North Parramatta versus The Hills

Hi all,

I'm looking to purchase a 3bed 2bathroom house on approx ~700sqm block in either North Parramatta or Baulkham Hills.

Price is similar.

My primary objective is capital gain.

I have been reading a lot of members dissuade from investment purchases in Parramatta for apartments, because of the increasing supply over time.

What are people's thoughts on purchasing in North Parramatta when it comes to home and land? Would this compare better or worse perhaps than Baulkham Hills? (I appreciate that there are no crystal balls, just trying to get a general sense).

Thanks for any input!

 

Familiar with both areas, I’ll be surprised if there are any 700sqm blocks remaining in North Parramatta.

 

Love North Parramatta. Lots of beautiful federation era homes, very quiet, yet one light rail trip away from the heart of Parra / station / Westfields.

 

New tramline going in the restaurant district in North Parra. If you have a house and land near there - that would be a goldmine for capital gains in future.

 

But all the future development is headed south- down Auto Alley / Church Street

Its a funny neighbourhood to the North. Choc full of old terraces along O'Connell Street that if gentrified would look just like Surry Hills or Darlinghurst or similar. Choc full of homes in the streets between Pennant Hills Road and James Ruse Drive that if gentrified would look just like Woollahra or Double bay or similar . Several excellent schools nearby - Parramatta Marist, OLMC, Kings, Tara and others .... New Stadium. New light rail/tram... close to Westmead Medical precinct . Obviously close to Parramatta itself ... great access to motorways and arterials.

Yet.... it is at the same time a little bland. A little soulless. A little boring. The Church Street and Victoria Road commercial areas which frame it are in serious need of a lick of paint and "something" to spark them .... it has that same problem that Broadway had for years, until huge redevelopment occurred to reinvigorate that part of Sydney

It's one of those locations that you look at and say... potential, potential, potential....but so far it hasn't really fully fulfilled it

 

Do you think one day we would get to the point where there's a distinction between "north of the river" and "south of the river"? It seems the south - commercial/retail distict - and Harris Park, could be lumped into one suburb; while the north - with Westmead Hospital and Cumberland Hospital and whatever other ancilliary medical care facilities are scatterred all throughout there, alongside the jail, could be another. Totally different feel. Perhaps different demographic. I don't know - I just know of Harris Park and the abundance of Indian and sub-continent restaurants there, which I presume reflects the population around there too...

 

It would be interesting to hear about both