Southern Highlands NSW

[phil]

G'day guys,

I was just wondering what opinion everyone currently has on the Southern Highlands NSW. Although I grew up in Sydney and my wifes parents currently live on small acreage in the region (Colo Vale), I have not really been back for about 10 years and am a bit 'out of the loop' as to what the current feel for the region is. My wife feels that an IP in the region would be beneficial.

Do you think it is too far for people to commute about 100k to Sydney CBD? I know some travel to other places such as Campbelltown and Parramatta, but is the benefit of a quieter lifestyle, (and sometimes less expensive property) worth the commute? I suppose for an IP, the issue of transport is also a concern as most in the highlands rely heavily on personal vehicles. Interested in what you guys think.

Cheers,
Phil

 

[sparky23]

Hi Phil

I believe a lot of people make that commute, my hubby commutes from Kiama to Sydney 4 times a week and spends 1 1/2 hours driving each way so an hour really isn't that bad!

 

[stumunro]

It depends, if you are looking for investment properties obviously you are limited to who you will rent it to in these areas. If you are banking on renting to people who will commute 100km's a day to Sydney i think you are aiming at the wrong market. I would be interested in the industry & work situation in the area, what your rentals are likely to achieve, the vacancy rates & then using this information find a suitable property.

 

[skater]

Sheesh, you would think that the only people that rent in those area commute. That is not the case. People rent & work locally in many areas. Talk to some of the R/E Agents in the area to get a feel for what people want who already live in the area.

 

[Leandro]

Hi Phil

I believe a lot of people make that commute, my hubby commutes from Kiama to Sydney 4 times a week and spends 1 1/2 hours driving each way so an hour really isn't that bad!

How did you work out that a 100k trip would take 1 hour!? Once you come into greater Sydney, you definitely wouldn't be travelling at 100km at hour if it was peak hour.

 

[sparky23]

Hi Leandro

I think you'll find I said 1 1/2 hours as in one and a half hours, the drive is from Kiama to Macquarie Park leaving home at 5.15am and arriving around 6.45am and finishing work at 7.00pm arriving home at 8.30pm. The journey depends on the day of the week and traffic conditions, it can sometimes take longer and weekends a bit quicker.

Definetly not one hour!

 

[Leandro]

Hi Leandro

I think you'll find I said 1 1/2 hours as in one and a half hours, the drive is from Kiama to Macquarie Park leaving home at 5.15am and arriving around 6.45am and finishing work at 7.00pm arriving home at 8.30pm. The journey depends on the day of the week and traffic conditions, it can sometimes take longer and weekends a bit quicker.

Definetly not one hour!

Hello sparky23,

I wasn't referring to the trip your husband makes. I was referring to your comment that "an hour isn't that bad", suggesting that phil's hypothetical 100km could be traveled in 1 hour. ;-)

 

[sparky23]

Ah sorry see what you mean. I guess though the point is still that many people these days do make quite a big commute to their workplace, certainly there are plenty in our town that work in Sydney.

 

[Leandro]

Ah sorry see what you mean. I guess though the point is still that many people these days do make quite a big commute to their workplace, certainly there are plenty in our town that work in Sydney.

no worries ;-)

Definitely not my cup of tea, especially by car, unless you can do something productive while traveling, i.e. listening to a podcast.

 

[Noeyedear]

Hi Phil,
We purchased a block of land in 1982 at Tahmoor for 17.5k we built a house for approx 40k in 1985 and sold 1990 for 120k. I travelled to Kingsgrove in Sydney for a while and then Ingleburn. Most of the people in our estate were first home buyers who could not afford to buy in Sydney. I would imagine the dynamics for many first home buyers would still be the same.