Comma Projects founder and director Jennifer Sinclair. Pics Adam Head
Up-and-coming Gold Coast developer Jennifer Sinclair is shaking up the male-dominated property industry with the sale of the first luxury duplex in her maiden project for a record sum.
Comma Projects’ Laya development at Palm Beach met a gap in the local market between salubrious beachfront apartments and cookie-cutter duplexes west of the highway.
Villa A sold in 14 days for $2.41 million, the highest price ever paid for a non-waterfront duplex in the sought-after suburb.
Ms Sinclair was onsite every day of the two-year build but faced hurdles as a female developer.
Ms Sinclair is an architect graduate and mum-of-two. Pics: Adam Head
“Being a woman in this industry presents its own challenges,” said the 30-something architecture graduate, who took time out to raise her children, now aged 3 and 6, while supporting her husband Ben’s tech business.
“I learnt that I need to show the trades very quicky that I know what I’m talking about.
“Otherwise, being a short little Asian girl, they think I have no idea,” she said.
Government statistics show women accounted for just 15 per cent of the 240,000 Queenslanders employed in the construction sector in 2022. Only 5 per cent of those worked on building sites.
Laya comprises two villas in the popular southern Gold Coast suburb of Palm Beach
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Ms Sinclair said women in high-level property jobs had to “work extra hard” to establish their credibility.
“It’s a whole other level of proving yourself. I’ve even had real estate agents ask, ‘can your partner come to the meeting?’.
“My partner has been to the site a whole five times. He works in a completely different industry.
“Jumping through obstacles like that, the takeaway for me through this project was just thickening my skin,” she said.
Villa A for $2.41m
Magnesium pool in the north-facing backyard
The dreamy spa bathroom
But Ms Sinclair is committed to capitalising on her unique skillset.
“For a lot of male developers, it’s all about numbers and while that is important, most of the time it’s females who make the decision to buy the property.
“It is about emotions. So, I really wanted to create those moments where it pulls on the heartstrings as you walk through spaces in the house.
“And also, trusting my female instinct about when to spend the money to pull on the emotions, and when to save,” she said.
Laya Villa B is available to hire for photoshoots
Classic style inspired by a high-end hotel
The villas have four bedrooms and three bathrooms
The Laya sale on Morotai Ave was handled by James Massey, of Harcourts Coastal.
Ms Sinclair secured the original 506 sqm site for $1.26m at auction in July 2021. It was the height of the pandemic boom, and houses prices in Palm Beach had surged a staggering 30 per cent over the preceding 12 months.
Designer Jayson Pate conceptualised the four-bedroom, three-bathroom semi-detached homes – one with a calming neutral aesthetic like a day spa, the other classic and refined, like an upscale hotel.
Villa A’s lavish features include smooth curved walls and window benches, natural marble and bespoke timber joinery, and a dreamy spa-like bathroom bathed in sunlight thanks to a custom skylight above the freestanding tub.
Ms Sinclair aimed to create inspiring spaces throughout the property. Pics: Adam Head
A north-facing backyard hosts the magnesium pool, fire pit, and alfresco barbecue zone.
Villa B is in demand by local and international brands as a shoot location.
Comma Projects was founded on the back of the Sinclairs’ spectacular renovation of a former drug den, also in Palm Beach.
In 2019, the couple paid $680,000 for a meth-contaminated house which had been stripped bare to fund the previous owner’s addiction.
Mi Designs and Shoredan Constructions were enlisted to transform the dilapidated property into a contemporary family home.
“After that, I knew I had to get back into architecture — it’s my passion and brings me so much joy,” Ms Sinclair said.
The Sinclairs’ renovated family home
The post ‘They think I have no idea’: Rising developer on track to industry shake-up appeared first on realestate.com.au.