Where to buy now for the biggest return later

Where affordable property is most likely to increase in value.

Where affordable property is most likely to increase in value.

We know it's a struggle and a half to try and buy a house. It’s even harder to afford one in a location we’d want to live in.

When (or if) we finally scrape together enough pennies to enter the property market, we want to make sure it’s for something that will accrue value over time. 

So we spoke to the good people at PropTrack, data experts who keep a close eye on the property market, and they've given us a never-before-seen list of the “up and coming” suburbs for first-home buyers to keep an eye on, within a reasonable proximity of the CBD.

That is, the suburbs that are most likely to a) go up in price and b) become more popular after you buy, so you get the best return on your investment.

Malvern East made the Melbourne list, along with Cremorne and Taylors Lakes. 

In Sydney, Rockdale topped the list, accompanied by Richmond and Box Hill. 

And in Brisbane, Park Ridge was featured as was Bahrs Scrub.

“We looked at suburbs where home prices are still growing. Suburbs which have recorded positive growth in median values over the last quarter,” PropTrack economist Eleanor Creagh said. 

“We also looked at properties that have the highest demand. Properties that have seen positive growth in the number of potential buyers over the year to June.”

They’ve only included suburbs where the cheapest 25% of property falls under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme price caps - a scheme which allows you to purchase a property with a deposit as little as 5%. 

“We could have used the median, but typically we find that first home buyers don't purchase median price properties. They purchase cheaper properties,” Creagh said.

So, without further ado, here’s the list: