"Main Beach has everything": Why Raptis moved into the Main Beach market after 40 years on the Gold Coast
It was 2019 when veteran Gold Coast apartment developer Raptis made its move into the Main Beach apartment market.
Fast forward five years and they're about to sign off on Pearl Main Beach, their high-end 30-level tower on the sought-after Main Beach Parade.
"Main Beach is a suburb that has everything", Raptis Joint Managing Director Evan Raptis told Urban.
"It has a shopping and dining prescient, close to the beach, 5 star hotels, theme parks and Broadwater boat access all within the one suburb. Nowhere else on the Gold Coast can offer that."
Pearl sits on a large 1,004 sqm site at 3550-3552 Main Beach Parade, the closest Main Beach Parade site to Cronin Avenue which leads to the Main Beach village on Tedder Avenue.
When acquiring the site in 2019, Raptis recalled how much they loved the location, as well as the proximity to the ocean. It's just 50 steps to the beach from the front door.
"The were no other sites like this at the time," Raptis says.
"One of the biggest things going for the site is there is an easement on the opposite site, meaning the view from Pearl Main Beach will never be built out."
Just three-bedroom apartments are left in Pearl, which also features state of the art, resident-exclusive amenities like a rooftop swimming pool with 180-degree views of the Gold Coast coastline, a gym overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a barbecue and alfresco area, and a private dining suite.
Raptis has spent a considerable amount of their four-decade development history on the Gold Coast in Broadbeach.
Raptis says there are lots of similarities, but also a lot of differences, between Broadbeach and Main Beach, particularly in the buyer demographic, which influences the design of the building.
"The Main Beach market is far more owner occupier and downsizer driven, whereas Broadbeach typically draws a few more investors. Main Beach is more of a local demographic who love the village boutique lifestyle that only Main Beach can provide," Raptis says.
The location and buyer demographic dictates how the floor plans should be designed, according to Raptis.
"The floor plans are created based on location and best viewing angles, with the building design to complement the natural surroundings," Raptis says.
"We design the floor plans in Broadbeach based on different price points to capture different level of buyers, like lock up and leave owners or investors. The Main Beach floor plans are all geared toward the full-time owner-occupier."
Construction completion of Pearl is expected in Q2 2024.
