NSW Best suburb to buy/build in Sydney

Which suburb meets the following criteria? This is for a PPOR.

- Not in a flood zone
- Not in a bushfire zone
- Structurally sound (i.e., not previously landfill or swampland)
- Less than 15 mins drive to the nearest public transport, which has direct routes to the CBD
- Generally considered safe

As if building a house wasn’t stressful enough, now potential home builders have to hope the land holds up and doesn’t sink! Heck, I’ve even heard Edmondson Park was previously a landfill dump, though not sure how accurate this is?

Jordan Springs East homeowners suffer through sinking Sydney suburb | Daily Mail Online

I’ve looked on the SES interactive flood map, and in the worst case scenario, all of Marsden Park, Schofield, Riverstone and some parts of Box Hill are affected.

I have also considered Box Hill, but on Google Maps, there is so many blue dots that it now has me questioning whether this use to be a swamp land. North Kellyville also looks to be in a bushfire zone and I’ve heard traffic is a nightmare as everything was poorly planned.

Any thoughts on Austral/Willowdale?

Albeit the chances of some areas getting flooded or affected by bushfire are extremely low, it’s still a chance and I’d rather have that peace of mind.

 

A budget would help, mate.

Also you are clearly looking only at new H&L. Flooding and bushfires are not the problems you should be thinking about. You could build on solid diamond ground and the place would still crack if the concrete wasnt set properly.

Something that has stood for 30 or 40 years would be pretty decent proof that the ground is solid (new tunneling excepted).

 

Sorry budget would be around $1.2 million for house & land.
Though ideally just under $1 million since the thought of borrowing more than $1 million scares us.

Our ideal location would be Kellyville but land itself is already averaging around $800k and it's rather small (<350 sqm)

And yes, new home build at this stage as it meets our criteria in terms of customizing the floor plan as well as choosing where to put the power points & data points (double-storey). This won't be for investment as we hopefully plan to live in it for over 30 years!

 

Will leave the H&L recommendations for others, but.....

You could buy a duplex (and on bigger than 350sqm) closer in (around Castle Hill, say) for <1.2m.

You could buy an older house for that budget.

A new home buyer thinking about living in a brand new PPOR for 30 years is a strategic mistake, imho. Because as a fhb you are at your financially weakest in terms of deposit. Aiming for capital gains then upgrading in 10 years to a better suburb, with a 40, 50% deposit, imho, makes more sense.

A new property might meet your wants, but financially, it might not be your best option.

But this is not what you want to hear. And if you want new, you want new.

 

Agree with @Trainee. And you can generally buy an older house and knockdown rebuild later.
Location is key. Easier commutes. And older suburbs tend to have much bigger land sizes.

 

I'd recommend getting a larger plot in an established burb. 1.2M might get you a smaller lot with an older 70s style brick veneer home in family friendly suburbs like Lugarno or Carlingford

 

There seems to be an obsession with land size. My house is on a small block well-located in Rouse Hill.

Build started in 2013. Moved in 2014. On comparables up about 80% on total cost. 10-15 minute walk to public transport.

Buy well-located H&L and you can do very well. I independently bought the land and independently selected a builder.

Small block suits me as I don't want the maintenance of a larger garden.

 

2012-2020 has generally been a boom period for Sydney though. Strong demand and FOMO covers some of the weaknesses of new H&L.

Over the long term, imho, small blocks in outer suburbs dont get the redevelopment value of larger blocks closer in.

If someone wants a new house, thats what they want. Long term growth-wise, there are other points of view.

 

No doubt well located H&L can do really well. The ones with greater variation in all the builds and streetscape will do even better. This land size obsession is different for each suburb? Some suburbs may seldom have larger blocks for sale and hence CG upside is very high on these.