Regional home values mostly on the rise

“Overall, we’re seeing housing demand in regional areas of the country is rising.

“While many regions are seeing values increase, the strongest demand appears to be in those areas within relatively close proximity to capital cities, particularly those which are coastal and tap into lifestyle demand.”

The top three areas that saw the most growth over the 12-month period for houses were Wollongong at a rise of 17.6 per cent, followed by Shoalhaven at 16.4 per cent and Shellharbour at 15.6 per cent, all located in NSW, and for units were Shellharbour at 16.6 per cent, followed by Shoalhaven at 14.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, the areas that saw the largest falls for houses were Gladstone at a fall of 11.5 per cent, Mackay at 6.3 per cent, both from Queensland, and Bunbury with 5.5 per cent from Western Australia, and for units were Gladstone again at a fall of 23.7 per cent, Geraldton-Greenough from Western Australia at 12.1 per cent, and Scenic Rim from Queensland at 5.4 per cent.

Regional areas close to Sydney are seeing the strongest growth in NSW, such as Wollongong, which is the most expensive for houses at a median value of $730,427 and units at a median value of $530,170, holding records for the greatest increase in house values and fourth highest for unit values.

“Places like Wollongong are on the rise as demand ripples away from Sydney where affordability constraints are more pressing,” said Mr Kusher.

Regional areas in Victoria close to Melbourne also saw growth, but not as great as property in Sydney, Mr Kusher said.

“Although values are rising, the softer growth can be linked to the fact that values have not risen as sharply in Melbourne as they have in Sydney and subsequently affordability hasn’t deteriorated as severely in Melbourne,” he said.

Non-capital city Queensland, however, saw very little growth, with some falls recorded too. The better off areas include the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Noosa.

“It seems as though much of the demand across these regions is coming from an acceleration in internal migration to Queensland, and where buyers from Sydney and Melbourne are using substantial equity earned to secure lifestyle properties in the state,” explained Mr Kusher.

Of all the areas researched by CoreLogic, the key takeaways were:

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