Bang for buck: Top regional NSW houses on a Sydney budget
Home buyers with a Sydney budget can get a lot more bang for their buck if they look further afield and move to regional NSW.
Sydney’s median house price is $1,654,668 based on Domain data. But this budget can get buyers closer to the sand, water views or more space if they move to the countryside.
Take your Sydney budget outside of the city, and your money can buy you a lot more real estate in some cases.Credit:
Ocean Shores
A three-bedroom family house with a double garage at 9 Rangal Road in Ocean Shores, mere steps through a nature reserve to the sand, recently sold for $1.6 million.
North of Byron Bay, the contemporary house on a 921 sq m block enjoys the coastal breeze of popular South Golden Beach.
North Coast Lifestyle Properties selling agent Mark Lycos said the house was more than 20 years old but in immaculate condition.
“It’s just a very straightforward, clean property in all respects, in a great position,” he said.
An investor from Queensland bought the property as a future retirement plan.
“The No.1 profile of [our] customers is Sydney. But more and more over the last decade, there’s a much greater influence from Brisbane and Gold Coast,” Lycos said.
He said proximity to the beach was the main drawcard for the property and is consistently the most important factor for buyers in the lifestyle location.
Bowral
A four-bedroom country abode with plenty of room at 2-4 Daphne Street in Bowral sold for $1.64 million to a downsizer. The charming home on half an acre is a 10-minute walk to town and five minutes from Bradman Oval.
Drew Lindsay Sotheby’s International Realty’s Samuel Lindsay said the home had fantastic views because of its elevation.
“It’s half an acre in Old Bowral, and it had a four-bedroom house and a renovated kitchen, and was successfully used as [a] short-term rental and had lovely views over Bowral and Oxley Hill.”
Old Bowral, is the original settlement of the area, and features more heritage properties and bigger trees compared with the newer, developed area, Lindsay said.
For those with deeper pockets, Lindsay has listed the childhood home of Sir Donald Bradman through an expressions-of-interest campaign with a guide of $2 million to $2.5 million.
The water tank that the Australian icon used to practice his batting skills against as a youngster is still there.
“It’s a very relevant, significant property [to] Australia,” he said.
Gerringong
A four-bedroom family home with a swimming pool at 7 Carinya Way sold for $1.65 million in Gerringong. Two minutes in the car, or 10 minutes by foot, from the beach, the single-level home with expansive outdoor living space sold before auction.
Ray White Gerringong’s Bernadette Farrell said only one open home was conducted before it was snapped up by a Sydney investor.
“It ticked all his boxes as an investment property, and it was a turnkey home,” she said, adding that local properties often need renovations.
Farrell said Gerringong has all the beauty of a small country coastal town.
“Beautiful green rolling hills meet the sea ... And it’s a small community, a small town, but yet it’s only less than two hours from Sydney. So it’s that sweet spot from Sydney.”
Tweed Heads
A three-bedroom villa at 181/1 Mariners Drive West overlooking Tweed River sold in November for $1.62 million.
The well-maintained resort-style property on The Anchorage Islands was bought by a retiring couple.
Selling agent Col Wright from RBR Property Consultants said it was fully renovated, which was a main drawcard for the buyers.
“It’s under a strata agreement, but people treat them as houses,” he said.
“It’s a Baby Boomers-plus sort of market, and they want places renovated. They don’t want to renovate as well,” he said, adding that the position on the water was a bonus.
“You own to the end of the pavers, beyond that is the body corporate, then the boardwalk is owned by the council.”
Interest in the home came from downsizers and empty-nesters who wanted to look at the water and be very close to town, Wright said.
“Everything is within five minutes, and within 10 minutes of the airport,” he said.