Liv Lamprill, with her cavoodle Louis, has bought her first home in Armadale. Picture: Josie Hayden.
After living in share-houses since the age of 19, Liv Lamprill was delighted to buy her first home in Armadale last year.
The young homeowner credited having a second income as helping her to fulfil the goal of buying her place by the age of 30 years old.
Although she was not initially looking to purchase in the inner-southeastern suburb of Melbourne, she found the two-bedroom apartment after expanding her search from Camberwell, Hawthorn and Richmond.
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The location, close to public transport, cafes with good coffee and plenty of parks for her pet cavoodle Louis to enjoy, ticked a lot of boxes.
According to PropTrack, Armadale was among the top Melbourne suburbs for median unit price growth, including apartments, in 2026’s first three months, compared to the previous three months.
In a recent PropTrack’s report on quarterly Australian home values, Carlton units placed first with a $433,815 typical unit price, Toorak second on $851,879 and Armadale third at $677,232.
Liv Lamprill sought advice from a finance broker, as well as her father, before buying her first home. Picture: Josie Hayden.
Wen it came to houses, Toorak lead Greater Melbourne, rising to more than $5.33m in March 2026.
Ms Lamprill, who described Armadale as great area with lots of families, said she was not hugely surprised that Armadale’s median unit price increased by 5 per cent, equating to $31,405, in the March 2026 quarter.
“But also it’s crazy that it has had such a large increase,” she said.
“My dad, and my mortgage broker did give me a little bit of insight that the area was looking good in terms of growth.”
Ms Lamprill, who works full-time in marketing, bought her home with guidance from Melbourne-based Wealth Effect Mortgage Solutions’ finance broker Alex Fletcher.
But she said it was her second job, teaching pilates on weekends, that had helped her to save up money to purchase the apartment.
“I’ve done a lot of travel and I think that was also one of the reasons I waited a little bit longer to get a place,’ she said.
“From a young age, it’s been ingrained in me that if I want something, I have to really work for it.
“I’ve certainly worked my butt off to get here and I’m proud that I’ve been able to buy it on my own, but I think having to incomes definitely helped – I don’t think I wouldn’t have been able to do it without 2 incomes.”
She’s planning to live in her apartment for about two to five years and hopes to buy a larger home in the future.
Median unit prices have grown in 271 Melbourne suburbs in the year to March 2026, PropTrack figures show. Picture: David Caird.
Wealth Effect Mortgage Solutions’ finance broker Alex Fletcher said Armadale had long been undervalued, with some inner-city Melbourne units offering opportunities for capital growth over the medium term.
Large 1970s-era apartments with an outdoor area, such as a balcony, were usually best-placed for this, he advised.
“I often say to clients, particularly first-time buyers, that their first purchase is really important for their next purchase,” he said.
“It’s not to scare them, but it’s to get them thinking more broadly about now to the changes that will come over the next 5 to 10 years.”
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