Sydney-Big land or near cbd ?

Hi All, I’m currently living in a unit which is 30 mins away from Sydney CBD. I’m planning to buy a 500 Sam Land and at box hill & build a house. But I’m really confused about this decision because my partner & I work in city & we have two kids ( My partner doesn’t drive). Box hill to Riverstone station/rouse hill metro takes around 10-15 mins on a weekend.I heard this is going to be a very busy route during weekdays. I really love living in a house but at the same time worried that moving to box hill might make our lives super busy travelling and running to pick up & drop kids at child care. I tried looking at existing houses at other suburbs of northwest but didn’t really find anything that matches the requirements & budget.so I’m confused whether to buy at box hill or should I keep checking in Schofields/ponds/Kellyville/rousehill till I find a property that I like. Thank you very much in advance for your suggestions

 

Since it will be your residence, both you and your partner have to be happy and comfortable with the home as well as day to day commute.
Definitely Box Hill is farther than where you are at the moment. If she does not drive and you have school aged children, you will be hard pressed to pick and drop them to school/after school care everyday.
Dont get into the FOMO. Look around what suits your lifestyle and budget.
From an investment perspective, we can go on and on about the pros of land and house versus units, but primary residence is different.
An option could be looking at older houses close by that does not 100% tick all the boxes right now, but can work with some tweaking and renovation down the line.

 

If you are wanting to move from a unit to a house with land, sacrifices may have to be made, however you don't have to buy new, and you don't have to buy that far from the city. Think about a few things before you jump in.

Can your wife get her license? This will put less pressure on you.
Can one of you, or both of you get a job closer to where you will live? This will make things easier for the kids.
Can you buy an older home, closer to the City? Sure, it won't have all the bells & whistles, but you can make it your own.

 

Wow. Box Hill is a long way from the city. That commute will grind you down over time. Have you considered other areas? The southern side of Sydney is much better serviced by trains and would be a much shorter commute.

 

Traveling to the city will get annoying! I would look for somewhere convenient. The one reason we decided to not buy in the Hills was the commute to work in the city. There were no trains in the Hills at the time either.

 

It depends. Some people actually don't mind, surprisingly. BUT I would not have BOTH parents doing that commute with small children. Kids need to have time with their parents.

 

I preferred trains... so I think for someone working in the city, it would get draining. But each to their own.

 

Thank you everyone for your valuable suggestion. Will surely look for existing houses. I am currently living at Parramatta. Could you please pour in your suggestions for which suburbs to look for ? I have two kids, so i'm also looking for a suburb with good public school. Thanks again

 

Don't know about local schools, but have you considered: Wentworthville, Pendle Hill, Toongabbie, Girraween?

35 - 45 minute train ride to the city.

 

If you are interested in building do you really need 500 sqm of land? You can build smaller, easier to maintain (less garden/lawns) closer to Tallawong Station. You'll get better capital growth walking distance to a railway station.

The Metro is being extended from Chatswood to Barrangaroo and the CBD. This will open in 2024. Travel time from Tallawong to CBD will be about 50 min once the extension is open.

 

Disclaimer: I have an IP and former PPOR in Girraween.

I second the suburbs Property Twins mentioned. They have good connectivity to city by train.
Girraween Primary school has good rating.
It would depend on your budget, if you can find something in these areas.

 

Thank you very much for the response.
I would love to stay near metro.The lots there cost around 650K for 350sqm land. I understand that Tallawong Road lots are much nearer to metro. But I'm not sure spending 650K for 350sqm land would be a right step.This is my first time into land & house market. So, not sure what is the good approach here. Any advise is highly appreciated. Thanks

 

I live a 12 minute walk from Rouse Hill Metro station bought a block 2012, built starting in 2013. Current value is around 70% higher than my total outlay. So my experience is average growth 10% per year. Even if you achieved half of that you would be doing very well. Once all the blocks are sold and built on there will be no new supply of free-standing houses or townhouses within walking distance of the station. Keep in mind also that a new public hospital will be built nearby ( that will have benefits if you ever decide to rent out the property ). You may get a better-located property (closer to Metro) if you open up your criteria to House and Land packages as well as individual blocks.

Property near good mass-transit will always perform well. So if your budget can stretch to this in other areas then certainly consider walking distance to railway stations. By this I mean under 15 minute walk.

 

The estate along Nelson Road in Box Hill seems to be alright in terms of transport. It's a 5 min walk to the bus stop that can take you to Rouse Hill Metro Station. There are few lots left which are around 350sqm for 565k. Might be worth a look I reckon.

Once the Metro gets completed in 2024, it can take you directly to the CBD in 45 mins to an hour give and take.

Edit: I explored Box Hill as well recently. Among the estates there I'd choose the ones closer to Windsor Road. As long as you're quite near a bus stop that should be tolerable. There are heaps of new estates which are really far out and it takes 30 minutes just to reach the nearest metro station. Personally I'd steer clear of those.

 

My clients bought land and built in box hill and love it, but they don't travel to the city for work.

Going to anyone of the stations from box hill will be a pain during peak hour.

In my opinion, in your case, youd want to be walking distant to a station. If you can buy at the edge of the ponds you can walk to tallawong station, that goes the same with Stanhope Gardens as well, stanhope gardens also have buses that goes straight to the city.

 

I wouldn’t bank on those city busses m. In those north west suburbs being close to station would be a safer long term bet

 

Do you or your wife have wfh option.
We are also in the same boat.Not able to decide whether to buy in box hill or not.
We looked around for few properties in exisiting suburbs.But none of them matching our requirements.
We spoke to our managers and ask for WFH for 3 days atleast.
Also it would be great if your wife could also get a license to drive.