Buying boom: 60 suburbs where property sales have soared – realestate.com.au

Rising real estate markets have sparked a sales boom in some unexpected suburbs, with buyers snapping up homes as homeowners take advantage of rising prices.

New PropTrack Data shows that in some suburbs, up to three times as many homes were sold in the past year compared to the previous 12-month period.

The biggest increases in property sales were recorded in property markets that saw a big turnaround, especially in Darwin.

The Northern Territory’s capital has seen an influx of investor interest this year as buyers look for the next booming market.

Lending to investors in the NT soared to a record high this year, driven by a wave of interstate buyers seeking high-yield properties in areas where price growth is likely to outperform.

That interest has led to a rapid rise in property prices, with Darwin’s average house price increasing by around 14% in the past year – a growth rate now comparable to that of Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, Australia’s best-performing capitals over the past few years.

REA Group executive economics manager Angus Moore said Darwin’s property market has been strong in 2025, with very high levels of investor activity.

“The proportion of new loans going to investors is at a record high in the NT, and the number of new investor loans is double the previous high,” he said.

Top 30 suburbs where the number of home sales has increased the most

In suburbs such as Moulden, Driver and Gray, almost three times as many houses were sold last year as in the previous twelve months.

Real estate agent and Monsoon Real Estate director Joshua Pucci said the number of homes sold in these suburbs had soared due to strong investor interest and resulting price growth.

“These three suburbs were the cheapest suburbs in Darwin to invest in,” he said. “They haven’t moved much at all in the last fifteen years.”

“There were many people who bought their first home there, but were unable to sell it for a long time because growth was quite stagnant.”

However, the explosion in investor demand changed everything, resulting in annual price growth of between 16% and 19%, amid a wave of sales, as homeowners took advantage of the rising market.

“There was an influx of people wanting to get out of these markets and get bigger,” Pucci said.

Several Adelaide suburbs also recorded an increase in sales, including Fulham Gardens (+111%), Prospect (+102%), Plympton (+92%) and West Lakes (+81%).

Despite many more homes being sold than a year ago, price growth in these suburbs remains similar to Adelaide overall.

There were also big sales increases in regions of regional Victoria, including Loch Sport in the Gippsland region (up 117%) and East Bendigo (up 97%).

Norlane in Geelong had 302 home sales last year, compared to just 131 the year before, which agent and Barry Plant South Barwon director Chari Emirzade said was a result of more buyers being attracted to the suburb’s affordability.

Many affordable suburbs, such as Norlane in Geelong, have experienced a boom in property sales. Image: realestate.com.au/sold

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“The area has been very popular with investors from Sydney and Brisbane over the past year,” he said.

“In addition, many first home buyers from Melbourne and Geelong have started purchasing in Norlane.”

In Melbourne, Campbellfield saw the largest increase in turnover (+84%), while transactions also increased significantly in Oakleigh East, Olinda and Heidelberg.

Between 45% and 50% more homes were sold in more affordable western Sydney suburbs such as Hebersham, Dean Park and Acacia Gardens.

Top 30 suburbs where the number of units sold has increased the most

In the unit market, Northern Territory suburbs such as Darwin City, Rosebery and Rapid Creek sold many more homes last year than in the previous 12 months.

Meanwhile, the Canberra suburbs of Belconnen, Campbell and Wright recorded more than twice as many units sold last year as the year before.

These suburbs have seen a high level of apartment development in recent years, with recently built units accounting for a large proportion of sales in the past year.

Archer Canberra property agent Alex Wang said Belconnen’s affordability was attractive to first-home buyers and investors, as well as downsizers attracted to larger two- and three-bedroom apartments.

“Last year was a completely different market,” he says. “Interest rates have fallen this year, so we could see more investors and buyers coming into the market as a result.”

More than twice as many Belconnen units changed hands in the past year than in the previous twelve months. Image: realestate.com.au/sold

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Mr Moore said activity was starting to pick up in Australia’s biggest property markets amid rising prices due to interest rate cuts.

“We have seen very busy activity in the Sydney and Melbourne property markets this year, supported by reasonably solid housing market conditions and consistent, steady house price growth,” he said.

“House prices in Melbourne have been quite soft in recent years and 2025 is really the first time we’ve seen consistent growth since the RBA started raising rates in early 2022.”

The latest REA Group Listings Report shows that while the number of new listings increased in Sydney and Melbourne in October, the number of new listings fell in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Mr Moore said this lack of new supply in the market was one of the factors supporting price growth in those cities.