PropTrack data reveals most popular suburbs for buyers

An infamous gangland hub was one of several surprise entries to a list of Australia’s most sought after suburbs for homebuyers.

Aussie homebuyers have let their browsing do the talking, revealing the nation’s most popular suburbs for property over the past year.

PropTrack’s analysis of realestate.com.au’s most searched suburbs for 2024 threw up a number of ‘usual suspects’, but some unlikely entrants were in the mix too.

In Sydney, the new Metro infrastructure has opened up new markets to buyer interest, thanks to cutting commute times significantly.

The big winner was the Hills District, with Castle Hill revealed as the most sought after suburb.

Local real estate agent, Shire Realty’s Aaron Godfrey, said the new metro had been a “game changer” in opening the suburbs up to city workers.

Castle Hill is Australia’s most wanted suburb.

“It’s a lifestyle thing,” Mr Godfrey said. “You can get a decent quality house on a large block of land (in the Hills) with pools and plenty of space.”

Other suburbs in the area featured heavily in the top 10, while nearby Blacktown was fifth.

MORE:See the full list of Sydney’s most sought after suburbs

Blacktown local Renee Booth loved the area for the convenience. She and her partner Nick purchased their home when they were just 23 and then completely renovated the property.

“I had a realisation if I can buy a house that’s only 30-40 minutes from the city that’s pretty great,” she said.

Renee Booth at her Blacktown home. Picture: Jeremy Piper

The couple fully renovated the home themselves, turning a rundown three-bedroom home into a luxury four-bedroom house with premium design features.

“It was quite affordable too, and even now that prices have gone crazy, they (Blacktown prices) are still very reasonable being so close to the city.”

MELBOURNE

A Melbourne suburb once known for its gangland hits has made the list of in-demand suburbs tipped for prices to take off this year.

Topping the roll call was Richmond, with a $1,392,500 median house price, but between November 2023 and December 2024, the formerly working-class inner north suburb of Brunswick, where typical house values today are $1.255m, also made the top five.

Although Brunswick is today renowned for its cutting-edge street art, cafe culture and music venues, it often made headlines for gangland-related crimes less than two decades ago.

Between 2004 and 2011, multiple gangland figures were shot in the suburb including Moran family patriarch Lewis Moran, who was murdered at the Brunswick Club.

Police at the Brunswick Club where Lewis Moran was shot and murdered in 2004. Digital Image.

PropTrack senior economist Paul Ryan said although it was not a given, the most-searched suburbs could indicate where buyers would likely flock in the next 12 months.

“These aren’t price forecasts, the way we think about these locations is recognising that there’s a lot of interest, which often translates to a lot of demand and can correlate with price growth,” Mr Ryan said.

Richmond was the most sought after for Melbourne.

MORE: See the full list of Melbourne’s most sought after suburbs

BRISBANE

About 70 buyers are competing for every home on the market in Brisbane’s most popular suburbs.

The relatively affordable hotspot of Coorparoo topped PropTrack’s list of the city’s 10 most sought-after suburbs.

Coorparoo’s median dwelling price of $755,000 sits just under the combined median of $770,000 for houses and units across Greater Brisbane, showing affordability was a key consideration for buyers after several years of blistering price growth.

PropTrack data shows 2684 buyers were “seriously interested” in 37 houses for sale last month in Coorparoo, with another 1588 buyers vying for 43 units on the market. Located 5.5km from the CBD and described by local agents as a “lifestyle location”.

Next ranked by search volume was trendy New Farm, top pick for deep-pocketed buyers with a median price of $1,027,500.

MORE:See the full list of Brisbane’s most sought after suburbs

Coorparoo was best for Brissie’s buyers.

ADELAIDE

Typically family-friendly areas or those within proximity of Adelaide’s metro coastline dominated South Australia’s top 10.

Glenelg topped the list for searches throughout the 2024 calendar year, ahead of cosmopolitan Unley in Adelaide’s inner south.

Belle Property Glenelg’s David Ferrari, who has sold 28 properties in Glenelg over the past 12 months, said the suburb, and its neighbours were perennial favourites.

“I’m not surprised to see them there – Glenelg is always popular.

“It offers a fantastic lifestyle so close to the city and it’s highly regarded as being a great place to live.

Glenelg is very popular with families. (AAP Image/ Morgan Sette)

MORE:See the full list of SA’s most sought after suburbs here

“I’ve had interstate buyers see properties here and ask: ‘Why’s it under $1m? What’s wrong with it?’ because a comparable property distance-wise from the city would be considerably more expensive in New South Wales or Victoria.

Originally published as PropTrack data reveals most popular suburbs for buyers