‘I love it, always have’: The Sydney suburb people never want to leave

Debbie Wise moved her family to Manly Vale from North Balgowlah 11 years ago and has never looked back.

With the area’s accessibility to Manly Beach, large block sizes, infrastructure, amenities and neighbourhood spirit, Wise knew she made the right choice in purchasing a knockdown with her husband in 2014.

They transformed it into their forever home: a white Hamptons-style two-storey build with a pool.

Manly Vale, on the northern beaches, is Sydney’s number one suburb home owners don’t want to leave, recording a median hold period for houses of 23.5 years in the 12 months to January, data from CoreLogic has revealed.

A house in Cheltenham takes a median 23.3 years before being resold, while the median hold period in Woolooware is 22.3 years.

For units, it’s McMahons Point on the lower north shore, with a median hold period of 16.6 years. It’s followed by Seaforth at 14.9 years and Dolls Point at 14.5 years.

Debbie Wise and her family moved from North Balgowlah to Manly Vale in 2014. They have never looked back.Sitthixay Ditthavong

Wise wasn’t initially sold on the idea of upsizing to Manly Vale. Her husband suggested they look at a house there due to affordability.

“I was very snobbish thinking it was the poor cousin of Manly,” the 47-year-old beauty publicist said. “I was an idiot to think it’s not a great suburb.”

The mother-of-two had a change of heart with the lifestyle it offers.

“We can walk to the beach from the end of the street and enjoy Manly’s nightlife, restaurants and beaches. Then you go home, it’s peaceful, and you’re in suburbia,” she said.

Manly Beach is in walking distance. The suburb is a more affordable option to Manly.Sitthixay Ditthavong

Wise and her family enjoy nearby Manly Dam with its lake, hiking and mountain bike trails, as well as the suburb’s neighbourhood spirit. She said an annual street party was the norm.

“We just love the community and the families that have stayed forever,” Wise said.

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said Manly Vale is popular as it’s more accessible with price and offers the same lifestyle and amenities of somewhere on the coast. Manly Vale’s median house value was $2,847,623, compared to Manly’s $4,052,433, as of January.

Lawless said while prestige suburbs such as Bellevue Hill and Vaucluse have little turnover, their minimal sales are excluded from the data. Only suburbs with a minimum of 20 sales were included in the analysis.

“Many blue-chip suburbs take a long time for people to save up to buy into those markets and that could impact the length of hold,” he said.

Lawless said Point Piper, Sydney’s undisputed king of prestige property, and Bellevue Hill, are great examples.

“Point Piper would have been excluded because it hasn’t recorded 10 house sales in a year. Bellevue Hill has always been in the top five for the most expensive suburbs and the median hold period has been less than 10 years.”

The median house value in Manly Vale has doubled in 10 years, CoreLogic data showed.

Wise is pictured with her next-door neighbour Ian Page. Sitthixay Ditthavong

Lawless said home owners won’t reap the financial rewards until they sell the property.

“It definitely improves confidence when you have a large amount of equity in your property.”

Social analyst and demographer Mark McCrindle said suburbs with long hold periods tend to be those that are family-friendly.

“Couples raise their children there, and they’re still suitable for empty nesters or young adults,” he said.

“Going through multiple life stages is one of the key factors that makes a difference to the longer hold period suburbs.”

McCrindle said areas that have more owner occupiers than investors will have longer hold periods.

“Investors are driven by the financial opportunity, whereas for owner occupiers, if the area is suitable, will stay there. They call them forever homes for a reason.”

Wise’s neighbour Ian Page, 58, now resides in the family home. With his mother in a nursing home down the street, he intends to stay put.

Page, 58, is pictured outside the family home in Manly Vale. He intends to stay as his mother is in a nursing home down the street.Sitthixay Ditthavong

“I love it here, always have,” the arborist said. “I grew up playing soccer, and you’re close to all the sporting fields. We’re lucky to have great transport, parks and all the amenities.”

Page’s sister and brother-in-law are close by in Frenchs Forest.

“I’m lucky to be able to keep the house with help from my family. Mum is now settled so that’s good,” he said.

Novak Properties’ Lisa Novak said many young families are selling their two or three-bedroom apartments or townhouses and moving to Manly Vale.

“It ticks the boxes,” she said. “They’re getting a bigger backyard, a bigger block of land and a more affordable house.”

Novak said they are getting all the benefits of living close to a premium suburb, without the price tag.

“You can hop in your car and in six minutes you’re at Manly Beach.”