First-home buyer hotspots in 2022

Despite the overall downtrend in property sales since the beginning of the year, some metropolitan and regional areas seemed to have witnessed a spike in activity among first-home buyers.

Analysis of lending data from NAB indicates an uptick in first-home buyer activity in some pockets across states, with Western Sydney rising as a hotspot during the second quarter of the year.

NAB executive for homeownership Andy Kerr said suburbs in the west are providing great value, with thriving city and local businesses.

“Access to Parramatta and Blacktown with so many amenities and transport options means first-home buyers continue to flock to western Sydney for a bargain.”

Beachside Maroubra proved most popular with first-time buyers, with activity rising 269% during the quarter.

Melbourne suburbs also gained traction, continuing the trend last year particularly in areas such as the Dandenong. Aside from its proximity to both the Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland, it is also surrounded by some of Victoria’s most desirable getaway regions.

“Closer to the city, Richmond is always a top pick for first time buyers and the growth of apartments in the suburb is revitalising the idea of inner-city living and working,” Mr Kerr said.

The biggest growth in first-home buyer activity, however, was recorded in the ACT — markets like Ainslie and Wetson saw a 360% quarterly increase in activity compared to the previous quarter.

Mr Kerr said the first-home buyer trends over the last quarter showed that the benefits of hybrid working continued to give Australians opportunities to buy in areas they previously may not have considered.

“Flexible working is one of the biggest trends over the last decade when it comes to changing the game for property sales,” he said

“The option to work from home is giving first home buyers more choice when it comes to location — all of a sudden, a slightly longer commute when made a few times a week becomes a serious consideration.”

The hotspots over the past quarter, Mr Kerr believes, prove that the tree-change trend remains appealing among first-home buyers.

Furthermore, these findings show renewed optimism among first-home buyers is starting to show.

Here are the postcodes considered as first-home buyer hotspots during the second quarter of the year:

State	Postcode and Suburb
New South Wales	2035 – including Maroubra 2142 – including Granville 2767 – including Bungarribee 2765 – including Melonba 2763 – including Quakers Hill 2113 – including North Ryde 2145 – including Wentworthville 2530 – including Dapto (+79%) 2800 – including Orange (+40%)
Victoria	3175 – including Dandenong 3121 – including Richmond 3802 – including Endeavour Hills 3978 – including Clyde North 3199 – including Frankston 3216 – including Belmont 3429 – including Sunbury
Queensland	4006 – including Fortitude Valley 4207 – including Beenleigh 4509 – including North Lakes 4503 – including Kallangur (+18%) 4670 – including Bundaberg 4740 – including East Mackay 4211 – including Beechmont 4350 – including Toowoomba
Western Australia	6018 – including Karrinyup 6107 – including Queens Park 6055 – including Brabham 6065 – including Wanneroo 6230 – including Bunbury
South Australia	5114 – including Blakeview
ACT	2602 – including Ainslie 2620 – including Queanbeyan 2611 – including Weston

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Photo by Catarina Sousa from Pexels.