best suburb to live in Sydney west for 500K

[equitymate]

Wow.

I reckon it must be Sydney's best-kept secret. You can still get really good homes here for mid 500000s

Lucky

Yep, Hornsby Heights, Mt Coca Colah, Berowra etc is one of the best kept secrets, value for money when you compare to other areas in the same price bracket.

 

[komstak]

Just because they're asking 545k doesn't mean they'll get it.

I really have to ask: presumably they bought it new. Why sell it after only 8 months?
Alex

The property got sold for 535k. That's a gain of 52K in just 8 months! And people are saying Sydney's property market flat/stagnant?

 

[lenovo]

The property got sold for 535k. That's a gain of 52K in just 8 months! And people are saying Sydney's property market flat/stagnant?

Well I'm not that surprise by this. Median house price for kellyville ridge rose from $481,000 to $514,000. And residex is predicting more than 9.5% growth per year for next 5 years. But sydney's property market is so big. Some sydney suburbs are booming. And then there are suburbs like Bankstown, Bidwill, Shalvey were house prices are dropping.

 

[mja]

Well I'm not that surprise by this. Median house price for kellyville ridge rose from $481,000 to $514,000. And residex is predicting more than 9.5% growth per year for next 5 years.

How? Kellyville Ridge has *so* much land that still has to be developed... where's the scarcity?

 

[evand]

One house sale does not make a market.

The property got sold for 535k. That's a gain of 52K in just 8 months! And people are saying Sydney's property market flat/stagnant?

 

[Witzl]

How? Kellyville Ridge has *so* much land that still has to be developed... where's the scarcity?

I agree with mja.
I would pick Castle Hill over kellyville ridge - there is definitely scarcity in Castle Hill, and plenty of development going on in the area, especially townhouses and units.

FYI - my dad is putting his castle hill home up for sale

 

[lenovo]

How? Kellyville Ridge has *so* much land that still has to be developed... where's the scarcity?

Scarcity is not the only factor or gauge on how a suburb will perform. Look at Bankstown, Granville or Auburn, very close to Sydney CBD and no new land estate being developed but still property prices are flat or dropping.

I think the plus factors for kellyville ridge are:

- land prices are not as ridiculous as let say new Rouse Hill and Bella Vista Meadows estates
- house prices are lower than Rouse Hill, Beaumont Hill or Castle Hill so potential for growth is greater
- builders like Eden Brae, Clarendon, AV Jennings are buying lands and building good quality homes
- lots of good schools near it
- close to shops and sports centre (stanhope, Rouse Hill Town Centre, Parklea Market, Blacktown Leisure Centre)
- close to M2, M7 and T-Way
- close to business centres
- and if the Labour gov't will do what they promised, two train stations will be just 3 - 5 minutes away.

 

[lenovo]

I agree with mja.
I would pick Castle Hill over kellyville ridge - there is definitely scarcity in Castle Hill, and plenty of development going on in the area, especially townhouses and units.

FYI - my dad is putting his castle hill home up for sale

I love Castle Hill but traffic is horrendous. Driving from Willowbrook Place to Windsor Road during peak hours seems forever. Another thing, Castle Hill Tower has turned to be an eye sore. Rather than constantly extending it, they should just demolish it and bulid a new shopping centre.

 

[Witzl]

You gotta pick the right areas of castle hill, and know your way around the traffic there.
I drive from Tuckwell rd to Rydalmere, leaving at 8.30am every morning. I always arrive at work by 9am.

... just gotta know the backstreets
Living there for 22 odd years helps

 

[mja]

Comments inline.

Scarcity is not the only factor or gauge on how a suburb will perform.

Of course not. There are lots of other factors. I just provided one thing that Kellyville Ridge *doesn't* have going for it. I'll list a few more:

* Blocks are tiny. A friend almost bought a block that was less than 300sqm!
* The M7 motorway feeds all the traffic from the area into the M2 which then becomes a carpark.
* The city express bus can't cope with the demand... nothing quite like standing on a bus for over an hour to get into town!
* Don't count on the NSW Labor government to hurry in any form of rail network.

Look at Bankstown, Granville or Auburn, very close to Sydney CBD and no new land estate being developed but still property prices are flat or dropping.

I wouldn't say any of those suburbs are really close to the CBD. I'm not sure how many people would choose to live in those suburbs, but I guess that's just my opinion.

 

[dwv]

Comments inline.

Of course not. There are lots of other factors. I just provided one thing that Kellyville Ridge *doesn't* have going for it. I'll list a few more:

* Blocks are tiny. A friend almost bought a block that was less than 300sqm!

* The city express bus can't cope with the demand... nothing quite like standing on a bus for over an hour to get into town!

You must be referring to the New Rouse Hill blocks. They're from 250 sqm up with ridiculous prices. Kellyville ridge blocks averages from 375-500 sqm. Still small but the price is not as high as Rouse Hill.

T-Way buses going to the city starts from Rousehill then Kellyville Ridge etc. So if you take the bus from KR there should still be lots of seats. Also, it's close to Parramatta which is where I work... everybody here seems to think that everybody chooses to live near Sydney CBD. Most of my friends who live nearby work between Parramatta and Blacktown which are bustling cities. I only know a few who works in the city. There's also Norwest Business Center which is expanding rapidly.

 

[Witzl]

By contrast.... in Castle Hill:

• You can catch the M2 citybus which starts in CH and has less people (runs every 5-10 mins in mornings)
• Land is much larger than kellyville - 500sqm is TINY in CH.
• You are already 15-20 mins closer to the city that KR during morning peak hour

For example... my dad's house is going up for around $530K and is 790sq.m. Sure the house is old, but its strong. The main factor here is the LAND

 

[mja]

You must be referring to the New Rouse Hill blocks. They're from 250 sqm up with ridiculous prices. Kellyville ridge blocks averages from 375-500 sqm. Still small but the price is not as high as Rouse Hill.

No... there were some blocks under 375sqm in Kellyville Ridge. I can't remember the name of the street, but they were pretty tiny.

 

[Tman]

Hi RD

What sort of houses are you looking for ? brick veneer/duplex/ fibro. old or brand new house

Decent areas with growth in sydney west with price range around 500k
here r my thoughts

personally i don't think you can get a brand new house for this price
unless you want to live in high crime areas like liverpool/casula/granville/rydalmere etc...or live in nice areas that doesn't have good public transport to the city like castle hills/ kinglangley/kelly ville

your options can be

Ermington - good area and close to North ryde business park. You can catch the bus to the city. Upgrade of victoria road in the future would be a plus for this area. Make sure dont' get a house near Rydalmere because of high crimes area..you can also look at west ryde but you would need at least 600k to look for a house in this area

Lidcombe - perfect for catching the train to the city is only 20-25mins. there is no big shopping in the area however it closes to Strathfield plaza. there are some new houses in this area around 550k-600k but it is next to the cementary.

Parramatta - big westfield shopping center with all good coffee shops. you also can catch express train from here to the city ..Also the train station has been upgraded lately.. Parramatta is a rich area of the west. House prices quite expensive compare to other areas in the west ..

further to the west with train station you also can look at Quaker hills/Merrylands.

 

[kamchatsky]

I think in order to choose suburbs to live you need to consider that in Sydney "class" is an significant factor in terms of house prices and possible growth.

One thing I found Sydneysiders since moving from Adelaide about 8 years ago is that they are very particular on where they live and who they live with. People would do ANYTHING to live in a good suburb and get into good school for their kids ......

For example, Enfield, Greenacre, Chullora, Belmore, Campsie are not far from Strathfield yet their price difference are so huge it is not funny. Why because of the preceived "type of people" who live there. It is unfortunate BUT it is also the reality of Sydney market. A friend of mine always claims they live in Burwood but in fact in reality they live in Campsie because they don't want to be considered as "particular type of people" .....

So from this theory I suggest the following areas:

- Hornsby/Asquith/Mt Colah/Mt Kuringai/Berowra (not sure about history and demographics but it could be the "upper upper northshore, when upper northshore gets too expensive)
- Old houses in Normanhurst/Pennant Hills/Thornleigh
- Hills area esp Castle Hill (old houses)

Whilst Kellyville/Ridge, Rouse Hill, the Ponds, Glenwood, Parklea, Stanhope Gardens are nice areas I am not sure about the demographics.

 

[tiger]

For 500K i'd go for Pennant Hills over Castle Hill. For the sole reason of better public transport access.

Hornsby/Asquith/Mt Colah/Mt Kuringai/Berowra beat them all, but they aren't in the west

 

[Raja]

For 500K i'd go for Pennant Hills over Castle Hill. For the sole reason of better public transport access.

Hornsby/Asquith/Mt Colah/Mt Kuringai/Berowra beat them all, but they aren't in the west

Not sure of the quality of a free standing house you would get in Castle Hill or Pennant hills for under 500k.

I would recommend getting something in Seven Hills, in particular within the Grantham Estate (Australorp Ave). Its about a 15min walk to the station and is very different to other parts of Seven Hills. This is where I bought my PPOR last year and couldnt be happier.

Have a drive around Seven Hills and then drive into this estate and you will see the difference.

Kings Langley is also a nice area but the prices are dearer and there is no train station.

Regards,

Raja

 

[Developa]

Why would you invest $500k in Sydney's west when you can invest $500k in Sydney's inner East, North Shore, city or inner-west?

A few excellent places to invest $500k in Sydney:

*Terrace/Semi in Newtown (or most other innner-west locations for that matter)
*2 bedroom apartment in any number of prestigious Eastern suburbs locations (e.g. Elizabeth Bay, Vaucluse, Bellevue Hill).
*Executive apartment in the CBD moments from harbour
*2 bedroom apartment on North Shore in sought after harbourfront locations (Neutral Bay, Mosman)

All these propositions have: (a) excellent capital growth potential; (b) decent and dramatically improving yields; (c) and LIFESTYLE.

There is of course opportunity out west, but for the above reasons I'd be looking elsewhere. If you're looking to accommodate a family, then an inner-city semi would be a good option.

 

[FelixL]

Why would you invest $500k in Sydney's west when you can invest $500k in Sydney's inner East, North Shore, city or inner-west?

A few excellent places to invest $500k in Sydney:

*Terrace/Semi in Newtown (or most other innner-west locations for that matter)
*2 bedroom apartment in any number of prestigious Eastern suburbs locations (e.g. Elizabeth Bay, Vaucluse, Bellevue Hill).
*Executive apartment in the CBD moments from harbour
*2 bedroom apartment on North Shore in sought after harbourfront locations (Neutral Bay, Mosman)

All these propositions have: (a) excellent capital growth potential; (b) decent and dramatically improving yields; (c) and LIFESTYLE.

There is of course opportunity out west, but for the above reasons I'd be looking elsewhere. If you're looking to accommodate a family, then an inner-city semi would be a good option.

Good ideas, these are the type of properties I am looking for my next IP.

I still think going West isn't all that bad. Its affordable and lots of space, very good for raising family, especially in the Hills area.

 

[Jacque]

$500K is still a decent enough budget in Sydney to provide you with a plethora of choice when it comes to housing. From the Hills to Hornsby to Sutherland and West there are literally hundreds of houses on the market right now that would suit your $$$. However, with so many first home buyers obsessed with only buying NEW it seems to me they're missing out on the obvious benefits that established older housing provides ie: land size, established infrastructure, proximity to transport, schools, shopping centres etc
With a little paint and simple renos so many ugly ducklings can be fixed up to look like new and I'm continually amazed that people will sacrifice so many other features simply to live in a brand new home (that in 5-10yrs time suddenly won't be so new...) often with no yard or space between their neighbours.

Raja
Second your thoughts on Seven Hills- I've been an advocate of the area (south) you refer to, for some time now. Value for money, walking distance to rail and still close to the freeway.
Along with other suburbs out in the NorthWest and Western region, there are some top spots for first home owners, that represent real value and less pain in the hip pocket. You only need to look further north along the Seven Hills railway line (Richmond) for value for money- many suburbs with freestanding homes within walking distance of the station in the sub $400K price bracket.

Sydneysiders who are serious about finding affordable homes need to get out and about more, and discover these areas for themselves, perhaps sacrificing the media room, 4beds and DLUG on 400sqm for an older but smaller first home buyer abode on double the amount of land. Then, when time and debt reduction have run their course, upgrade to something bigger, just like several FHO's have done before them. At least get a foot in the door, because Sydney now, in many suburbs, represents a great time to buy, in my opinion.

Felix
Agree with your thoughts on units in premium positions within these suburbs. For the LNS, also consider Waverton and Wollstonecraft, even Artarmon, given the huge benefit of rail (that Neutral Bay, Cremorne and Mosman lack) and also proximity to the CBD and lifestyle generally. I also like Greenwich, St Leonards, Naremburn, Crows Nest as well for the same reasons. Wonderfully located, close to trains, buses, cafe society etc.The entire North Sydney area is in high demand for tenants and you're right about the rising rents. A budget a little more (up to $550K) is going to get you something better in the 2bed department, if that's what you're keen on. However, 1bedders are just as rentable, in demand and can be significantly cheaper (by up to $100K) so also consider these as well if you're purchasing for investment. There are more one person households in Australia now than there has ever been; something to keep in mind.