This is probably not the page you’re looking for Property hunters are embracing two great Australian loves when it comes to finding their next home – the beach and the bush Affordability is also a big consideration for potential buyers with popular suburbs within commuting distance to the CBD a major drawcard NSW continues to dominate the booming property market boasting nine out of the top ten biggest movers when it comes to supply and demand across Australian suburbs An analysis of the changing supply and demand for realestate.com.au’s Top Sellers Markets for FY15 shows the outer Sydney suburb of Currans Hill recording the biggest jump in demand Affordability: Best growth suburbs under $550,000 This Currans Hill home is on the market for $690,000 plus. View listing Properties on the NSW Central Coast also continue to gain in popularity with Tumbi Umbi and Narara improving 494 and 367 spots respectively Just one suburb outside NSW ranks among the top ten biggest movers – Eltham on the edge of bushland in Melbourne’s north The change in Top Sellers Market rankings for FY15 shows the suburbs within the top 100 nationally that have increased the most from a supply and demand perspective Demand is represented as the number of visits to realestate.com.au/buy that included at least one property view This is then compared to the number of available listings on the market to reach a supply-demand ratio Common mistakes: 6 reasons your home is not selling The national and state-by-state data shows affordability lifestyle considerations and commute times factor into a potential buyer’s search Buyers’ agent and CEO of Property Buyer Rich Harvey says as inner-city markets – particularly in Sydney and Melbourne – become less accessible buyers and investors and increasingly looking at more affordable suburbs He says the trick for buyers looking for property near capital cities who aren’t keen to live the city lifestyle is to seek areas with lots of open green space Buy in a premium area that is primed for growth Harvey says the Central Coast – where suburbs Tumbi Umbi and Narara feature in the top 10 movers nationally – and Wollongong “The Central Coast has always been an affordable option if you cannot afford the Sydney market It’s a working class demographic but there are some really nice pockets That will be a strong market for investors.” The Central Coast has always been an affordable option if you cannot afford the Sydney market Harvey says with banks tightening restrictions for investment loans more investors will be looking for property in affordable areas But he says both buyers and investors should beware the following: “An affordable area doesn’t always guarantee capital growth it can also mean the suburb languishes for a long period find out what the fundamental drivers of the market are in a particular suburb Buy in a premium area that is primed for growth.” Hot buys: Why gentrification matters for you next property purchase State rankings use the same methodology but may differ from national results due to a suburb’s state-based ranking This Penrith home sits on a 550sqm corner block. View listing It’s no wonder Bayview is popular with views like this. View listing This Clear Mountain property backs onto a nature reserve, perfect for those seeking an outdoor lifestyle. View listing For those keen on open space, this Dover property delivers acres of it – five of them to be precise. View listing Close to schools and shops, this Mulgrave home is one of just two on the block. View listing Soak up the natural bush setting of this Glen Forrest home from the covered balcony. View listing third parties have written and supplied the content and we are not responsible for it completeness or reliability of the information nor do we accept any liability or responsibility arising in any way from omissions or errors contained in the content We do not recommend sponsored lenders or loan products and we cannot introduce you to sponsored lenders We strongly recommend that you obtain independent advice before you act on the content realestate.com.au is owned and operated by ASX-listed REA Group Ltd (REA:ASX) © REA Group Ltd. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to our Terms of Use. Properties are selling quickly in Sydney’s west Property sales in some western Sydney suburbs are going gangbusters at the start of the spring selling season with reports keen buyers are signing contracts of sale within 24 hours of a property being listed Real Estate Agent Greg Pinnington outside 3 Kidd Court in Currans Hill agent Greg Pinnington from Combined Real Estate was showing people through 3 Kidd Court He said within 12 hours of listing the four-bedroom home he had booked two different groups of people for an inspection and another two people had driven by telephoned him and said they were keen on the property Mr Pinnington sold 3 Kidd Court Currans Hill to the sellers six years ago “By 5.30pm the day the property listed another person drove past and wanted an inspection He purchased the property the next day and went to the top end of the price range “I had actually sold the house to the sellers six years ago and they needed to sell within three months as they were moving into a retirement village,” Mr Pinnington said “It happened because of a lack of stock on the market at that end of the price range — there is not a great deal in that end of the market.” 93 Brenan St in Smithfield sold within 24 hours of listing agent Irene Susnjara from Marando Real Estate listed 93 Brenan St in Smithfield for auction with the intention of holding a three-week lead-up campaign however the property sold within 24 hours of listing — just days before the first open house was scheduled to go ahead would have had a reserve price of between $670,000 and $680,000 but sold for $720,000 “This turnaround wouldn’t have happened a few months ago — spring buyers are trying to get something quickly,” Ms Susnjara said “It was an offer that the owner couldn’t refuse … the seller is an elderly man in his early 90s going into a nursing home and built the house himself roughly 50-55 years ago.” If you want to live in western Sydney you had better be quick BUYERS are so eager to secure new listings in nine suburbs across Penrith and Macarthur that those western regions are seeing properties often snapped up in two weeks or less At the foot of the Blue Mountains in Leonay houses typically spend 10 days on the market — only one-third of the Sydney average Recent sales have seen a number of homes in the sought-after suburb and its neighbour listed for sale early in the week and sold by the weekend Property Central Penrith director Paul Wallace said the popularity of both suburbs came down to lifestyle SIGN UP FOR THE NSW REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER HERE “When it comes to value for money you are getting bigger yards with the traditional Aussie dream block and there is so much green space,” Mr Wallace said Residents tend to stay an average of 13 years and in many cases decades but the two suburbs are undergoing a regeneration with young families moving in and looking to update older homes Houses are also going fast in Penrith suburbs Cambridge Gardens and Werrington Downs desperate buyers are being drawn to areas including Raby All have median house prices of $650,000 or less Records show a three-bedroom house in Currans Hill recently sold for $580,000 in just eight days Chief executive of Starr Partners Doug Driscoll said the trend was not at all surprising as both pockets had strong appeal “Campbelltown still carries itself because it is affordable and there has been a surge in first-home buyers,” Mr Driscoll said He said Leonay and Emu Plains offered “solitude but not isolation” with their vast parkland yet proximity to Penrith and public transport Tamara Mills and Nick McFarlane were renting in South Penrith when they spotted a house for sale in Leonay — an area they had both lived in and loved The three-bedroom home was set to go under the hammer but the couple put in the winning offer of $670,000 at the first open home What are your experiences of flooding in the Narellan Creek catchment area Camden Council is calling on residents and business owners to share their experiences to help identify where measures might best be implemented to reduce the risk of flooding in the catchment and to assist with emergency management Feedback will help inform Council's upcoming detailed overland flow study The Narellan Creek catchment area encompasses the suburbs of Narellan said local information and experiences would be extremely beneficial "Flooding is naturally a concern for our region and many local residents have unfortunately experienced the heartache stress and inconvenience of previous floods," she said "We're being proactive so Council and the community can be as prepared as possible for future flood events." Cr Cagney encouraged residents and business owners to share what they had "Observations and photos of flooding behaviour from the community are a valuable source of information which will help develop computer models of the extent and nature of potential flooding," she said To share your experiences and find out more, visit yourvoice.camden.nsw.gov.au/floodplain-management Eric Kontos The community is invited to have their say about two water play parks and two youth play spaces being proposed for the Camden area Last month Camden Council agreed to allocate $4 million for the design and construction of the four leisure facilities being considered for parks and reserves in Elderslie The water play parks planned for Town Park in Oran Park and Curry Reserve in Elderslie are intended to be splash pad spaces with a variety of water features included The youth play spaces are intended to be an adventure playground to particularly meet the needs of 12-17 year olds in Harrington Park Lake “We want to have a discussion with our community about their ideas and feedback on these new recreational facilities” says Mayor Lara Symkowiak “Input from residents will help to shape the design of these proposed water play parks and youth play spaces,” Cr Symkowiak said “This is an exciting project that will create new destinations for social and physical activity in the region,” she said Last year Camden Council successfully delivered the $1.67 million youth play space in Birriwa Reserve ♦ Surveys about the proposed new facilities are open until Tuesday, June 13 on Council’s website here. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" the South West Voice is a free news website which serves Macarthur and Liverpool © 2023 South West Voice • All Rights Reserved • Proudly Supported by Simply WordPress Sydney Housing demand is solid in Sydney’s southwest Sydney’s outer southwest has emerged from the current property downturn as the city’s strongest real estate market with prices and sales activity beginning to climb accounted for the majority of suburbs where sales activity was still rising over the past year — a precursor to price increases The rising sales acitivty was partly the result of banks’ restrictive lending policies which made it difficult for house hunters to get loans for pricier properties encouraging them to instead seek out homes in further flung suburbs where prices were cheaper Hotspotting analyst Terry Ryder said in a newly released Price Predictor report that sales activity was particularly strong in the Camden area where prices tended to be about $200,000 below the Sydney median RBA governor Philip Lowe said the current downturn was the result of changes in population dynamics “Camden is the only municipality with multiple growth markets,” Mr Ryder said “It is the precinct that is most resilient to the overall Sydney downturn.” Rising sales in the southwest occurred amid a nearly 10 per cent annual drop in Sydney’s median property price Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe said in an address to a business summit yesterday that rising housing supply and changing population “dynamics” were the main drivers of the recent fall in prices But the RBA governor added that some banks had likely gone too far in tightening their home loan application processes Infrastructure projects such as a new airport bode well for the real estate market in Sydney’s west “Credit conditions tightened more than was probably required … it is important that banks are prepared to take credit risk,” he said Suburbs where property sales activity was rising the fastest included Camden suburbs Oran Park Properties in these areas tended to sell in about half the time it took the average city home to change hands Sales activity was also beginning to rise in Campbelltown enclave Ruse Eagle Vale and Ambarvale tended to wrap up in under three weeks — well below the six weeks it took the average Sydney property to sell Mr Ryder said the sales activity was a healthy sign for the market “A significant rise in sales activity (usually) leads to a rise in prices,” he said CoreLogic data showed rising sales activity in the southwest has already had an impact in some suburbs House prices in Camden Park and Camden South increased by 6-8 per cent over the past year while in Wollondilly suburbs Thirlmere and The Oaks the increase was 7-9 per cent Realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee said the strength of Sydney home sales was being heavily influenced by the supply of housing available in various city regions with demand tending to be lower in areas with a large selection of properties priced over $1.8 million Buyers have had to adjust their budgets after struggling to get larger loans from banks She said this was largely the result of banks being more restrictive in their lending “There are obviously fewer people who can get (a mortgage) on properties with a higher price,” Ms Conisbee said Mr Ryder added that suburbs where prices were most at risk of falling even further due to an oversupply of housing were Parramatta Breakfast Point and Haymarket were also “danger” markets due to increases in housing stock Last year’s devastating floods hit the Camden part of Macarthur more than most Now Camden Council wants to build resilience in the community before the next wet weather event hits as well as help emergency services It is adopting the scouting motto “be prepared’’ and as a first step it is compiling a report about the impact of the 2022 floods In particular council wants to know the experiences of flooding for people who live in and around the Narellan Creek catchment area Council is calling on residents and business owners to share their experiences to help identify where measures might best be implemented to reduce the risk of flooding in the catchment and to assist with emergency management Feedback will help inform Council’s upcoming detailed overland flow study “Flooding is naturally a concern for our region and many local residents have unfortunately experienced the heartache stress and inconvenience of previous floods,” she said “We’re being proactive so council and the community can be as prepared as possible for future flood events.” Cr Cagney encouraged residents and business owners to come forward and share their experiences “Observations and photos of flooding behaviour from the community are a valuable source of information which will help develop computer models of the extent and nature of potential flooding,” Mayor Cagney said To share your experiences and find out more, visit yourvoice.camden.nsw.gov.au/floodplain-management. It may soon become impossible to buy a house in Sydney for under half a million dollars – even on the city outskirts A review of current real estate listings revealed there are less than 10 freestanding houses up for sale with a price tag under $500,000 and all are more than 55km from the Sydney CBD Most of the cheapest deals are dated homes requiring work including two houses in southwest suburb Airds which share the title of Sydney’s cheapest house MORE: Recent renos hide big issues for buyers Mosman trophy home sells for about $22m The former housing commission properties on Lacocke Way are listed at $420,000-$440,000 Three other houses in the suburb were listed at about $430,000-$470,000 only two other houses were priced under half a million – three bedders in suburbs Currans Hill and Emerton listed at $475,000 These prices were similar to the median value of houses in Darwin This meant the houses were more expensive than about half the properties available in those capitals – despite being among Sydney’s cheapest Buyers who purchase houses at the middle of the Sydney market will pay about $1 million but this is expected to climb with Westpac and CBA both forecasting average growth in prices of more than seven per cent this year My Housing Market economist Andrew Wilson said Sydney was becoming an “elitist” market where buying would be a struggle for anyone who wasn’t already in the market “It’s a horror story for those trying to buy their first house The entry level prices are higher than many can afford,” Mr Wilson said Those who couldn’t afford a house had the option to buy a unit with apartment prices well below $500,000 in many pockets of Sydney “Some families will need a backyard,” Mr Wilson said Realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee said most buyers in the market were seeking houses not units but they remained in short supply Sydney’s lack of properties under $500,000 has huge tax ramifications as the thresholds used to determine stamp duty payments have changed little since 1986 Airds has a price Guide $450,000 – $470,000 Back then $500,000 was considered the top of the market and buyers paying that amount where charged the maximum stamp duty The gap between Sydney prices and those in other capitals didn’t correlate with the difference between average incomes across cities “Most Sydney houses are double the price of Brisbane houses but people in Sydney don’t earn twice as much as those in Brisbane,” he said Search Research Research for the World Health HealthThe problem with perfectionTo be perfect means to be without blemish and who would argue that this is not a worthy goal the strive for perfectionism can lead to negative thoughts Thomas Curran speaks about his research into the dark side of perfectionist culture.For many people It is commonly used in the workplace to describe dedication or extremely high standards for yourself and others - goals to aspire to if you want to be successful But Dr Thomas Curran wants us to challenge this view Research he conducted with Andrew Hill into perfectionism culture in the UK and US since the mid-1990s has revealed that increasing numbers of people are experiencing "multidimensional perfectionism" This describes a phenomenon where three kinds of perfectionism are simultaneously endured meaning we are surrounded by endless pressure to reach unobtainable levels of achievement measured against ever-widening criteria Dr Curran cites three dimensions of perfectionism conceptualised by psychologists Paul Hewitt and Gordon Flett: socially prescribed perfectionism Each dimension has a different pressure point: socially prescribed perfectionists believe that others expect them to be perfect; other-oriented perfectionists place high-demands on other people; and self-oriented perfectionists expect flawlessness of themselves This short film features research by Thomas Curran Images of others at carefully selected moments of their lives has distorted our perceptions of their lifestyles and careers Making the best of oneself sounds like an admirable goal However Dr Curran’s research has found that when people fail – especially in the presence of others – they feel a profound sense of guilt and shame for what they perceive to be a defective performance from a flawed self his findings connect the rise of perfectionism to the growing number of cases of mental illnesses – such as eating disorders anxiety and depression – particularly among young people Each form of perfectionism comes with "negative baggage" Dr Curran says but this is particularly acute with those that suffer from socially prescribed perfectionism “Socially prescribed perfectionists don’t feel valued in social situations and have a chronic need for other people’s approval while being extremely down on their implicit value," he says While some may view perfectionism as a "necessary evil" that helps people become become highly successful and that in fact perfectionism can be detrimental to performance and health “There is a lot of evidence to say you are not going to get any real performance benefit from perfectionism and that it’s actually really damaging for lots of people," he adds. In his upcoming book, Imperfect, Dr Curran focuses on the culture of perfectionism and the wider environmental factors that have led to its rise One of the book's major themes is an exploration of why levels of socially-prescribed perfectionism have shown a marked increase since the mid-1990s “I found that our world has become increasingly globalised over the last 25 years with the opening up of borders to trade and employment and much higher levels of travel,” he explains “In the past we were judged more on a local scale but with the opening of economies what we are seeing is that people are being exposed to these additional global ideals of perfection.” Listen: Is perfect the enemy of the possible Hear Thomas Curran in this episode of the LSE iQ podcast Dr Curran emphasises the fact that many aspects of capitalism But whether you are applying for a university 21st century globalised cultures have widened the lens of comparison beyond our immediate peers The constant presence of social media in people’s lives since the late 2000s has also accelerated this trend he stresses: “Images of others at carefully selected moments of their lives has distorted our perceptions of their lifestyles and careers “We are surrounded by these images and messages all the time and have internalised unrealistic ideals and values It is one of the reasons why we have seen a rapid rise of socially prescribed perfectionism and a lot of its allied mental health issues anorexia as well as malignant forms of mental health. Perfectionism is one piece of the puzzle when you think about some of the cultural changes we’ve seen in the past two decades.” By shifting the focus away from the individual to the social factors Dr Curran aims to challenge the idea that these problems originate within ourselves so that we can better understand the culture that gave rise to them I think that if we can challenge our own perfectionist tendencies and be more honest and realistic with ourselves our own better mental health and happiness will follow.” Thomas Curran was speaking to Peter Carrol Thomas Curran’s forthcoming book Imperfect was published by Profile in 2021 Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time by Tom Curran and Andrew Hill was published in 2017 by the American Psychological Association. Research For The WorldInterested in research like this?Sign up to receive our newsletter: a bi-monthly digest of the latest social science research articles, podcasts and videos from LSE Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science Dr Thomas Curran is Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at LSE A British Psychological Society chartered social psychologist his primary area of expertise is the personality characteristic of perfectionism LSE is a private company limited by guarantee