Elsie Lange
The gorgeous town of Gisborne has been ranked top of the family housing market in Victoria.
According to new research by Well Money, Gisborne came first in a list of 20 suburbs, with Macedon coming in at 18.
The research considered every suburb in Victoria before filtering out those that weren’t ‘family suburbs’ – measured according to key indicators including a median house price between $200,000 and $1.5 million, distance from the city and education scores.
Then, the top 20 suburbs were chosen and ranked based on a change in inventory levels over the previous three months – when inventory levels rise, it means it’s become easier for buyers to find properties because they don’t have to compete as hard, in turn lowering prices.
Brad Teal Gisborne office director Brad Best said the town’s ranking at the top of the list makes sense, especially as he’s starting to see more families moving out to Gisborne for the tree change.
“My children have just noticed chalk and cheese in the environment between where I was relative to closer, inner Melbourne, and now that we live in Gisborne, I think they much prefer to live further out here,” Mr Best said.
“I can attest to it as a real estate agent, but I can attest to it as a normal consumer, just by the way my children have changed in the last couple of years and their reaction to living out here.”
Gisborne’s median house price is $1.05 million, with a rising inventory level change of +2.7 months, and just 55km from the city.
The town’s socio-economic index for areas (SEIFA) education score is nine, above the required score of six for it to be considered in the top half of the country for educational and occupational status.
Well Money chief executive Scott Spencer said he was pleased to see buying conditions had become less demanding for the suburbs in the top 20 ranking.
“Over the past three months, inventory levels have increased in all the suburbs, which means there’s more stock on market, buyers have more options and downward pressure is being placed on prices, which should translate into discounts sooner or later,” Mr Spencer said.
Mr Best said it’s Gisborne’s proximity to the city which really makes it stand out as a family friendly suburb.
“I don’t think there’s anywhere else in regional Victoria or Melbourne’s outer suburbs right now where you can live in a beautiful town like Gisborne, with backdrops of Mt Macedon in the trees… yet you’re 30 minutes to the Bolte Bridge,” Mr Best said.
