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Once a haven from Sydney’s rising property prices, the demand for land in the west is also on the up. But there are still some pockets where it’s possible to snap up an affordable block of land to build a dream home.

Western Sydney was once an antidote to the harbour city’s sky-high property prices, offering buyers a precious chance to break into the competitive market. However, as Sydney’s population rises and the amenity and infrastructure in the west keep growing, prices in the area have been climbing.

“Sydney is the third least affordable city in the world after Hong Kong and Vancouver,” says Nerida Conisbee, chief economist at realestate.com.au. “The north-west in particular has become more expensive — it has been one of the fastest price growth areas in Sydney, primarily because it has had a lot of money spent on infrastructure, particularly train lines.”

Much of Sydney’s population boom is happening in the city’s west. Picture: Getty

While Western Sydney still costs less than other parts of Sydney, where the median house price sits at $860,000, in the decade to 2018, suburbs in Western Sydney topped Sydney’s price growth charts. In fact, the median dwelling price in some western suburbs jumped by nearly 150% in some Western Sydney suburbs.

Growing appeal

Behind the boost in prices is a population rise, with projections from the NSW Department of Planning showing that Greater Sydney is forecast to be home to more than 6.6 million people by 2036. Much of that growth is expected to be accommodated in the west.

Another reason is the boost in transport infrastructure, notably the new Sydney Metro Northwest line, which has frequent automated trains running between Tullawong and Chatswood. The next stage will include an extension from the city through to Bankstown, while a link will also be extended out to the new Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek.

Sydney’s Metro Northwest line opened in 2019. Picture: Getty

“Governments have committed a lot of infrastructure into making Western Sydney a great place to live and that’s made it more popular with home buyers,” says Conisbee.

Affordability

The flipside to all of this activity is that housing affordability is becoming an increasing challenge. Prices in Western Sydney are still higher than what you would pay for an equivalent area in a different capital city across Australia.

To help solve the problem, Landcom, the NSW Government’s land and property development organisation, is developing new communities in both Northwest Sydney and Southwest Sydney, with a focus on affordability, the environment and community sustainability.

Greg Barnett, sales and project marketing director of Landcom, says it has a variety of developments underway in the west — notably Rosebank in the northwest, and Newbrook and Macarthur Heights in the southwest.

Landcom’s Newbrook community sits alongside George’s River Reserve, near Campbelltown. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

The average land price at the new communities is around $385,000. Barnett says Newbrook is particularly affordable, with some blocks up for grabs at around $330,000.

Building communities

Providing affordable housing is essential, but there’s also a move towards people wanting a home that’s environmentally sustainable.

“At Macarthur Heights we’ve implemented a sustainability initiative to encourage purchasers to upgrade their energy footprint and then rewarding them with a $15,000 rebate when they do,” says Barnett.

People are also seeking more than just a home – they want a great local community to connect to.

“We have a community development programme running at most of our projects, where the goal is to bring people together to help create the genesis of the new community,” he says.

Even in one of the world’s most expensive cities, families can still find affordable land. Picture: Landcom

Helping hands

A number of government assistance schemes are also on hand to help make buying more affordable. Conisbee says first home buyers in particular have been snapping up offers this year.

“House and land in particular is seeing a lot of interest since the HomeBuilder scheme was introduced,” she says.

HomeBuilder is a federal scheme that offers eligible owner-occupiers a grant of $25,000 to build a new home, or substantially renovate an existing home.

Another option in NSW is the First Home Buyer Assistance Scheme, which gives stamp duty exemptions and concessions on land and new homes, depending on the purchasing price.

New projects in Western Sydney is still the best bet for young families looking for land at an affordable price, says Barnett.

“We’re providing people who want to buy into projects such as Newbrook the most affordable land in Sydney,” he says.

The post Finding affordable land in Western Sydney appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Sally and Peter Tullet are selling their Newport home to move up the coast. Picture: Adam Yip

They’ve been living the last three years in a character-filled home they had admired for years before moving in, but Peter and Sally Tullet have decided after a major renovation that it’s time for a treechange.

The couple have just purchased a 32ha macadamia farm in the Byron Bay area and will be moving there once they sell their Newport house on Crescent Rd at auction tonight.

“I put my dream kitchen into the house, but it will be for someone else — an opportunity came up that we just couldn’t pass,” Ms Tullet said.

They’re part of a growing wave of Sydneysiders seeking out properties in locations they once dismissed for being out of reach or too insular.

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The opposite is occurring across inner city locations once prized for being close to the CBD: many buyers are viewing the pricier housing and smaller property sizes with caution.

This has resulted in a mismatch in price growth across regions.

Data from SQM Research revealed unit prices in the Sydney CBD have dropped by nearly 10 per cent over the past three months.

The Byron Bay area is becoming popular. Picture: Brook Mitchell

Prices in regional NSW have continued to grow, while prices in further-flung Sydney suburbs also had a rise – including in northern beaches enclaves Newport and Collaroy, where the increases over the three months were 14.5 per cent and 7.4 per cent respectively.

There was also strong growth over the past year in the Illawarra region, with average growth of 10.7 per cent, and in the Southern Highlands, where growth was 5.3 per cent, according to CoreLogic.

“Being in lockdown made us realise, ‘what are we waiting for?’ We decided if we didn’t (move) now it would have to be in a few more years so we just did it and got what I’d say is a hobby farm,” Ms Tullet said.

“We also wanted more space. I feel like the land is in my DNA. We are looking forward to starting our next great chapter.”

Realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee said buyers were likely prioritising space after being cooped up at home for much of the pandemic.

Most of the local government areas with the strongest growth in prices over the past three months were in regional areas, especially “white-collar nomad driven” markets like Byron Bay, she added.

Increased work from home arrangements may have also encouraged buyers to seek out “lifestyle” locations near beaches or national parks, she said.

Sally and Peter Tullet will move to the Byron Bay area. Picture: Adam Yip

“It’s clear that a longer commute doesn’t bother people as much as it might have before, which makes sense if you’re only going into the office once or twice a week,” Ms Conisbee said.

She added that, in Sydney, this trend was particularly evident in the northern beaches. Newport had Sydney’s most popular listings over the past year measured by the average amount of buyer engagement the homes attracted online, with Collaroy close behind.

LJ Hooker-Palm Beach agent Gordon Spring said there has been a recent influx of buyers into the northern beaches from areas such as Summer Hill and Leichhardt in the inner west. Many were professionals who worked in the CBD, he said.

The Illawarra region has been popular.

“Lifestyle is paramount to these people,” he said. “No one was really sure how the pandemic was going to play out in February but now that it has become a bit clearer and it seems working from home will be more of a permanent thing, people want to live somewhere with a bit more space for their families. You get a bit of everything up here.”

The post Pandemic shifts buyer focus from city to further-flung suburbs and regional areas appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Lovers of the iconic ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air can finally sit on the throne and enjoy their kingdom in the actual mansion that features in the TV series and be hosted remotely by the show’s star Will Smith.

At a price even the show’s character could afford of only $41 per night, this incredible mansion could be yours for the night – or at least a wing of the mansion. The shoe collection, however, is off limits.

via GIPHY

Located in LA’s Brentwood Park, the Airbnb listing offers nightly stays where guests are greeted by a virtual host, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Smith’s socially-distanced mansion concierge to give you the lay of the land. All meals are supplied “on a silver platter, of course”.

Imagine rolling into this space ready to be pampered like royalty. Picture: Airbnb

Smith, who listed the space with the permission of the home’s actual owners, said on the site:

“Some may say I’ve done it all, but I’ve never opened the doors to a wing of the iconic mansion that helped launch my career. It holds a lot of special memories for me and my friends, and I hope you’ll leave with memories (and a dope handshake!) to last you well beyond your stay.”

There’s a king-sized bed waiting for guests here. Picture: Airbnb

During the stay, guests will get to indulge in a few “royal perks” including:

• Lacing up a fresh pair of Jordans before shooting some basketball in the bedroom
• Spinning throwback classics all night on turntables
• Donning a fly look from Smith’s closet,”from argyle prepster to all-star athlete —from experience: both at the same time turns heads!”

But it’s not all about flashy bling and finery. Airbnb has pledged to make a one-time donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, a program that supports youth, including those in greatest need, by offering development and skill-building programs, recreational activities and empowerment tools. It is a cause close to Philadelphia-native Smith’s heart.

The iconic facade of the famous Bel-Air mansion. Picture: Airbnb

The actor also addressed the current pandemic crisis and assured would-be guests that their safety was his top priority.

Guests will have a wing of the manor to themselves from check-in to check-out, with no other guests in the house during their stay, “not even a family member from Philly”.

“And you can rest easy in your prince…er, KING-size bed knowing that I’ve committed to cleaning prior to your arrival in accordance with Airbnb’s enhanced cleaning protocol.”

Bookings for the one-night stays on five dates in October open at the end of September. Sadly, only LA County residents are in the running to spend a night in the Fresh Prince’s shoes.

The post Live like a Fresh Prince in the show’s iconic Bel-Air mansion appeared first on realestate.com.au.

131 Pullenvale Road, Pullenvale, sold for $4.4m last week.

When a home has a showroom for eight vehicles – not a garage – it’s no wonder it fetched a $4.4m price – and then there’s the amazing Georgian manor itself, 15km from Brisbane CBD.

The six bedroom, four bathroom, eight car park home sits on a hectare of land at 131 Pullenvale Road, Pullenvale, about 20 minutes drive from the Brisbane CBD.

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The garage is on the left of the home.

The elegant kitchen.

Brett Greensill and Jermaine Jones of McGrath Estate Agents New Farm sold the home last week for $4.4m after listing it as a “fully rebuilt, renovated, extended and newly landscaped family home”.

That’s somewhat of an understatement for this sprawling property which the owners had re-done since buying it 15 years ago.

The home sold n September 10.

Indoor-outdoor flow.

“The quality of this renovation is flawless with exceptional attention to detail and makes this one of Brisbane’s finest acreage properties,” was how it was described in the listing.

It’s more resort-style living than anything else. The six bedroom are all suites, two of which are masters and two for guests.

The home has a multi-zoned temperature controlled wine cellar with tasting room.

It has landscaped and irrigated gardens, a resort pool, tennis court, that eight-vehicle showroom, a gym, workshop to potter in, handpainted bespoke cabinetry, stone benchtops, fully zoned airconditioning and comprehensive security systems.

As if that’s not enough, there’s even a “multi-zoned temperature controlled wine cellar with tasting room”.

The sale was the highest price fetched in Queensland last week, according to CoreLogic records.

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The post Georgian manor sells for $4.4m appeared first on realestate.com.au.

A study with a door is preferred to a study nook, so it can be shut off from the rest of the house. Picture: Arden Homes

As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19 — and terms like lockdown, social distancing and self-isolation becoming mainstream — a stronger focus has emerged around how our homes respond to our everyday needs.

Since stay-at-home measures were enforced, Arden Homes general manager of sales Matt Wells has noticed priorities among new-home buyers shift.

“The time we’re going through is uncharted territory, and with it comes uncertainty and stress,” Mr Wells said. “But our home remains our safe place and our sanctuary.”

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Porter Davis new home consultant and knockdown-rebuild specialist Teresa Wright said today’s buyers wanted a flexible floorplan to accommodate some of the lifestyle changes they had needed to embrace.

“They want to futureproof their home for circumstances that may arise like this again,” Ms Wright said.

Built-in desks in children’s rooms are more popular. Picture: Arden Homes

Home work

Requests for studies that can be closed off and soundproofed are on the up, according to Mr Wells. This follows the majority of Victorians working from home and students returning to remote learning under the stage four restrictions.

“A study with a door, rather than an open study, is preferred so they can effectively close the room off to other household activity,” he explained.

A professional-looking backdrop for video conferences is another popular request, either in the form of stylish built-in cabinetry, feature wallpaper, or a simple gallery wall highlighted with a statement artwork.

“Individual study spaces for kids are also now equally important, with a trend towards built-in study nooks with fitted desks for each bedroom,” Mr Wells said.

Ms Wright said many of their buyers thought working from home would be more accessible to them post-coronavirus and wanted to ensure they had the space to do it effectively.

“Having zoned heating and cooling to be able to heat or cool the areas they are working in, not the whole home, forms part of that picture,” she said.

Stacker doors can bring the outside in. Picture: Arden Homes

Light and space

Spending more time together at home has made us crave more space. But Mr Wells said even if you had a small house, there were creative design ideas you could introduce to make it feel bigger.

“If budget permits, stacker sliding doors can really help bring the outdoors in, while a sun court would allow more natural light into the home and make indoor spaces feel airier,” he said.

Ms Wright has seen a growing demand for voids in two-storey homes as another way to emphasise light and spaciousness.

“People are also considering the orientation of their land more than ever, so they can be sure to maximise the best natural light in their new home,” she said.

A theatre or games room, gym or meditation space is a welcome inclusion. Picture: Arden Homes

In the zone

More living zones were also being sought as part of the response to the strict stay-at-home measures, Mr Wells said.

These include a dedicated theatre or games room where people can go and make a bit of noise without disturbing the rest of the family, and a sitting area within the main bedroom to provide parents with a getaway space.

A growing interest in multifunctional rooms was something Ms Wright had observed. Study zones that could be converted to a living space at night and on the weekends, or a guest bedroom, were high on the list.

“This allows us to relax, work and play all within the same room if necessary,” she said.

Mr Wells also found some buyers were choosing floorplans with an extra bedroom to use as a gym, or for yoga, meditation or prayer.

“They want space where they can care for their physical and spiritual wellbeing,” he said.

Home builders are making the most of their outdoor spaces. Picture: Porter Davis

Take it outside

Having some space for outdoor activity has become more valued among new-home buyers, according to Ms Wright.

“People want to maximise their backyard space for kids to play,” she said. “They are also looking for garage extensions to set up a home gym or to accommodate a home gym in undercover outdoor areas.”

Before the home was built, Mr Wells said people were having conversations around how they could make their gardens feel private and calming with features like vertical gardens, fish ponds and vegie gardens. And those with enough backyard space were making provisions for a pool, he added

“The focus is on creating a feeling of escapism, even though there are neighbours all around,” Mr Wells said.

COVID-19 has made us all rethink our lifestyles. Porter Davis

Health and hygiene

Moving forward, Mr Wells felt there would be greater consideration around the type of materials used for high-touch areas.

“I can see this pandemic fostering more thought around things such as handles, tapware and benchtops that get touched a lot, and a move towards surfaces that are easy to wipe down and more hygienic,” he said.

A self-contained section of the home was another idea he floated as an option to cater for family members who may need to self-isolate.

“It would allow the rest of the family to move around the main home more safely and with ease,” he said.

ardenhomes.com.au

porterdavis.com.au

The post How COVID-19 is changing new home designs appeared first on realestate.com.au.

4/6 Buckhurst Ave, Point Piper, has sold for about $18m.

It was drinks all round at the Point Piper home of pub baron and former lord mayor Nelson Meers last night with the sale of his harbourside apartment for $18m.

Meers — who’d bought the Belmore Hotel for about $50m late last year and also owned the Grand Hotel in Rockdale, the Oasis on Beamish at Campsie and the Hurstville Ritz — and his wife, Carole, had listed the luxury apartment at 4/6 Buckhurst Avenue in July.

Selling agents Bill Malouf and Margaret Morosi of LJ Hooker Double Bay had no comment about the sale when contacted by the Wentworth Courier, which had featured the property as an apartment of the week when it was first listed in July.

But the listing disappeared from property portals yesterday and sources confirmed it sold for exactly $18m and the purchasers of the four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment were eastern suburbs downsizers.

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Nelson and Carole Meers had paid $16m three years ago, purchasing it from property magnate John Roth — who’d inherited part of a family fortune worth about $320 million — and his wife Jillian Segal.

Architect Alex Popov had drawn up the original plans for the transformation of the original 14-unit block into six whole-floor apartments about a decade ago, but didn’t supervise its construction.

The agents advised a “high teens” guide at the time of listing, with no direct comparables.

Malouf had pointed to the $20m deal on an apartment in nearby Wolseley Road in 2018, when property developer Phillip George and his wife, Jane, sold to University of Sydney chancellor Belinda Hutchinson.

Plenty of wall space for your works of art.

The Jetmaster fireplace is another highlight.

And that didn’t have views of the Bridge and Opera House.

“I consider this one of the best waterfront apartments in the eastern suburbs,” Malouf had said.

“It’s an opportunity for a penthouse-style apartment with beach access and views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.”

The apartment is huge, measuring 449sq m with terraces.

There are views of boats bobbing about in the harbour in the foreground and the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge beyond.

And when you walk into your kitchen, TV room, and the deck off the living and dining room — that same iconic view is still right there in your face.

The master suite, too, has an impressive view.

There are four wow factor bathrooms.

The reconfiguration has allowed a large open-plan entertainment space with a Jetmaster fireplace.

Just one of the attractions is an innovative glass-fronted wintergarden, which can be opened to the elements in the warmer months.

The new downsizer owners will love the direct internal lift access. Doors also open to the private four-car garage.

And there’s a temperature-controlled wine cellar. The owners share an infinity pool at the water’s edge.

Nelson Meers was Sydney’s lord mayor from 1978-1980, practised for many years as a commercial and defamation lawyer, and in 2005 was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the community.

Meers is also famous for founding the private philanthropic arts Nelson Meers Foundation, which is run by his daughter Samantha Meers.

The post Pub baron and former Sydney lord mayor Nelson Meers sells in Point Piper for $18m appeared first on realestate.com.au.