PROPERTY’S BIG SHIFT Houses versus apartments

Don’t be scared of LMI Tips for first-time buyers ‘Rightsizers’ enter the fray

Change is in the air when it comes to property trends. House price increases mean apartments are ticking more boxes for younger buyers and downsizers looking for better value.

The dominant paradigm in residential property – that houses outperform apartments/units – is set for a shakeup. Epic growth in house prices in the past 18 months has changed attitudes. The price difference between detached and attached dwellings has grown, expanding the traditional gap into a chasm.

In some of the trendiest suburbs in our biggest cities, typical apartments sell for half or even a third of the cost of the median-priced house.

This presents prospects for buyers of all types, including first-home buyers, who have the choice between an apartment in a trendy location or a house in a middle-ring or outer-ring suburb.

The preferred option for most buyers has been a house on a block of land – more space, more ways to add value and the reality that houses typically deliver better capital growth than apartments.

As an average across the nation, the rate of price growth for houses was double that of apartments in the 12 months to April 1, 2022, continuing a longstanding trend.

But real estate is forever changing and there are demographic shifts working to alter attitudes towards apartments as the investment of choice.

While houses overall have outperformed apartments in this latest property boom, there have been some notable exceptions. It hasn’t been all one-way.

Some younger buyers, seeking a low-maintenance home in a lifestyle area at an attainable price, have opted for apartments.

And older Australians, rattling around in the four-bedroom family home long after the kids have grown and flown, are seeking to join an emerging demographic force: downsizers.

Affordability’s key role

With house prices becoming more expensive throughout Australia, more buyers are turning their attention toward the unit market to gain a foothold.

Booming house prices have seen the differential between houses and units broaden in almost every capital city.

The difference is the highest in Brisbane, where the median unit value is now 56% lower than the median house value. Canberra (54%), Sydney (51%), Adelaide (48%) and Melbourne (45%) are not far behind.

The only capital city where the price differential between houses and units has eased slightly in the past year is Darwin, but