We’ve all heard it before, the golden rule of property purchases, location, location, location! But how do you pick the perfect location? When looking to build a new home in Adelaide, being able to customise each and every aspect allows you to create a place that you can call home, in a location suited to your needs. In a perfect world, it would be as simple as picking your preferred location to build your perfect home. Although this is sometimes the case, there is not always the land available to do so, therefore obtaining knowledge on the highly developed areas, and up and coming land parcels throughout SA will allow you to make the best decision for you.

Key Considerations

A key focus for new home builders is location in regard to their work, school, if they have or plan to have children and amenities such as shops, medical facilities, parks, playgorunds, public transport and so on. Prime location is their focus but at an affordable price. Given the current economy and housing market (plus urban sprawl), those looking at building new homes are having to venture further out of the city to find more affordable options whilst still ticking all of their boxes. In saying this, as a result of the hot property market those suburbs once considered too far from the city are now becoming gentrified and small cities of their own are popping up across the state with extensive amenities, business development as well as housing.

One thing to consider if you’re looking at new land parcels/developments further away from the CBD, while the amenities might be planned, always check when they are scheduled for completion, because while the community can look and sound good in theory, if your home is completed 1-2 years before all these amazing amenities, you will need to travel elsewhere for your every day needs. E.g. at time of writing, the states largest master planned community, Riverlea has no listed estimated completion for their public transport links, first school and shopping precinct, even though the first residents have already moved into the community.

HomeBuilder Grant Scheme

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the Government Homebuilder grant scheme saw many opting to build new rather than buy an existing home. Although the boom of this grant has since eased there is still plenty of momentum for those wishing to build. Australian Bureau of Statistics have released data that shows, as of January 2022, Playford Council area had a huge 675 new homes approved, followed by Port Adelaide Enfield with 389. Although located outside of the city both suburbs are well established and have extensive public transport options for commuters who may work in the city or beyond.

In addition, an abundance of schooling options both public and private, as well as large shopping centres allows for a city like feel. Northern suburbs such as Munno Para West, Angle Vale and Davoren Park are major hotspots to build. Other developing areas around Adelaide include; Onkaparinga, Charles Sturt and Mount Barker.

To better understand just where to build, let’s look into some of these highly developed areas and the success they have had.

A breath of fresh country air

Since 2019 Mount Barker has seen a huge increase in development. In 2019, they recorded the highest value in sales in the state with a huge $139.9 million worth of sales on 375 properties. Not only is their housing development booming, the business side of Mount Barker is continuing to grow. It has such great market appeal that those aged 20-40 years old have been able to buy their first home, at an affordable price and sell within 5 years as they look to expand their family and therefore their housing. In conjunction with the increasing housing development, businesses within Mount Barker have continued to grow and develop.

Like many suburbs on the outskirts of town, Mount Barker provides its residents with everything they need from supermarkets, clothing stores and gyms, to hardware stores, restaurants and cafes. It really is its own city like town. However, with this rapid development, other key services and infrastructure can fall behind, Mount Barker has seen massive population growth in the past decade and it is predicted to swell more in the next decade, but the local hospital only has 34 beds and is not equipped to meet the growing demand. It’s important to consider factors such as this, that can ultimately impact your quality of life.

Where City meets the Sea

As we venture to the other side of town, a hugely successful development WEST has seen close to 300 terrace, apartment and custom homes sold since 2015. Not only is West Lakes a developing area it also has a city like feel to it with West Lakes Shopping Centre as well as close proximity to the beach. Like Mount Barker, West Lakes has an appeal to the younger demographic wanting to buy and build their first home.

Aspire for the Perfect Lifestyle

Many of Adelaide’s inner city suburbs are well established, so land can be hard to come by, but don’t give up on your perfect location, there are a few things you can do to expedite your search. Try setting up saved searches and alerts on realestate.com.au and getting in touch with local real estate agents to see if they can give you access to any off-market opportunities or potential sales. Also bear in mind, the cost to build the same house in a different suburb can vary and look out for easements and encumbrances, if a block of land seems to good to be true, it might well be. Most importantly, try not to compromise, your perfect block is out there!

When looking at building your first home, taking into account some of these key areas will allow you to make an informed decision that best suits your needs. Here at Lofty we want to help you every step of the way. Get in touch with us today and we can get started on your building journey, whatever that may look like.