830 a week in gross income ($37,544-43,160) in the suburb.

Oates bought his first house in his 20s, a year and a half after making his debut for the Broncos – a four-bedroom house in Albany Creek on a large 815 square meter block. He had paid $462,000 for the property in December 2014 and sold it in April 2020 for $685,000 – a profit of $223,000 and a 48% price increase.

The courier post reported that Mr Wightman and Mr Oates will join ex-Broncos star Sam Thaiday on The Unofficial Broncos Podcast with Sammy, Oatesy and Kip, launching in February via podcast company Podshape, while Ms Bailey plans to complete her book.

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