Australians love property, but for many, figuring out where to invest is the hardest part. Finder's Property Investment Index uses a range of data inputs to predict price growth in each suburb across Australia's major cities. Property Investment Index pages for Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart are also available.
As of June 2024, the following suburbs have the highest potential for price growth:
Houses
Units
The Property Investment Index is a model that ranks suburbs based on their investment potential. Suburbs are scored out of 100, with 100 indicating very high predicted price growth and 0 indicating very low or negative predicted price growth.
The final score is calculated based on 3 factors:
An additional 15 points are given to suburbs that have had at least 1 property sale over the past 12 months. The number of points for each suburb is capped at 100.
The index is intended to be an indicator of relative price growth, rather than of property prices themselves. A high score does not necessarily mean that a suburb will have the highest house prices but that we can expect strong growth in that area.
Finder's Property Investment Index uses a range of data inputs to predict price growth in each suburb across Australia's major cities. These data inputs are weighted to produce a score out of 100, with 100 indicating very high predicted price growth and 0 indicating very low or negative predicted price growth.
Apart from the weighted inputs listed below, an additional 15 points are given to suburbs that have had at least 1 property sale over the past 12 months.
Prior to the pandemic, investor activity in New South Wales had been falling since 2017. When COVID-19 hit, investor home loans continued to fall before recovering to reach new records. In November 2021, the value of new investor home loans reached a historical high of $4.9 billion, an increase of 83% from the previous year. As of August 2023, the total value of investor loans in New South Wales has been reported at $3.4b, an increase of 3% month on month and an increase of 0.13% year on year.
The data also shows investors are beginning to take on more of the market from owner-occupiers. In January 2021, investor loans made up 24% of all home loans, but that figure has now grown to 37%.
The RBA has hiked interest rates twelve times in a row. In May, following two years of inaction, the central bank initiated a series of rate hikes that has yet to conclude. This has so far added over $18,000+ to the annual cost of an average 30-year mortgage. The effects of these rate rises are already being felt in the market. This hits investors also. As borrowing gets more expensive, property prices are almost certainly going to fall further.
This has hit Sydney more than other cities simply because no other city has seen such high prices for so long. The rolling 3-month average sale price has fallen from $1,092,500 in April 2022 to $1,042,500 in July 2023. There's still room for prices to fall further in Sydney. But if interest rates remain high and the Sydney market cools down, this will probably benefit some investors. An investor with a steady income and existing property wealth will be well-placed to make advantageous investment choices.
Less cautious, more over-extended investors may find themselves struggling to pay off expensive loans when the value of their investments is falling.
Sydney residents (62%) are the most likely to believe property prices in their area will increase in the next 12 months, according to Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker. This includes 21% who think price growth will be significant. On the other hand, 14% believe prices in their area will fall over the next year.
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Finder's Property Investment Index predicts price growth in each suburb across Australia's major cities. Find out how your suburb stacks up.
Finder's Property Investment Index predicts price growth in each suburb across Australia's major cities. Find out how your suburb stacks up.
Finder's Property Investment Index predicts price growth in each suburb across Australia's major cities.
Finder's Property Investment Index predicts price growth in each suburb across Australia's major cities.
Finder's Property Investment Index predicts price growth in each suburb across Australia's major cities. Find out how your suburb stacks up.
Discover average home loan sizes around Australia and much more with our comprehensive guide to home loan statistics.