{"id":5438,"date":"2024-06-13T10:22:31","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T00:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialplus.com.au\/?p=5438"},"modified":"2024-06-13T10:22:31","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T00:22:31","slug":"is-a-tree-or-sea-change-on-your-horizon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialplus.com.au\/is-a-tree-or-sea-change-on-your-horizon\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a tree or sea change on your horizon?"},"content":{"rendered":"
The classic tune \u2018Home among the gum trees\u2019 is fast becoming a lifestyle anthem for a growing number of Aussies.<\/p>\n A surging number of city-slickers are heading to the bush or bay, new\u00a0Commonwealth Bank research<\/a>\u00a0shows.<\/p>\n In fact, metro to regional relocations are now 20% higher than pre-Covid.<\/p>\n It goes to show that regional towns and cities have a lot going for them.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s the appeal?<\/p>\n Along with a laidback lifestyle and the chance to see Skippy on your way to work, rather than countless sets of traffic lights, a key drawcard of regional living is more affordable housing.<\/p>\n The Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland is currently the nation\u2019s most popular destination for Australian movers, securing a 16% share of net internal migration over the past 12 months.<\/p>\n Other popular areas outside our nation\u2019s capital cities include the Gold Coast, Wollongong, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Moorabool, Geelong, the Alexandrina region, the Fraser Coast and Launceston.<\/p>\n Western Australia is also becoming an increasingly attractive destination with Busselton, Capel, Greater Geraldton, Northam and Albany all making their way onto various hotspot lists this quarter.<\/p>\n Across Australia\u2019s capital cities, the median home value is about $864,780, according to\u00a0CoreLogic<\/a>.<\/p>\n By comparison, the median value across regional markets is $626,888.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a whopping $237,892 difference.<\/p>\n The price gap can be far bigger depending on where you\u2019re moving from and moving to.<\/p>\n In Sydney, for instance, the median house value is $1,441,957. Head to regional NSW, and you could pay closer to $760,000 for a house \u2013 a saving of around $680,000!<\/p>\n Buying a more affordable home can have other flow-on benefits, such as a lower stamp duty bill.<\/p>\n It can also have a huge impact on home loan repayments.<\/p>\n For example, let\u2019s use the above figures and pretend you\u2019re deciding between purchasing an $864,780 capital city home and a $626,888 regional area home.<\/p>\n To keep things simple, let\u2019s say you\u2019ve saved up $173,000 for a 20% deposit on the $864,780 home \u2013 and you\u2019ve also got extra money set aside to cover any stamp duty expenses or other fees (the exact amount would vary state to state).<\/p>\nFresh air, no bumper-to-bumper traffic and more affordable home prices. There\u2019s plenty of appeal in regional living, including a chance to potentially reduce your home loan.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Where are people moving?<\/h3>\n
Regional home values vs city prices<\/h3>\n
Regional living can help cut loan repayments<\/h3>\n