Greater Brisbane: The hottest postcodes locals are moving into

Leafy family suburbs like Mitchelton and surprise inner city areas like Bowen Hills have emerged as the most popular areas locals are moving to across Greater Brisbane. SEE WHERE EVERYONE IS MOVING TO

After being much maligned during Covid-19, apartments have become popular again. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Leafy family suburbs like Mitchelton and surprise inner-city areas such as Bowen Hills have emerged as the most popular areas locals are moving to across Greater Brisbane.

Exclusive data by Muval, collating the top 10 postcodes chosen for moves within the Greater Brisbane area, saw 4053 top the list, making Stafford, Everton Park, Everton Hills and Mitchelton the hottest suburbs in the Queensland capital.

Muval chief commercial officer Adam Coward said the data amounted to thousands of moving requests all across Brisbane during the year to January.

“With the average price for a home in Everton Park still under one million and the suburb located only 10km from the city, this area is proving increasingly popular in recent months,” he said. “At the end of 2022, the 4053 postcode wasn’t even in the top 60 before leaping to 13 in January 2022 and continuing its rise to number one.”

Inner city workers drove up popularity of 4006 (Newstead, Bowen Hills, Fortitude Valley), along with third place 4101 (South Brisbane, West End).

Mr Coward said there was also a trend underway towards people seeking more value in outer northern or southern suburbs this year. On the northside of the city, 4030 (Windsor, Lutwyche) jumped from 18th spot in January 2022 to seventh in Jan 2023 while 4034 (Geebung, Zillmere, Boondall) made the top 10 for the first time.

The push outwards to search for better housing affordability saw a surge in popularity of 4207 (Holmview, Beenleigh, Yarrabilba) which ranked fourth across Brisbane – having not even made the top 20 last year, and the same for 4305 (Ipswich) which ranked sixth.

The return of inner city workers to the office drove Bowen Hills to the second most popular spot.

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University of Queensland associate professor and demographer Dr Elin Charles-Edwards, said the Muval figures were “really useful as a leading indicator of where migration flows might occur”.

She said Brisbane’s housing dynamics were shifting as residents re-evaluate their housing needs post Covid-19.

“What we seem to be seeing here are some flows into the inner city area and those middle ring suburbs, but also we’ve got flows into greenfield sites to places like Beenleigh and Yarrabilba,” she said.

“That can be driven by affordability, but also recognising that we are no longer locked at home for extended periods, so we can actually make adjustments to the types of housing stock we might want to live in.”

Muval chief commercial officer Adam Coward

Apartments, she said, were more attractive again, with the return to the office also driving interest in areas with good access to public transport.

The return to the office has not stemmed the flow of people looking to leave the Queensland capital though, with 18 per cent of Muval Brisbane inquiries involving outbound moves in January.

But, Mr Coward said, the Queensland capital was still the “standout second most popular (capital) city to move to behind Melbourne” nationally.

Scott Rumble of Harcourts Solutions said interest in the Mitchelton, Stafford, Everton Park area accelerated in the past year, with one property seeing 36 offers and the most popular open homes seeing in excess of 100 groups through.

The search for affordable houses was linked to some of the top 10 postcode activity. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

“It’s within 12km of the CMD, you have access to really good hard infrastructure, rail lines, bus routes, shopping centres, and also soft infrastructure like your cafes, lifestyle precincts, high streets like the Blackwood Street, these are things that people are really looking for,” he said.

“The biggest problem I’ve got is not having enough properties given the number of buyers we’re dealing with. It’s now becoming a primary destination, not a secondary destination.”

A Muval survey found the top three reasons people moved house in the past year included upgrading to a better location, downsizing for less upkeep and to be close to schools or family.

Jace and Sarah Wenborn and their two children Ava 1, and Harvey 4 at the home they bought in Mitchelton last year because it's close to good schools, not far from the city and relatively affordable compared to neighbouring suburbs. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Jace and Sarah Wenborn moved to their $1m-plus dream home in Mitchelton seven months ago, but had to go outside their comfort zone financially to secure their place in the family friendly suburb.

“It was above what we wanted to pay but we liked the area,” Mr Wenborn said. “We liked the village feel and it’s only seven minutes more to get to our favourite spot on the Sunshine Coast.”

The couple moved there from Warner in August last year, buying a four bedroom, three bathroom, double car garage property that was more affordable than similar properties in nearby suburbs.

They narrowed down their search for a new home based on budget, schools and how family friendly it was. “It’s near good schools and there’s a soccer park nearby where I can kick a ball around with my son.”

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