Australia’s 10 most tightly held suburbs: Where people buy and don’t leave for more than 20 years

More suburbs are seeing homeowners stay put for an average of 20 years or more, new data shows, with half of the double-decade ’burbs located in Sydney.

PropTrack data released on Thursday showed 10 suburbs across Australia had an average hold period of between roughly 20 and 23 years in the 12 months to July – up from seven suburbs in the same period last year.

Five of those suburbs were in the Greater Sydney region, including the tightest held in the country for houses – Church Point – with an average hold period of about 23 years, and units ­– Dolls Point – with an average of about 21 years.

Three others in Sydney saw houses held for more than two decades, and houses in a mixture of regional and capital city suburbs of Queensland and Western Australia made up the other five.

Though there was no one common quality connecting the suburbs, PropTrack senior economist Eleanor Creagh said there were some clues as to why people put off moving from the areas.

“A lot of the suburbs on the longest-held list are regions that appeal to multiple age groups,” Ms Creah said.

Top 10 most tightly held suburbs for houses

She said areas with popular schools, parks and shops tended to be high on the list, and many of those were in ‘middle-ring’ areas; not too close to the city, but well established with accessible transport options.

“Typically, when people move house it’s around marriages, childbirths, retirements – those big life events,” she said.  “The broader the demographic an area appeals to, the less need there is to sell as lifestyles change.”

Part of the reason so many of the tightest held suburbs were in Sydney could be due to high house prices – and therefore higher stamp-duty – than what would be needed in other cities, Ms Creagh said.

The Church Point property at 10 Walker Place has not been sold in more than 60 years. Picture: realestate.com/buy

---

“Generally Sydney suburbs have a higher burden of stamp duty, meaning it is more expensive for people to transact, potentially leading them to hold properties for longer.”

In the most tightly clutched suburb for houses in both NSW and the country – Church Point in Sydney’s Northern Beaches region – a recent listing has had the same owner for more than 60 years.

“Generations have enjoyed that property,” selling agent Nicholas Hayes from Belle Property Avalon said.

He said similar properties came onto the market rarely – every six to 12 months. What’s more, locals were often the buyers of any new stock.

Five of the most tightly held suburbs in Australia were in the Greater Sydney region. Picture: iStock

---

“We see people moving seven kilometres down the road,” he said. “It’s a bit of a gem.”

In Queensland’s longest-held suburb for houses – Mount Ommaney ­– Ray White agent Kelly Qualtrough's most recent listing saw interest almost exclusively from local buyers.

"I couldn't drag them anywhere else – they feel safe there," Ms Qualtrough said.

The one Victorian suburb to make the national top 10 for houses – Ivanhoe East – had an average hold period just a hair less than 20 years.

Properties in Ivanhoe East, including this one at 258 The Boulevard, often stayed in families for generations. Picture: realestate.com.au/buy

---

Jellis Craig agent Matthew Treacy said council restrictions on development were one reason the inner north-eastern hamlet was so coveted and clung-to.

“There are not too many developers, it’s more families,” Mr Treacy said. “Now with Ivanhoe Grammar going co-ed, people are coming from the more expensive Hawthorn and Kew when there are properties for sale, looking for a family home.”

He said most properties for sale in the area were large houses on up to 2500 square metres of land – and most were either deceased estates or being sold for the first time in a generation.

Top 10 most tightly held suburbs for units

“No-one ever really leaves,” he said. “It has quite the community feel – the residents do the big Christmas lights along The Boulevard every year – people love it.”

Ms Creagh said it was likely that areas with more houses than units would see fewer people moving.  

“Typically units are held for shorter periods and houses attract a broader demographic of buyers,” she said. “Also areas with shorter held properties tend to be newly established regions favoured by first-home buyers.”

She said with the increased cost of housing over the past few decades, changing needs could become more common as more people bought smaller first homes to get a foot in the market.

“People don’t tend to stay in their first home anymore,” she said.  

Perth's Hillarys is tightly held for units. Picture: realestate.com.au

---

More South Australian suburbs were tightly held for units than in any other state, with four suburbs (Kingswood, Bedford Park, Hawthorn and Brighton) making the top 10 with average hold periods between 16 and 20 years.

Perth's coastal hamlet, Hillarys – famed for its boat harbour tourist attraction – was WA's most tighly held suburb for units and third nationally with an average of about 18 years.

Tasmanians tended to move house more frequently, the data showed, with the longest average hold period sitting at 14 years for units in the Hobart suburb of Battery Point and just 13 years for houses in South Hobart.

Units in the Northern Territory turned over even faster – 12 years at the most in The Gap, while houses were kept a little longer – 15 years in the Darwin suburb of Marlow Lagoon.

In the ACT, the most tightly held spots were Monash in Canberra's south for units (about 15 years on average) and Reid – a stone's throw from Parliament House – where houses were kept for nearly 17 years on average.