The most popular suburbs in Canberra for home buyers in 2021

Canberra’s most popular suburbs of 2021 have been revealed, with a number of areas in the city’s more premium and affordable suburbs featuring in the top 10, according to Domain data.

It shows homes for sale in Yarralumla, in the Inner South, had more average views per listing than any other suburb in the capital. 

Properties for sale in Narrabundah, also in the Inner South, came in second and Watson, in the Inner North, took the third spot. 

Other suburbs that placed in the top 10 included Kambah in Tuggeranong and Ngunnawal in the Gungahlin region.

“This data identifies the suburbs that have been competitive for buyers,” said Domain chief of research and economics Nicola Powell.

“There’s an element of stickybeaking because there are a number of aspirational property searches, but there are also more affordable suburbs like Kambah which would attract first-home buyers who want to renovate it over time.

“These suburbs are very much what I’d expect of the top 10 suburbs for the ACT.”

Bree Currall of Belle Property Canberra, who specialises in sales in the Inner South, was not surprised by the results.

“The inner-city suburbs are areas that a lot of buyers want to buy into,” she said. 

“[The Inner South] is an attractive region for many buyers and with the amount of rain we’ve had in recent months, houses in the Inner South have been on full display … from its popular tree-lined streets and established gardens to the schools nearby, a lot of families are drawn here.”

While these suburbs attracted many home-hunters, the area that registered the highest number of sold properties for the year was just outside the capital, in Queanbeyan.

Kingston came in second as the most popular suburb for property sales this year, and Googong, also outside the capital, came in third.

Gavin Van Zyl of White Rhino Property Googong-Queanbeyan-Jerrabomberra said many Canberrans purchased across the border having been thwarted by rising property prices in the nation’s capital.

According to the latest Domain House Price Report for the September quarter, Canberra hit a record-high median house price of $1,074,187, up 32.4 per cent year-on-year.

“Many buyers saw better value for money across the border … they were able to purchase a home in Googong, for example, for a couple of hundred thousand dollars less than they would if they purchased it in Canberra,” Mr Van Zyl said.

He added that while the low stock was evident across every market, the number of buyers was at its peak.

“There were a lot more buyers this year than any other year,” he said. “I had 147 sales last year, and this year it’s just short of 200 at the moment. That just speaks to just how many people want to buy right now and I think that sentiment and level of urgency will remain into the new year.”