Looking for a quick catch-up on the buzziest stories of the week? Here’s Inman Top 5, the most essential stories, according to Inman readers.
Jordana Leigh has joined Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California, the brokerage announced.
Known for work in the region’s luxury and celebrity real estate market, Leigh has more than $5 billion in career sales and has represented clients including Orlando Bloom, Simon Cowell, Eve and the late Naya Rivera.
“After many years of friendship and collaboration with Aaron Kirman, joining Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California is the perfect next chapter,” said Leigh. “I’m excited to align with a brand that celebrates both innovation and legacy, while continuing to deliver the highest level of service to my clients across southern California and beyond.”
RealTrends Verified’s 2025 rankings saw Leigh report more than $209 million in sales volume, which ranked 50th among all agents nationwide and No. 18 in California.
Leigh has long worked with Aaron Kirman, who leads Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Jordana,” Kirman said. “With a career that includes more than $5 billion in sales and a reputation for working with some of the most discerning clientele, she brings a wealth of experience and perspective that will be an incredible addition to our brokerage.”
The Upper Midwest is an affordability hotspot, according to Realtor.com’s latest market report, which revealed the seven markets where median listing prices are below $300,000.
Even with options in place to prevent them, reverse mortgages can end in foreclosure. But Byron Batres thinks his company can offer a solution to reduce these outcomes.
While more recent numbers aren’t available, a 2019 analysis by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) data found that the share of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs) that were terminated due to default rose from 2% in 2014 to 18% in 2018. The borrower’s death accounted for 30% to 40% of these defaults — and the number is likely higher as the reason for termination could not be determined in many cases.
Batres is the founder and CEO of Scrivnr, a 2-year-old company that aims to reduce the number of foreclosures across the forward and reverse mortgage spectrums. Batres recently spoke with HousingWire’s Reverse Mortgage Daily about the company’s efforts to raise awareness and generate more favorable outcomes for borrowers and mortgage companies.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Neil Pierson: Tell us about your background before founding Scrivnr.
Byron Batres: I’m a certified financial planner. I would do estate planning for high net worth individuals. I was never the administrator, executor or trustee. As a planner, we typically come up with a strategy, and we use attorneys to actually draft the documents.
In 2012, my wife’s grandmother passed away, and I was nominated as the executor. And as anybody that’s been in that role can attest, it’s one of the worst things that can happen to you. When you are the administrator, trustee, you’re never asked your opinion when the document is being drafted. Whatever it says, you have to execute.
Long story short, I had a really bad experience with the attorney, so I probated that estate on my own and managed the entire process without an attorney. I would say I was an expert in the field, so it was very easy for me to do.
Along the way, I had people who were my clients and they would die. Their family would come to me, like, ‘Hey, mom died. What I do?’ And that’s when the idea first hit me, why don’t we create a system to help people do this on their own without an attorney?
NP: Your first company, EZ-Probate, was acquired by Trust & Will in 2022. How did Scrivnr evolve from that initial foray into the space?
BB: EZ-Probate was kind of like TurboTax for probate. Highly successful — we helped over 5,000 families save over $45 million in legal fees. Along the way is the first time I ever encountered a foreclosure due to death. I figured out a way to do an emergency petition to get a temporary restraining order, and then the client was able to sell the house.
From our vantage point, it seemed like the legal system, the family and the mortgage — although you could argue they have the same goal — are really working against each other. And we thought probate, not foreclosure, was the solution. With probate, you maximize the estate assets, which means that you clear creditors, you clear administrative expenses and you give the maximum proceeds to the family.
NP: Many of your cases involve forward mortgages, but how does this specifically relate to reverse mortgages?
BB: The ideal estate is somebody with a reverse mortgage has — at minimum — a will, a trust or some kind of transfer-on-death deed, so that at the moment they die, somebody is relatively quickly and easily appointed in charge of the house. With the ideal estate, you never get to a foreclosure.
With a reverse mortgage, you have 90 days before the default is declared. Then you have 90 days before the servicer is going to do something. If they do something, there will be a hearing — another 90 days. Once the hearing happens, there will be a sale date — another 90 days. So, start to finish, death to sale, the fastest the process could be is 280 days. In the marketplace, we see it typically takes about two years.
Yes, with us, it costs more. We charge a $2,000 flat fee to pay for the probate startup costs and attorneys fees. And then we charge 20% on what we advance to stop a foreclosure. For example, if we stop a foreclosure for $50,000 and pay off the arrears, the estate owes us $60,000. But without us, the whole thing would’ve gone to auction. In that particular case, paying $12,000 to save $100,000 or more is kind of a no-brainer.
For the mortgage company, we can typically resolve a mortgage that’s due and payable in about 60 days compared to the typical two years. Our cost is virtually zero if there’s equity for the mortgage servicer, compared to an average of $77,000 for the typical start-to-finish foreclosure.
NP: On LinkedIn, you’ve been seeking connections to the FHA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), who insure the vast majority of reverse mortgages in this county. What do you hope to achieve by getting their attention?
BB: We’ve been talking to mortgage lenders, servicers, trustees who are hired to do the foreclosures. I wouldn’t say they’re afraid, but they have a concern about regulation.
Our thought with HUD is, could we start talking to the source? As the government, if the mortgage fails, they pay. They want this to work better, so I think we could push for a better regulatory environment to encourage non-foreclosure measures to at least be considered, or to be considered more standard.
A lot of mortgage companies don’t think they have a problem. The servicer isn’t on the hook. I just don’t think they have the incentive to really deal with this problem as holistically as possible, because otherwise it would already have happened.
NP: You’ll be presenting on this topic next month at the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA)’s Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. What do you want originators and servicers to learn?
BB: We offer estate planning through our partners and we are having active conversations with lenders to say, ‘Hey, what do you think about packaging a will or trust as part of the origination?’ So that’s part one.
Part two is the servicers. We have talked to the largest servicers, we know who they are, and they’re very interested in working with us because their clients — the originators — are kind of pressuring them to be like, ‘You’ve got to do better.’
What I’ve heard consistently is, the cycle gets broken in being able to sell new mortgages. We were at the NRMLA Western Regional Meeting earlier this year. We went to one of those mastermind sessions and we heard all the salespeople talk about the challenges of selling a reverse mortgage. And one of them was the perception among family members of somebody with a reverse mortgage of, ‘Nope, they don’t want to touch it.’
New sales need to be created through a better sales environment. And avoiding a foreclosure not only saves so much money, but it creates a better environment for the heirs to be like, ‘Oh, that was awesome. Do you remember when grandma was able to stay in her house? She died gracefully at home and the process was relatively easy afterward because the mortgage company introduced us to the solution.’ So I think that’s the goal.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, sent two letters this week that seek investigations into actions by President Donald Trump at the Federal Reserve.
One letter was sent to John Allen, the acting inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), while the other was addressed French Hill, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
Waters’ letter to Hill — which was co-led with Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) and signed by more than a dozen Democratic members of Congress — urged the chair to “convene a full Committee hearing on how President Trump’s unlawful and damaging attacks have undermined the Federal Reserve’s independence and threatened executive control of monetary policy.”
The letter calls for the maintenance of the Fed’s independence and speaks to the strict limits set by Congress on removing Fed governors.
Waters’ letter follows Trump’s recent attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her position over allegations of mortgage fraud, an effort that a federal judge blocked earlier this week after Cook filed suit against the president.
In the ruling, Judge Jia Cobb said that Trump’s reasons for removing Cook did not meet the standard for sufficient cause, pointing out that the alleged misconduct occurred before she became a Fed governor.
The Trump administration has since appealed, asking a federal court to allow it to proceed with her dismissal and prevent her from attending next week’s central bank meeting on interest rates.
Waters’ letter claims that Trump’s attempt to oust Cook without due process is “all to seize power that the President does not have under our Constitution.”
In the second letter addressed to Allen, Waters and several of the same Democratic co-signers in the letter to Hill expressed concerns that FHFA Director Bill Pulte and the agency may not have followed laws or proper procedures when they obtained, reviewed and publicly released information about Cook’s mortgage applications. Waters asked Allen to investigate the procedures.
Queensland dominates a list of the 200 most lucrative spots to invest in property in the country, with landlords pocketing returns of up to $240,000 in just one year in some suburbs.
Rockhampton, Townsville, and Mackay have the best bang for your buck for both houses and units, while closer to Brisbane, Ipswich is the best place to invest, with East Ipswich, North Booval, and Kilcoy star performers, according to exclusive data from PropTrack.
The top 200 list of suburbs to invest in nationally is based on the latest figures for rental days on market, rental yield, and price growth over the past 12 months.
This four-bedroom house at 129 Murray Street, Rockhampton City, is on the market for offers over $499,000.
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Topping the list for houses is the town of Spalding in Western Australia’s outback, where investors have made total gains of $128,864 over the past year.
Rockhampton City is next, with capital growth of $97,500 in one year and a yield of $17,588 to equal a total return of $115,088 in the past 12 months.
The gains for investors when it comes to units have been just as impressive, with the Townsville suburb of Hermit Park topping the national list, with a $110,404 annual return.
This four-bedroom house at 10 Paskin St, Vincent, is on the market for offers over $459,000.
This four-bedroom house at 16 Spring Street, East Ipswich, is on the market for offers over $679,000.
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It boasts an incredible a rental yield of 7.2 per cent and an affordable median unit price of $323,000 — despite growth of 41 per cent in the past 12 months.
The list is made up of mostly affordable suburbs that have consistently delivered solid returns and healthy rental yields every year for the past three decades.
And, analysts suggest continued demand and infrastructure-led population growth in these areas will keep upward pressure on property values and rental yields in the years ahead.
| Top 10 Investor Suburbs in Australia for Houses | |||||||
| Suburb | SA4 | Median price | 12 mth % growth | Rental yield | Total Gains | ||
| 1 | Spalding | Western Australia – Outback | $398,000 | 38% | 7% | $128,864 | |
| 2 | Rockhampton City | Central Queensland | $375,000 | 35% | 6% | $115,088 | |
| 3 | Rochester | Shepparton | $408,000 | 34% | 6% | $122,657 | |
| 4 | Northam | Western Australia – Wheat Belt | $420,000 | 29% | 7% | $116,643 | |
| 5 | Miles | Darling Downs – Maranoa | $370,000 | 29% | 7% | $102,022 | |
| 6 | Rangeway | Western Australia – Outback | $322,000 | 29% | 7% | $90,580 | |
| 7 | Park Avenue | Central Queensland | $490,000 | 31% | 6% | $136,231 | |
| 8 | Collie | Bunbury | $443,000 | 30% | 6% | $121,436 | |
| 9 | Slade Point | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $580,000 | 29% | 6% | $154,935 | |
| 10 | Allenstown | Central Queensland | $444,000 | 31% | 6% | $123,619 | |
| Source: PropTrack | |||||||
PropTrack economist Angus Moore. Picture: Supplied
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“These areas have seen extraordinarily low rental vacancy rates for four years, and commensurately very strong growth in rents over that period, so that continues to make them attractive to investors,” PropTrack economics executive manager Angus Moore said.
“One caveat though, is the regions of WA and Queensland that are mining areas. They can be quite volatile markets because they do depend on conditions in the mining sector, and that has historically seen some volatility.”
Townsville has become a standout market for investors. The median unit price in some suburbs has jumped more than 40 per cent in just the past year, while the median house price has increased by up to 35 per cent in some suburbs in 12 months, according to PropTrack.
Aerial photograph of a suburban housing development in Townsville.
In the suburbs of Heatley and Vincent, the median house price is around $500,000, with price growth of more than 30 per cent in the past year and a strong rental yield of 6 per cent.
InvestorKit founder Arjun Paliwal foresaw the Townsville property boom in 2022 and personally invested in a number of properties, while also helping his clients find properties there.
“We’ve seen huge returns and price performance since then,” Mr Paliwal said. “Townsville’s property boom was fuelled by a strong recovery from a long downturn, supported by a strengthening economy, large-scale defence and infrastructure investment, Covid-driven relocation trends, historically low interest rates, and strong rise in housing demand while established listings supply was limited.”
Arjun Paliwal from InvestorKit.
Urbex Realty general manager Craig Covacich said Townsville’s property market was attracting a steady flow of first homebuyers, investors, and interestate relocators.
“We’ve seen sustained momentum across Townsville’s property market, with stock levels shrinking faster than they can be replenished,” Mr Covacich said.
“Townsville has become one of the most closely watched regional markets in the country due to its strong combination of affordability, rapid price growth, low vacancy rates and high rental yields.
“Despite these figures, relative affordability remains a key drawcard, especially for buyers priced out of major cities.”
| Top 10 Investor Suburbs in Australia for Units | |||||||
| Rank | Suburb | SA4 | Median price | 12 mth growth | Rental yield | Days on market | |
| 1 | Hermit Park | Townsville | $323,000 | 41% | 7.2% | 18 | |
| 2 | Orelia | Perth – South West | $320,000 | 36% | 7.1% | 17 | |
| 3 | Idalia | Townsville | $363,000 | 30% | 7.7% | 14 | |
| 4 | Pimlico | Townsville | $330,000 | 36% | 6.8% | 17 | |
| 5 | North Mackay | Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | $365,000 | 40% | 6.8% | 19 | |
| 6 | Ascot | Perth – South East | $558,000 | 35% | 6.6% | 16 | |
| 7 | Bungalow | Cairns | $312,000 | 34% | 6.9% | 22 | |
| 8 | East Cannington | Perth – South East | $555,000 | 42% | 6.5% | 23 | |
| 9 | Balga | Perth – North West | $500,000 | 33% | 6.2% | 16 | |
| 10 | Rosslea | Townsville | $348,000 | 30% | 6.5% | 17 | |
| Source: PropTrack | |||||||
Mr Moore said regional Queensland dominated the list because it had seen strong growth in rental yields and home prices since the pandemic.
“Those, sort of, more affordable, more outlying areas, have seen really strong growth on average since 2020, and that’s why they’re showing up in these sorts of lists,” he said.
“We’ve also seen very strong demand for regional and outer suburban homes, both to rent and to buy, and that’s driven up rents a lot in those areas.”
A two-bedroom unit in this complex at 42 Clayton St, Hermit Park, is on the market for $378,000.
Mr Moore said strong home price growth tended to be a good indicator of a market that was performing well, but investors still needed to do their research.
“Investors do need to go and dig in and understand the area and what’s been driving that, to figure out whether it’s going to continue, because locally specific factors are going to be very important, such as new builds, whether people are moving to the area from other states, big construction projects, changes in local labour markets and employers,” he said.
Hotspotting director Terry Ryder said many regional Queensland suburbs had delivered gross yields above 6 per cent, while rents had surged in tandem with price growth.
“We’re seeing sustainable double-plays — value appreciation plus rental performance,” Mr Ryder said.
“What stands out in our house market analysis is the sheer consistency of growth in regional and affordable areas because these are not one-off boom towns.
“They’re markets with real economic drivers, infrastructure investment, and increasing buyer demand.”
The post Revealed: Qld suburbs where investors are making up to $240k a year appeared first on realestate.com.au.
Find out if you own in one of the Melbourne suburbs that are best placed for good yields, short delays getting new tenants and price growth.
Melbourne’s top investor hotspots for this spring have been revealed in a hit list of mostly affordable suburbs that will put would-be landlords head to head with first-home buyers.
But Victoria has been snubbed in national analysis, with only the regional town of Red Cliffs just outside of Mildura making the top 100 places in Australia to buy a house as an investment right now — and dismally placed at 85th.
Meadow Heights tops the Melbourne list with a $626,000 median house price, followed by Cranbourne South at $780,000 and Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula where the typical house costs $690,000.
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The PropTrack research tracks areas that offer the best combination of rental returns, rising home values and how long it typically takes to lock in a new tenant.
Economics executive manager for the firm Angus Moore said at the national level, regional and outer suburban areas had achieved a narrow majority — mostly due to their higher typical rental returns compared with purchase prices, and limited supply making it more likely homes will be tenanted rapidly.
“Meanwhile, some of those inner city unit markets, which do tend to carry, on average, higher rental yields than detached houses, haven’t seen the price growth,” Mr Moore said.
“In Sydney and Melbourne, that has been true for those more outlying suburbs. And so they are at a lower price entry price point.”
2 Chappell Return, Meadow Heights, has a $640,000-$670,000 asking price in a suburb where local agents say investors will bid hard up to $700,000.
Maribyrnong is currently Melbourne’s top spot to own a unit as an investment. No. 35 Cavalry Circuit is for sale at $470,000-$517,000.
He added that while these unit prices had not performed as strongly in recent years, in part because Melbourne just builds more new homes than other major capitals, there were now large gaps between them and houses — which could make units more appealing for price-conscious buyers.
Mr Moore said there could still be good opportunities for investors in Victoria, it just wasn’t prominent in the data because prices hadn’t performed as well as other states in the past year.
“And Victoria, over the past few decades, has seen more people moving in than leaving,” Mr Moore said.
“That flipped during the pandemic, when there were quite sizeable outflows of population. That’s come back to more of a balance. At the moment, there’s about as many people moving out as moving in, which will probably help a recovery in home prices.”
While he wasn’t tipping significant immediate term growth for the state, Mr Moore said over the next decade it would “pick back up and catch up”.
15 Authentic Ave, Cranbourne South, is in Melbourne’s second best suburb for investors right now. It’s currently for sale with a $770,000-$840,000 asking price.
Inside 2 Chappell Return, Meadow Heights, the views on offer add to the already appealing numbers behind the area’s recent success for investors.
In Meadow Heights, the city’s top spot for investors right now, McGrath Real Estate’s Gurbaj Sandhu said the key to high tenant demand was its proximity to Melbourne Airport — either for employment or travel reasons.
“But investors are super active in the area now,” Mr Sandhu said.
“They had overlooked it and now it is becoming a hot spot.”
While the demand from investors, especially from interstate, had been building steadily since February’s first interest rate cut, the agent said it had gone up a notch recently.
“They are coming in strong for investments with big land and the possibility of subdivision down the track; they will outbid everybody up to $700,000,” Mr Sandhu said.
He added that there was similar demand further north in Craigieburn, which was ranked Melbourne’s 13th best spot for investors right now by PropTrack.
Real Estate Institute of Victoria acting chief executive Jacob Caine said flat or negative prices might have kept Melbourne out of the top lists this year, but that was likely to change.
Affordable Jacana’s high rental yields have helped land it a spot on the list of the best places around town to own an investment. 145 Langton St is up for grabs at $590,000-$649,000.
On the Mornington peninsula, homes like 2 Jillian Place, Hastings, could stack up well for investors with a $780,000-$850,000 asking price far below what homes cost in Sydney.
“The brutal reality of the Victorian property market from the investor’s perspective for the past 12 months is that there hasn’t been that many opportunities to realise a fantastic return on investment, based on these metrics,” Mr Caine said.
“The silver lining of these results is that Victoria is poised to grow quite significantly over the next 12 months.
“And compared to our northern and western neighbours, high quality properties are more affordable and the opportunity to realise future capital gains are there waiting for those considering property investment this year.”
Prominent buyer’s advocate Cate Bakos said she wasn’t surprised to hear an area like Red Cliffs make the national top 100, as the regional area would have very high rental demand.
And, with home prices relatively flat over the past year, Ms Bakos was also unsurprised Victoria didn’t feature more prominently.
“But our vacancy rates are really tight and our rental yields have increased,” she said.
Units in Broadmeadows offer one of the most affordable ways to get into a suburb with strong investment credentials right now. This three-bedroom home at 2/25 Stanhope St is for sale with a $590,000-$639,000 asking price.
Homes like 27 Fulmar St, Carrum Downs, can stack up for investors at present — and its considerably more affordable than its $1m neighbour Carrum, also among the top spots.
And while Ms Bakos said she believed capital growth would improve, given the high level of first-home buyer activity in Victoria at the moment — it was likely this would start at the bottom of the market, and be compounded by investors.
“Unfortunately, I think these areas will definitely be a battleground between investors and first-home buyers, certainly in the metropolitan areas and the big regional cities,” she said.
For those wanting to get the best long-term results, she advised looking at the individual house level — rather than the suburb.
Real Estate Buyers Agent’s Association of Australia president Melinda Jennison said short term data could often indicate good conditions — but it was important to remember that buying property for wealth creation was a 10-15 year process.
To spot areas with better long-term prospects, she advised looking for notable infrastructure projects nearby — as well as for how much development activity was in the local pipeline.
Ms Jennison added that despite Victoria being largely excluded from the nation’s top investment spots, it wasn’t surprising it was attracting investors from interstate.
One of the newest suburbs in the list, Sandhurst has had solid growth but still has a strong rental yield. The home at 6 Penley Lane is seeking at $745,000-$795,000 sale.
34 Stead Circuit, Burnside, is for sale at $780,000-$850,000 — around the suburb’s $795,000 median house price, which has grown 11 per cent in the past year.
MELBOURNE’S TOP INVESTMENT SPOTS: HOUSES
| Suburb | 12 month % growth | Rental yield | Days on market | Median sale price |
| Meadow Heights | 8% | 4.5% | 25 | $626,000 |
| Cranbourne South | 7% | 4.3% | 21 | $785,000 |
| Hastings | 6% | 4.4% | 23 | $690,000 |
| Sandhurst | 6% | 4.1% | 17 | $1,080,000 |
| Jacana | 8% | 4.1% | 20 | $620,000 |
| Cranbourne West | 5% | 4.4% | 24 | $695,000 |
| Dallas | 5% | 4.6% | 26 | $555,000 |
| Melton South | 7% | 4.3% | 34 | $525,000 |
| Burnside | 11% | 4.0% | 25 | $795,000 |
| Carrum Downs | 4% | 4.3% | 18 | $728,000 |
| Carrum | 16% | 3.8% | 24 | $1,025,000 |
| Frankston North | 6% | 4.2% | 27 | $625,000 |
| Broadmeadows | 4% | 4.4% | 30 | $596,000 |
| Craigieburn | 4% | 4.4% | 27 | $667,000 |
| Keilor Downs | 6% | 4.0% | 22 | $807,000 |
| Campbellfield | 4% | 4.3% | 28 | $643,000 |
| Lyndhurst | 7% | 4.0% | 27 | $935,000 |
| Lynbrook | 5% | 4.1% | 26 | $785,000 |
| Gladstone Park | 5% | 4.0% | 23 | $750,000 |
| Deanside | 6% | 4.2% | 34 | $648,000 |
Source: PropTrack
101/51 Homer St, Moonee Ponds, is for sale with a $550,000-$595,000 asking price in one of the best areas to own one as an investment today.
12/37 Grange Rd, Fairfield, is in another part of Melbourne where investors are doing well. The two-bedroom home’s asking price is $519,000.
MELBOURNE’S TOP INVESTMENT SPOTS: UNITS
| Suburb | 12 month % growth | Rental yield | Days on market | Median sale price |
| Maribyrnong | 7% | 6.0% | 22 | $490,000 |
| Moonee Ponds | 7% | 5.7% | 21 | $561,000 |
| Broadmeadows | 6% | 5.7% | 22 | $455,000 |
| South Yarra | 5% | 6.1% | 21 | $569,000 |
| Carnegie | 5% | 5.3% | 17 | $630,000 |
| Meadow Heights | 10% | 5.4% | 30 | $490,000 |
| Carlton | 4% | 7.7% | 25 | $418,000 |
| Notting Hill | 4% | 6.9% | 22 | $362,000 |
| Fairfield | 6% | 4.9% | 14 | $580,000 |
| Clayton South | 7% | 4.9% | 20 | $573,000 |
| Thomastown | 6% | 5.0% | 21 | $523,000 |
| Craigieburn | 4% | 5.6% | 21 | $422,000 |
| Bundoora | 3% | 5.7% | 20 | $450,000 |
| Yarraville | 5% | 4.8% | 18 | $631,000 |
| Coburg | 4% | 5.1% | 18 | $570,000 |
| Kingsville | 3% | 5.5% | 21 | $410,000 |
| Maidstone | 5% | 5.0% | 23 | $645,000 |
| Glen Huntly | 3% | 5.2% | 16 | $608,000 |
| Cremorne | 2% | 5.9% | 16 | $590,000 |
| Carrum Downs | 5% | 4.8% | 20 | $585,000 |
Source: PropTrack
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The post Melbourne’s best suburbs for landlords: Shock rankings revealed appeared first on realestate.com.au.
Sydney’s southwest and The Central Coast are emerging as the new frontline for property investors wanting to cash in on coming home value rises.
A new national report ranking the top 200 investment locations has revealed these once-overlooked areas have a rare combination of higher rental returns and impending price growth that could deliver new owners rapid equity gains.
Tumbi Umbi and Warnervale in The Central Coast topped the PropTrack list of promising Sydney locations for house investors, with other Central Coast locations Mannering Park, San Remo, Halekulani and East Gosford also making the top 20.
Houses in southwestern suburbs Austral, Cobbity and Cecil Hills also ranked among the top investment suburbs, along with Werrington, Faulconbridge and Richmond in the outer west and Blue Mountains.
This home in Tumbi Umbi is listed for rent at $800 per week.
PropTrack senior economist Angus Moore said regional and outer suburban areas could be strong options for investors because of higher rental yields.
“They are often thinner rental markets,” he said. “There’s just not as much supply and availability as the inner city, where you have a deeper rental market that historically can carry some risk of properties sitting vacant. And so you see higher yields to compensate.”
Suburbs across the southwest and inner southwest dominated PropTrack’s list of top investment suburbs for units.
Units in Lakemba, Wiley Park, and Bankstown all boasted rental yields over 5.5 per cent – high by Sydney standards and marginally below the likely holding costs of these properties.
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PropTrack economist Angus Moore.
Ray White Berkley Vale principal Ian Boyle said he had seen investor interest grow in The Central Coast area since the latest rate cuts – especially for properties priced between $1m and $1.5m.
“Generally you’re getting more beachside suburbs for that,” he said. “And we’ve seen a bit of interest in strata units as well, because obviously they’re a little bit more affordable.”
Mr Boyle said some investors buying on The Central Coast were planning to live in their homes down the track.
“We get a number of investors buying up here with the option of moving in when they retire,” he said.
“Because they feel that they probably won’t be able to afford to purchase something up here in 10 to 15 years.”
“So we’re seeing a few getting in the market here to rent out the apartment for 10 years and then move into the property later down the track.”
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Some investors are buying in The Central Coast to live in later in life. Picture: McGrath Terrigal.
Hotspotting founder and director Terry Ryder said demand to live within a commutable distance of the Western Sydney International Airport, set to open in 2026, would push up rental returns in parts of Sydney west.
“That is the grand daddy of investment projects in Australia,” he said.
“You’ve got Marsden Park, Woodcroft, Cecil Hills, Austral within striking distance of that massive new infrastructure project.
“There’s nothing that generates demand for real estate like a big infrastructure project and this is one of the biggest the country’s ever seen.”
Investors who have recently snapped up homes said they were hoping to buy ahead of the market rush.
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This home on Scythe Avenue in Austral is listed for rent at $700 per week.
David Stableford and wife Alex Cass recently purchased a unit in Manly through Mortgage Choice broker James Algar and said they were wary of getting left behind by price rises.
“The timing was down to the fact that interest rate rates are being lowered,” he said.
“With the rate cuts coming thick and fast, we decided to buy to get ahead of the uplift in the market.”
Mr Stableford said they purchased the property as an investment, but also as a place nearby for his mother to stay. “It’s not your typical reason for investing,” he said, noting that the unit, bought for $1.07m in July, is rented out as an Airbnb when Mr Stableford’s mother is away.
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Dave and Alex Stableford pictured at their home with kids Evie and Amber. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.
Mr Ryder said investing in attached dwellings — as opposed to a house — had become increasingly popular in Sydney.
“Historically, units haven’t provided the same level of capital growth as houses as a general statement, but in the last two years, that’s changed quite dramatically,” he said.
“That’s an option that I think investors should increasingly look at, particularly in markets like Sydney, where houses are so expensive everywhere.”
Mr Moore said outside of some select city pockets and regional areas there was “not a lot of opportunity” for investors in NSW and Victoria compared to other states.
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Hotspotting director Terry Ryder.
“That’s not to say there aren’t good opportunities for investors … but certainly relative to those smaller states and smaller capitals, Sydney and Melbourne just haven’t performed as well,” he said.
Mr Moore said units would be a more appealing choice for many younger investors.
“For some investors, particularly those who may be earlier in their careers and looking at trying to get in at lower price points, that can be attractive,” he said.
“We are seeing growth for units over recent years, and certainly this year, the recovery that we’ve seen in Sydney and Melbourne has been for both detached and higher density.”
Top 20 investor suburbs Sydney – houses
| Suburb | 12 month per cent growth | Rental yield (per cent) |
| Tumbi Umbi | 21 | 3.6 |
| Warnervale | 13 | 4.5 |
| Werrington | 16 | 3.8 |
| Faulconbridge | 14 | 4.0 |
| Austral | 19 | 3.9 |
| Wilton | 15 | 3.6 |
| North Richmond | 17 | 3.4 |
| Mannering Park | 13 | 3.6 |
| Richmond | 12 | 3.6 |
| Cobbitty | 11 | 3.9 |
| San Remo | 10 | 4.1 |
| Cecil Hills | 21 | 3.4 |
| Halekulani | 10 | 4.0 |
| Rosemeadow | 12 | 3.5 |
| Woodcroft | 14 | 3.4 |
| East Gosford | 13 | 3.4 |
| Raby | 10 | 3.6 |
| Narellan Vale | 10 | 3.6 |
| Marsden Park | 11 | 3.6 |
| Lansvale | 15 | 3.3 |
Source: PropTrack
Top 20 investor suburbs Sydney – units
| Suburb | 12 month per cent growth | Rental yield (per cent) |
| Lakemba | 10 | 5.8 |
| Sydney Olympic Park | 12 | 5.7 |
| Wiley Park | 9 | 5.6 |
| Leumeah | 16 | 4.9 |
| Richmond | 25 | 4.5 |
| Enfield | 15 | 5.1 |
| Alexandria | 13 | 4.6 |
| South Wentworthville | 14 | 5.0 |
| Bankstown | 8 | 5.5 |
| North Ryde | 7 | 5.4 |
| Mays Hill | 7 | 5.9 |
| Mount Druitt | 7 | 5.3 |
| Pennant Hills | 10 | 4.9 |
| Maroubra | 21 | 4.1 |
| Werrington | 12 | 4.5 |
| Lewisham | 14 | 4.3 |
| Kirrawee | 9 | 4.5 |
| Norwest | 9 | 4.5 |
| Greenacre | 8 | 5.0 |
| Croydon Park | 13 | 4.3 |
Source: PropTrack
The post Sydney’s top boom suburbs for investors revealed appeared first on realestate.com.au.
It’s no secret that young Australians have been struggling to save up for a home deposit – and this might be why.
A new report has revealed the reason young prospective buyers are missing out is a result of historically low wage growth between 2012 and 2022, accumulating to around $600 billion in lost wages.
The report, ‘The Lost Decade,’ by Per Capita has shown how much the average income earner lost in those 10 years due to low wage growth, while the appreciation of housing skyrocketed at alarmingly unequal rates.
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A Per Capita Study has revealed Aussies have suffered from historically low wage growth for over a decade.
The statistics revealed wages during this period jumped only 0.2 per cent annually, meaning the average wage in 2025 stands around $12,000 lower than what it would have been if the increase remained consistent with the historical average.
“Data from Australia’s major banks shows that the typical first homebuyer is a couple in their mid-30s borrowing just under $500,000,” lead author Emma Dawson explained.
“If they had enjoyed the same wage growth as their parents did early in their careers, they would have earned an additional $54,000 each over the Lost Decade. Combined, that would have been enough for a 20 per cent deposit on their first home today.
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Losses due to sluggish wage growth totalled $600 billion.
“In late 2022, almost two-thirds of young people told Per Capita’s Australian Housing Monitor that the only way they would ever be able to buy a home was if they got a large inheritance.”
The lack of growth combined with increasing house prices has played a share in freezing the Millennial and Gen Z population out of the housing market, believing their only avenue could be with help from parents of family.
Young Australians fear the only way into the market is to rely on help from family.
“Young Australians today believe that someone they love will have to die before they can achieve the great Australian dream of home ownership. This is a damning indictment of the loss of social mobility in a country long considered the land of the fair go.”
However, the report also revealed that since September 2022, real wages have begun to grow again.
The wage share of national income has risen by 3.8 percentage points since and the profit share falling by 4.6 percentage points between September 2022 and December of last year.
As a result, housing affordability could be on the horizon, and there still may be hope for young home buyers.
The post Decade long low wage growth costs Aussies $54k, enough for home deposit appeared first on realestate.com.au.
Berriedale is Hobart’s latest housing hotspot. Picture: Supplied
Two of Hobart’s northern suburbs have been deemed the most lucrative areas to invest in property.
Exclusive PropTrack data shows Berriedale houses and neighbouring Claremont units provide the best bang for buck.
The report analysed capital growth, cash flow and rental days on the market.
In Berriedale, the median house price is $590,000, substantially less than greater Hobart’s median of about $700,000.
PropTrack found Berriedale’s median had risen by 6 per cent over the past year, delivering a rental yield of 5.1 per cent.
Its rental days on market — the time before a new lease is signed — was typically just 14 days sitting vacant between tenants.
Margate, West Moonah, Dodges Ferry and Chigwell were PropTrack’s next best hot spots.
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MIX Property Group has No.29 Twelfth Ave, West Moonah listed at $735,000-plus. Picture: realestate.com.au
No.23 Chardonnay Dr, Berriedale is for sale with LJ Hooker Pinnacle Property priced at “Offers over $845,000”. Picture: realestate.com.au
On the unit front, Claremont’s median value is $459,000, with 4 per cent annual growth, a 5.2 per cent yield and an average of 15 days on the market.
New Town and Howrah round out the top three unit options.
REA Group executive manager of economics, Angus Moore, said while past performance doesn’t necessarily predict future performance, there is some momentum in home prices.
“Strong performing areas tend to continue to perform strongly,” he said.
“Investors do need to go and dig in and understand the area and what’s been driving that, to figure out whether it’s going to continue.
“Locally specific factors are going to be very important.
‘This includes new builds, whether people are moving to the area from other states, big construction projects, or changes in local labour markets and employers.”
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REA Group economist Angus Moore.
Hobart buyer’s agent, David Zerna, said investor inquiry levels had about doubled through July and August.
“Investors are starting to pour back in,” the Timar Buyers Agency director said.
“We are seeing that investors are focused around the Glenorchy City Council area and that sub-$600,000 price point.
“And you can see it reflected quite prominently in PropTrack’s top 10 list of housing suburbs.”
Director of Hobart’s Timar Buyers Agency, David Zerna.
Mr Zerna said alongside this sub-$600,000 price, investors look for gross yields of about 5 per cent.
“Interestingly, they’re open to houses and units, which has been a bit of a shift for us,” he said.
“Most of this activity is being driven by buyers out of Sydney, with some also from Melbourne.
“Another trend I’m noticing is families taking their first step into investment.
“Many purchased their owner-occupier homes around 2019–2020, and now five years on they’re tapping into that equity growth to put it into an investment property for the future.”
Last week, a Real Estate Institute of Tasmania report revealed a steep increase in investor activity, with it growing by over 40 per cent compared quarter-on-quarter.
REIT president Russell Yaxley said a positive investment environment was key to a healthy property market and that “rental property sales outpacing rental supply is something we cannot afford”.
Peterswald has No.3/16 Mahoney Dr, Claremont on the market for $625,000. Picture: realestate.com.au
No.1/49 Hiern Rd, Blackmans Bay is for sale with Harcourts Kingborough, priced at “Offers over $610,000”. Picture: realestate.com.au
Meanwhile, Property Investment Professionals of Australia analysis of ATO data has revealed the steepest annual decline in individual property investors in over 25 years, excluding the GFC and Covid.
PIPA says the rental crisis is set to worsen with thousands of investors nationally exiting the market.
“Investors are selling up, and the homes they leave behind are often snapped up by owner-occupiers, permanently removing them from the rental pool, ” PIPA chairman Lachlan Vidler said.
TOP 10 INVESTOR SUBURBS – HOUSES
Rank Suburb Median sale price 12 month growth Rental yield Days on market
1 Berriedale $590,000 6% 5.1% 14
2 Margate $869,000 15% 4.0% 13
3 West Moonah $656,000 6% 4.7% 16
4 Dodges Ferry $728,000 21% 4.1% 16
5 Chigwell $477,000 5% 5.6% 19
6 Mornington $608,000 4% 5.1% 16
7 Moonah $635,000 4% 4.6% 15
8 Lindisfarne $785,000 6% 4.2% 18
9 Lutana $615,000 2% 4.8% 16
10 Claremont $554,000 4% 5.0% 18
TOP 5 INVESTOR SUBURBS – UNITS
Rank Suburb Median sale price 12 month growth Rental yield Days on market
1 Claremont $459,000 4% 5.2% 15
2 New Town $500,000 10% 5.1% 15
3 Howrah $626,000 4% 4.7% 13
4 Blackmans Bay $620,000 2% 4.5% 10
5 Kingston $595,000 2% 4.6% 13
Source: PropTrack
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