Realestate.com.au names hottest 100 suburbs for 2025

Outer capital city suburbs popular for their affordability and family appeal have featured heavily in Realestate.com.au’s Hot 100 Suburbs of 2025 | SEE THE FULL LIST

Kieren Maddern and Matthew Williams, with their daughter Vesper, 8, are selling their home in Brisbane’s Clayfield, which has been named by Realestate.com.au as one of the nation’s Hot 100 suburbs for 2025. Picture: Mackenzie Scott

Outer capital city suburbs popular for their affordability and family appeal have featured heavily in Realestate.com.au’s Hot 100 Suburbs of 2025.

Queensland locations dominated a quarter of the list, which was selected by a panel of 20 property experts – including chief executives, buyers’ agents and economists – on nine key criteria.

Mortgage-belt suburbs such as Castle Hill and Wattle Grove in Sydney, Melbourne’s Geelong West and Werribee, and Caboolture and Coomera circling Brisbane were all included on the list for affordability, location and family appeal.

PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty said the locations had recorded strong price growth despite a divergence in market conditions with the RBA keeping interest rates at a decade high.

“They’re still the suburbs that tick a lot of the boxes for what people are typically looking for, such as public transport, easy ­access in and out of a CBD, and those lifestyle features like access to nature, schools, and hospitals,” Ms Flaherty said.

“They're also the suburbs that are still within an achievable price range for a lot of buyers … and of course, that increases demand and pushes up prices.”

Buyer’s agent Melinda Jennison

Harcourts CEO Adrian Knowles

Up-and-coming “ripple suburbs” were also gaining popularity, said the president of the Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia, Melinda Jennison. She named the Brisbane suburb of Geebung as a prime example.

“We’re now starting to see people knock down the older homes that were built in the 50s and 60s, and they’re replacing them with brand new executive builds,” Ms Jennison said.

“Once buyers are priced out of a neighbouring suburb, in this case, Wavell Heights, they’ll look for the next location, and that ripple effect will continue to roll out.”

Kieren Maddern and Matthew Williams recently listed their home in Brisbane’s Clayfield. It was no surprise to them the inner-city suburb was rewarded for its family appeal and amenities, which is why the former expats bought and renovated there.

“I grew up around Clayfield,” Ms Maddern said. “This was always the home base. So when we were looking to move back, it was the obvious choice.

“We’ll definitely stay in the area. We love it but want to move on to a new project.”

Suburbs with good amenities and family appeal are the best performers.

Principal of Place Ascot Patrick McKinnon, who is selling the Clayfield home, said many buyers were drawn to the area because of the close proximity to numerous top schools, the city and airport.

Chief executive of real estate agency Harcourts Adrian Knowles said Perth continued to show strong growth, naming Mandurah as a place to watch.

Locations in regional Australia, including Shepparton, Orange and Rockhampton, represented a third of the list.

Propertyology’s Simon Pressley

The founder of investment buyers agency Propertyology, Simon Pressley, believes regions still offer the best opportunities for investors, with Adelaide’s market fundamentals making it the choice capital city.

“The best opportunities every single year have never been in the capital cities,” he said.

Some of the top picks in South Australia included Christies Beach, Hillcrest and Mount Barker for family appeal.

However, Mr Pressley said he was no longer recommending Victoria for investment, as he expected the state’s property market to take a whole decade to recover from the pandemic.

The northern regional hubs of Devonport and Launceston were picked among the five Tasmanian locations for their location, affordability and infrastructure.