Australia’s most popular suburbs for buyers in 2025 have been revealed, and they range from units in one of the country’s most expensive locations to a flood-prone suburb in one of the year’s strongest markets.
They also reflect the housing affordability crisis, as buyers look to more distant suburbs, or turn to apartments as a way to enter the increasingly financially unaffordable real estate market.
REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said the most in-demand suburbs in most Australian capitals were overwhelmingly in cheaper areas, mostly in the suburbs.
“This highlights the fact that more and more buyers have priced out a growing number of established suburbs in the inner and middle rings,” she said.
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Senior economist Anne Flaherty of the REA Group
The team at realestate.com.au has compiled the data to reveal the most in-demand suburbs of 2025 based on key questions, as opposed to views per ad.
Key questions refer to the number of actual inquiries from potential buyers, rather than the number of clicks per listing.
Properties in Sydney’s Darlington, where the average house price is $1.82 million, recorded the highest inquiries in the capital cities and major regions over the past 12 months, with 154 inquiries per property listing.
The average unit price in the sought-after inner-city suburb now stands at $1.25 million, after a 7.4 percent decline over the year.
A year ago, an apartment in the downtown suburb cost $1.35 million, according to the latest REA Market Trends report.
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A one-bedroom unit in this Darlington complex sold for $1.07 million
With 154 significant applications per listing, homes in St Marys in Sydney’s Outer West and Blue Mountains region followed, followed by homes in Point Piper in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs, Werrington in Sydney’s Outer West and Blue Mountains, and the flood-prone suburb of Rocklea in Brisbane’s south.
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19 Wunulla Road, Point Piper, sold for $26.5 million
Ms Flaherty said while the majority of suburbs were in the more affordable parts of their capital cities, the inclusion of Point Piper and Rose Bay, which both have medians well above the Sydney average, was likely due to tight properties in these suburbs, resulting in strong demand when homes come up for sale.
Meanwhile, Rocklea, where parts of the suburb have flooded numerous times, remains affordable by Brisbane standards, with buyers jumping on affordable homes despite the risks.
39 Inskip Street, Rocklea, sold for $870,000, but it was not clear if it had ever been affected by flooding
The top 15 most in-demand suburbs were rounded out by the Sydney suburbs of Allawah, Wollstonecraft, Rose Bay, Crows Nest and Windsor Downs, units in Fairfield Heights in Sydney and Herston in Brisbane, Holgate on the NSW Central Coast, Kentlyn in Sydney’s Outer South West and Forestdale in Brisbane’s Logan-Beaudesert region.
1-5 Blyth Court, Forestdale, sold for $1.42 million
Ms Flaherty said similar factors also affected performance in regional markets.
“In the case of Townsville, its relative affordability, population growth and robust economy are attracting property owners and investors, many of whom are priced out of Queensland’s more expensive regions,” she said.
Condon was the top suburb for homes in Townsville with 63 inquiries per listing, while units in Cranbrook had 70.
In Cairns, the upper suburbs were White Rock (houses, 65) and Earlville (units, 52).
Elsewhere,the best suburbs for houses in each of the other capitals and major regions were: Perth, White Gum Valley; Adelaide, Summertown; Hobart, Herdmans Bay; Darwin, driver; Canberra, Belconnen; Geelong, Whittington and on the Gold Coast Bilinga and Stapylton were the top spots for house hunters.
17 Bickles Road, Summertown, in South Australia, sold for $2.069 million
Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) president Melinda Jennison said it was no longer just wealthy clients contacting buyer’s agents for help cracking the market.
They now range from first-home buyers to investors, interstate and overseas buyers, and even those short on time trying to get to grips with the fast-moving market.
“Properties can be in contract within days, plus many people don’t really understand the market,” says Ms Jennison.
“A recent report shows that many buyers are shopping behind the scenes and looking for something that no longer exists.
“They don’t understand the market value and are looking for help to get some alignment to ensure they can actually enter the market.”
264 Coolangatta Road, Bilinga, on the Gold Coast, sold for $1.4 million
Ms Jennison said the problem buyers now face is that many properties are being offered without prices, especially in south-east Queensland, or with price ranges that do not match buyer demand.
“Agents like large amounts of research because it makes them look good to their clients, but it makes it difficult for buyers to understand the tricks some agents use to create competition, especially in an environment where listings are scarce,” she said.
“And it’s only going to get harder because of high demand and lack of supply, which creates FOMO (fear of missing out) as buyers fear that if they don’t act quickly, prices will only rise further in a few months, especially as the supply pipeline isn’t keeping pace.
“The problem with that (FOMO) is that it can lead to buyers making irrational decisions that put them at financial risk.”
4 Kumali Place, Herdsmans Cove, in Hobart sold for $505,000
Ms Jennison said the parents of many first-home buyers engage buyer’s agents to help them enter the market, avoid overpaying and understand the risks of certain property purchases, such as buying into incorporated companies.
“No doubt we will see further price growth due to supply shortages, and the reality is that prices are rising rapidly,” she said.
“And buyers are afraid that buying a house will only become further out of reach.”
REEBA President and Streamline Property Buyers Director Melinda Jennison
And Canstar’s latest Consumer Pulse Report has laid out these fears, with the cost of housing set to be the biggest financial problem heading into 2026.
It’s the fourth year in a row that housing costs, including mortgages and rents, have been the biggest fear for Aussies, now more than double what it was a few years ago.
“Despite three cash rate cuts this year, the cost of housing is still the country’s biggest financial strain,” said Sally Tindall, Canstar’s director of data insights.
“The RBA relief has helped, but not nearly enough to unwind years of rising mortgage repayments and escalating rents.”
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TOP 10:
SYDNEY (houses and units): Darlington (units, 164), St Marys (houses, 154), Point Piper and Werrington (houses, 153), Allawah (houses, 149), Wollstonecraft (houses, 148), Rose Bay and Crows Nest (houses, 135), Windsor Downs (houses, 131) and Fairfield Heights (units, 130).
MELBOURNE (houses and units): Coolaroo (houses, 108), Dallas (houses, 95), Campbellfield (houses, 83), Broadmeadows (houses, 79), Jacana (houses, 77), Noble Park North (75), Caulfield East (units, 73), Craigieburn (houses, 72), Frankston North (houses, 70) and Melton (houses, 68).
16 Almurta Avenue, Coolaroo, sold for $663,000
BRISBANE (houses and units): Rocklea (houses, 153), Herston (units, 130), Forestdale (houses, 125), Redbank Plains (houses, 123), Waterford West (houses, 122), Graceville (units, 118), Hillcrest and Darra (houses, 116) and Woodridge and Gailes (houses, 115).
PERTH (all houses): White Gum Valley (110), Wembley (109), Salter Point (104), Banjup (102), Myaree (99), Murdoch, Winthrop and Palmyra (97), Flireat (96) and Bateman (94).
ADELAIDE (all houses): Summertown (98), Stirling (92), Upper Sturt (88), One Tree Hill (87), Norton Summit and Welland (86), Elizabeth (83), College Park and Mylor (82) and Kersbrook (80).
HOBART (all houses): Herdsmans Cove (64), Goodwood (55), Otago (50), Claremont (48), Derwent Park and Glenorchy (47), Fern Tree (43), Clearendon Vale, West Moonha and Hobart (41).
DARWIN (all houses): Driver (58), Farrar (53), Alawa (51), Zuccoli (48), Millner (47), Herbert (46), Leanyer and Jingili (45) and Wagaman and Girraween (41).
CANBERRA (houses and units): Belconnen (houses, 28), Kaleen (houses, 26), Turner, Bonner and Isabella Springs (houses, 25), Kaleen (units, 25), Ngunnawal, Charnwood and Holt (houses, 24) and Ainslie and Pages (houses, 23).
GEELONG (houses and units): Whittington (houses, 57). Norlane (homes, 52), Corio (homes, 50), Newcomb (homes, 45), Belmont (homes, 41), Thomson (homes, 40), Belmont (units, 38), Breakwater (homes, 35), Grovedale (homes, 34), Anakie and Hamlyn Heights (homes, 31) and Clifton Springs (units, 31).
97 Townsend Road, Whittington, has a list price of $599,000 – $639,000
GOLD COAST (houses and units): Bilinga and Stapylton (houses, 101), Molendinar (houses, 98), Coomera (houses, 94), Canungra (houses, 88), Pimpama (houses, 84), Kingsholme (houses, 83), Yatala (houses, 82), Coomera (houses, 82)
and Helensvale and Currumbin (houses, 81).
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