How to Choose the Perfect Suburb When Buying Australian Property

There are thousands of suburbs across Australia, and hundreds in each capital city. How can buyers sift through this long list to see their favorite few before they start their property search?

Start with your budget

There’s no escaping the important role a buyer’s budget plays in narrowing the field.

“Fundamentally, budget is the key driver that will determine where you can and can’t go,” Raine & Horne director for NSW and ACT, Travis Wentriro, said.

You can find average prices for homes in any Australian suburb on Domain, which can be a starting point for working out which suburbs you can afford.

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If you are interested in certain suburbs and find them beyond your budget, look to neighboring suburbs. In fact, founder of investment company Cherish Property, Tracy Leske, encourages buyers to look for suburbs near areas that have experienced price increases to give them better opportunities for capital gains in the future.

“I call it the ‘wave effect,’” she said. “The closer you are to the city, the more expensive and desirable the suburbs become. As they become more expensive, it pushes buyers to the next one.”

At the end of the day, you can only buy based on what you can borrow, says Leske, but real estate agents and buyer’s agents with local expertise can quickly get you up to speed in neighborhoods you’re not too familiar with. .

Lifestyle and life stage

If you are a long-time single person, your priorities will be different from those of a family with young children or a newlywed couple.

In his role as a Brisbane investor agent, Leske asks his clients to fill out a comprehensive questionnaire detailing the must-haves and nice-to-haves. This is a great way to put a filter on your suburb search.

“It was helpful to know what we really wanted and what we were willing to compromise on,” she says.

If you can’t get through your work day at home without taking a break to grab a coffee, you’ll want to have a good coffee shop within reach. Likewise, if you want a park or beach or great nightlife within walking distance, or a medical center or hospital nearby, you’ll need to find a suburb with easy access to these amenities.

If proximity to trains is a deal-breaker, then there’s no reason to consider suburbs without a train station. If you want a large house with a large backyard, you will most likely need to go to the farther suburbs.

If you want to send your child to a certain public school, you’ll need to buy within that school zone, and if you want to get there within a 10-minute drive, you’ll want to find properties within the right radius.

Wentriro said public transport, schools, cafes, shops and medical services tend to be at the top of many buyers’ wish lists.

If your shortlist includes newer suburbs, he says buyers should look at government planning websites to see what new infrastructure will be delivered over the next five years.

Short term, medium term or long term?

Leske said an important question to ask is, “How long will I be here?”

“Most of my clients say 20 years, so it’s a long-term proposition,” she said. “That means you need to consider what is likely to happen [trong gia đình bạn] in the medium and long term.”

Many of us are attached to our neighborhoods, so this helps you get the basics right from the start. As a young couple without children, schools may not be on your radar, but if marriage and family are a possibility, you’ll want to factor this into your choice of suburbs.

“What you need at 40 versus 60 or 70 is different,” Wentriro said. “But people can live in a suburb all their lives so they’re looking [giải pháp] that’s the only one.”

Find your allies

Wentriro says it’s normal to want to live near like-minded people.

If you are an artist or musician, you may be looking for an artistic community. If you are raising a family, you may benefit from living near other families. If you’re retired, you may want to have other retirees within easy reach, and if you’ve recently immigrated from another country, you may prefer to put down roots in a suburb that already serves your cultural needs.

Of course, some buyers are looking for real diversity and may focus their search in inner-city areas where many residents are concentrated.

Leske says if buyers are confused or overwhelmed as they navigate potential suburbs, there’s nothing like a local to provide on-the-ground knowledge.

“Once someone has lived in the suburbs and they feel happy there, they become a great referent to that area,” she said.