Cheapest suburbs to buy a house: the Sydney areas where hopes of getting backyard are still alive

There are still areas where big houses with a backyard can be bought for hundreds of thousands below average Sydney prices, a new report shows. See where the best value suburbs are

Those seeking a home with a backyard for under $1 million have been urged not to give up hope – there are still multiple pockets where it’s possible to get into the market without forking up seven figures.

The catch: buyers may need to be quick.

Prices in some of the areas offering the best value for money – larger houses on sizeable blocks near amenities – are rapidly rising due to a surge of out-of-area buyers and investor activity.

Sales data showed there were close to 50 western suburbs where average prices were projected to hit the $1 million mark by the end of the year.

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The suburbs would join the nearly 350 areas where house prices already average over $1 million – including 29 western suburbs that crossed that threshold this year. Greater Sydney’s median house price is currently $1.22 million.

The majority of suburbs where house prices remained below $1 million were concentrated in the southwest, Blacktown region and the area around Penrith, a CoreLogic price report showed.

First homebuyers Baden Stewart, 21, and Claudia Towle, 21, bought a block at The Village, a Mirvac development in Menangle. Picture: Quentin Jones

“Western Sydney offers some of the best value for buyers at the moment,” Starr Partners chief executive Douglas Driscoll said.

“A lot of the region is gentrifying and infrastructure upgrades for the airport at Badgerys Creek have opened the area up.

“They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same results and, for buyers who keep getting priced out of their chosen area, they may want to consider (the west).”

Analysis of housing data showed buyers got some of the best value in a chain of suburbs at the end of the T2 Inner West and Leppington train line in the Greater Liverpool region.

The region included Edmondson Park, Leppington, Glenfield and Casula, along with Carnes Hill, Prestons and Horningsea Park.

Most houses in these suburbs were priced near $900,000, were built less than 10 years ago, and included four bedrooms. The blocks tended to range from 350-550sqm.

The suburbs have also benefited from a range of road and rail upgrades, which have made them more accessible.

McGrath-Liverpool agent Glen Craigie said the infrastructure improvements have put the region on the map for investors and owner occupiers, who have realised the better value.

“We’re dealing with more out of area buyers than at any time I’ve seen in the last 20 years,” Mr Craigie said. “There’s a realisation you can get a lot more for a lot less.”

Other pockets of affordability included Quakers Hill and Seven Hills near Blacktown, where there is a mix of modern and established houses priced under $900,000. Blocks are typically 550sqm.

The cheapest suburb in Greater Sydney is Warragamba on the city’s western fringe – houses cost an average of about $580,000 but the suburb is about 70km from the Sydney CBD.

Baden Stewart, 21, and Claudia Towle, 20, said looking in Sydney’s southwest kept their dream of homeownership alive.

The couple recently purchased a block in the Menangle development The Village by Mirvac for about $500,000 and were “extremely happy” with what they got. They will soon build their dream home.

Baden Stewart, and Claudia Towle said they felt they got better value in the southwest. Picture: Quentin Jones

Buyers can often get larger houses for under $1 million in the southwest or far west.

“It did feel like it was getting more competitive,” Ms Towle said, adding that they had to put their names on a ballot just for the chance to get a sales meeting.

“It was worth it because comparing it to other areas we got a lot more,” Ms Towle said.

Originally published as Cheapest suburbs to buy a house: the Sydney areas where hopes of getting backyard are still alive