Sydney dwelling values surged 2.5% higher in February, with house values rising by 3.0% while unit values continued to record a strong but slower pace of growth, up 1.2%.

You can also check out the local reports for Brisbane and Melbourne.

The trend towards a faster rate of appreciation in house values over unit values can be seen around the country, with demand shifting towards lower density styles of housing.

As housing values rise, buyer demand has also increased, with CoreLogic estimating there were almost 24,000 sales across the Sydney metro area over the past three months, that’s about 34% higher than the same time last year.

The rise in buyer numbers has occurred while advertised stock levels remain 17.5% below the five-year average.

Such strong demand at a time of low available supply is contributing to the upwards pressure on housing prices.

Sydney housing values remain 1.1% below their July 2017 peak, however, at this rate of growth, it won’t take long for Sydney housing values to reach a new record high.

Here’s what’s currently happening in Sydney

The Sydney property market is going gangbusters.

Extremely strong demand for houses in Sydney, particularly in the inner and middle ring suburbs, is likely to lead to double digit price growth over the next 12 months. However, the demand for apartments is a little softer.

While well located, family friendly apartments in Sydney’s inner suburbs are likely to perform strongly due to increasing demand from owner occupiers and investors, apartments in high-rise towers are likely to continue to languish.

Corelogic report that since housing values found a floor in October last year, Sydney home values have risen 5.7% to reach a new record high in early March 2021.

The recovery trend in Sydney following the -15.3% decline from July 2017 to May 2019 was interrupted by COVID-19, with housing values falling by -3.0% through the worst of the pandemic.

There is broad consensus amongst economic forecasters that Sydney’s property markets will continue to surge strongly over the next few years.

Here are some of the most recent forecasts:

• ANZ Bank forecast Sydney property values could increase 9% in 2021
• Riskwise forecast Sydney property values could increase 8-12% in 2021
• CBA forecast Sydney property values could increase 7% in 2021
• NAB forecast Sydney property values could increase 7.3 % in 2021
• SQM forecast Sydney property values could increase 7-11% in 2021
• Westpac forecast Sydney property values could increase 14% in 2022-23

At the same time, real estate in Sydney’s larger regional locations, and in particular in lifestyle locations like Byron Bay, the Central Coast, the Hunter Valley, Wollongong, New South Wales’ south coast should perform strongly this year with beachside suburbs likely to outperform the wider overall market

Sydney is now a seller’s market

The landscape of the housing market in New South Wales has shifted rapidly from a buyer’s market to a seller’s one.

FOMO (fear of missing out) is now prevalent in those interested in Sydney real estate, but there is still plenty of growth left as Sydney property values have only just reached their previous 2017 peak levels.

The resurgence of buyer interest in the Sydney property market has meant that auction clearance rates have consistently been in the high 80% range suggesting there are more buyers than there are sellers, and this always leads to higher property prices.

More investors are getting into the Sydney market now recognising that there are no bargains to be found, and that in 12 months’ time the properties they purchased today will look like a bargain.

However, there is currently a flight to quality, with A grade homes and investment grade properties selling quickly often within days of coming onto the market.

Sydney’s Property Top Performers 2020

2020 was a challenging year for all our property markets due to COVID-19, lockdowns and a recession, however, the Sydney real estate market was very resilient.

Of course, there is not one “Sydney property market” and some segments outperformed others.

Here are some of the best of the best for Sydney’s housing markets in 2020:

These are the Sydney Suburbs with the top sales in 2020

The best of the best in Sydney’s property markets