The most in-demand suburbs of 2023

Space for the kids to kick around a football is still top priority for buyers, with new data revealing the most popular suburbs of 2023 offered big blocks and backyards | FULL LIST

George and Rosemary Daiko at their Chandler home with their daughters Sylvie (left) and Giulia (right). Picture: Glenn Hunt/The Australian

Space remains the biggest drawcard for Australians looking for a new home, with the most popular suburbs around the country offering larger blocks and backyards.

The outer Brisbane suburbs of Chandler and Gumdale and the semi-rural NSW Central Coast areas of Matcham and Holgate were among the most in-demand areas of the country through 2023, according to new data from housing researcher PropTrack.

Preference for space spiked through the pandemic as people found themselves staying at home. PropTrack senior economist Paul Ryan said areas with larger blocks are still very popular.

“A big thing is these suburbs are popular with upgraders,” Mr Ryan said.

“If you look at the price points for a lot of these suburbs, they’re very high. The trend we’re seeing this year is there’s lots of upgraders in the market with equity boosts from pandemic price increases and these are the properties they’re looking for, lifestyle properties.”

Watching the kids kick a football around a round-and-a-half-hectare block has sealed the deal on some property sales in Chandler, says local agent Joseph Lordi. Homes in the area, 13 km south of Brisbane, attract the most interest in the country at 96 largely because they don’t come on the market often.

“They’re happy to see the kids run around … I think it is the Australian dream, and parents want to give their children the best life they possibly can,” said Mr Lordi, principal of Storia Estate Groups Birkdale.

“But the average hold time in Chandler sits around 22 years. A number of buyers that we speak to spend about two to three years looking to buy a home.”

The space was perfect for the George and Rosemark Daiko over the past 25 years as they watched their young family grow and leave the nest. Their home has been the perfect “country paradise in the city”.

“We’re so close to everything, 10 to 15 minutes from Moreton Bay, the city, the airport,” Mr Daiko said.

“We sort of live in a resort, you don’t really have to go on a holiday when you live here. My kids have had hobby farms in the back, fished in the dam, cubby houses, swings and a bit of everything.” Mr Daiko said.The Daikos are currently selling with the assistance of Mr Lordi.

Demand – measured by the number of clicks by engaged buyers compared to the number of homes on offer – has underpinned the year’s surprising price growth. Mr Ryan said interstate migration is also aiding interest in southeast Queensland, despite appetite not being as strong as through pandemic lockdowns.

Managing director of buyers agency Cohen Handler’s Queensland division, Jordan Navybox, said he had been inundated with those searching for homes in the lead-up to Christmas simply because they can’t find the property they’re after.

“The stock just did not come this spring season, and buyers are so frustrated as a result,” Mr Navybox said.

He noted the Gold and Sunshine Coast, which also recorded big demand this year, have remained popular with interstate buyers in the wake of the pandemic due to the bigger block sizes.