Aldinga Beach, Port Noarlunga and Reynella tipped to be among best sellers in 2014

[Jessica Berry]

ALDINGA Beach, Port Noarlunga and Reynella are among the southern suburbs tipped to be the best sellers in 2014.

Real estate agents say the region will experience a property boom off the back of the completion of the Southern Expressway duplication and opening of the Seaford Rail Line extension.

 

Ray White Aberfoyle Park principal Scott Ellis said his prediction for the top performing suburbs were at the "lower end of the market".

 

"Suburbs like Hackham, Christie Downs, Reynella and Aberfoyle Park will be 2014's best performing suburbs," Mr Ellis told the Southern Times Messenger.

 

"With the two large infrastructure projects, being the Seaford Rail extension and the Southern Expressway duplication, nearing completion there will no longer be any speculation as to the potential positive effects.

 

"It will be a vast improvement for local residents so therefore a great opportunity for buyers to get in early before these effects are realised.

 

"First National Real Estate Willunga director Nick van Vliet predicted McLaren Vale, McLaren Flat and Willunga would be the best performers in 2014."These suburbs are appealing because they offer a family friendly, country living lifestyle with large land sizes," Mr van Vliet said.

 

"Aldinga Beach looks set to be a great performer too because it offers brilliant coastal living."

 

Mr van Vliet expected the Southern Expressway duplication to entice "city slickers" to the south.

 

"The south is a popular choice with new buyers, as they see it as a family friendly area, offering real value for money combined with a wonderful lifestyle," he said.

 

"The expressway going two ways, at last, may entice those people to consider moving to the southern vales more seriously."

 

Timms Real Estate Christies Beach director Valerie Timms said Port Noarlunga, Seaford and Woodcroft would also be attractive to buyers this year.

 

She said the lifestyle was what made the south so popular with buyers.

 

"Where else can you purchase new builds with access to good schools, shops and still be minutes from wineries, world class beaches and eateries along with an easy commute to the city?" Mrs Timms said.

 

"Those who traditionally sought homes and accommodation closer to the city will find the more affordable price tag on rentals and homes to buy, simply too good to ignore.

 

"We anticipate a strong resurgence in the southern real estate market and a positive recovery in the market in 2014."

 

Onkaparinga Council figures show there were 533 houses approved by its Development Assessment Panel from July to December 2013, compared to 479 in the same period in 2012.

 

The council received 2275 development applications, totalling more than $201 million, between July 1 and December 30 last year.

 

This is on track to top the 2012/13 financial year's 3730 development applications totalling more than $317 million.

 

Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg agreed the completion of the rail extension and the expressway would lead to a property boom.

 

"The council is certainly ready to handle the expected growth and we look forward to having a booming south," Ms Rosenberg said.

 

 

(15/1/14) Adelaidenow

[zebedee]

Both projects are what convinced me we could live in McLaren Vale and I could still get to the city easily. I was banking on the Seaford Rail extension myself but the lack of express trains (they have opted to better serve the city stations on the way with more frequent stoppers) has undermined how quick the commute is - in fact it is SLOWER than BEFORE the upgrade as far as Southern residents who used the express service go. Not sure how the timetable will settle down once Seaford does open and a few electric trains start running though...I am really hoping for at least some limited stoppers as from experience so far, the new re-opened line is pitifully slow. The express way itself will be great though you still end up joining South Road which is a crawl during commute times. I think there is still much work to do, though I wouldn't change where we live - it's worth the long commute.

[wubbledoos]

Hi Zebedee,

 

How long is your commute to the cbd from McLaren vale, on average?

[zebedee]

Hi Zebedee,

 

How long is your commute to the cbd from McLaren vale, on average?

 

Using public transport...about an hour and a half in and two back. I intend to get a second car once Seaford extension opens which will cut out the bus bit to get to the train. The train upgrade has only delivered a slower service to the south so far. Real estate agents just love the hype.

 

I think it will come down to an hour each way by middle of the year.

[Guest Guest75]

Nice to see some positive comments regarding the south.

Yep ,both transport projects seem to be attracting people to the south .

 

Shame about the train times though, I seriously thought they would have scheduled some express services for commuters???

[flossybeth]

It's definitely a tricky issue though - they improve the transport links pretty much to just catch up with the capacity they have but that in turn encourages more into the south which will add more pressure to the transport links... I know it's the way of the world and having made the move south can't now moan about others coming this way but somewhere along the line it'll be just as bad as it is now - and a lot of those new houses seem to be being built along the actual road corridor; do people really want to move to live next to a major through road?

 

moan, moan, moan...

[Guest BurgessFamily]

The real estate agents aren't saying much about the predicted 10% unemployment rate though. I think if you read between the lines, property prices will show a very modest growth rate over the next 18-24 months. Still the upgrade of the expressway and train line should be good for the area in the long term. Plus the major work that is due to commence at the end of the expressway (at least if the federal government gets it's way), which should make getting on/off the expressway a little quicker.

Edited January 28, 2014 by BurgessFamily

[Guest BurgessFamily]

Using public transport...about an hour and a half in and two back. I intend to get a second car once Seaford extension opens which will cut out the bus bit to get to the train. The train upgrade has only delivered a slower service to the south so far. Real estate agents just love the hype.

 

I think it will come down to an hour each way by middle of the year.

 

There is advertisement boarding at Victor Harbor (for the new estate down there) stating it's only 1 hour from the CBD.

[Guest Helchops]

There is advertisement boarding at Victor Harbor (for the new estate down there) stating it's only 1 hour from the CBD.

It is. You just need a helicopter.

[zebedee]

There is advertisement boarding at Victor Harbor (for the new estate down there) stating it's only 1 hour from the CBD.

 

Ha ha, yeah, like has already been said - by helicopter, or Knight Industries 2000. Certainly not during normal commute time and highly unlikely even outside, unless you are breaking speed limits.

 

If anyone is interested, this is the breakdown going in and coming home:

 

6:30 leave house, walk to bus stop, catch bus at 6:44 from McLaren Vale main street, bus goes all around Seaford, gets to Noarlunga center about 7:10. 7:16 train leaves Noarlunga, arrives city around 8:00 - 8:10 (or in the case of this morning, a shocking 9:00 due to a switch breakdown), short walk to office.

 

Depending when I leave work, I get a train back to Noarlunga and then it just depends on when it ties up with the bus service - it can be a 20 - 25 minute wait and then we have the tour of Seaford to get through again.

 

 

So, it's hell at the moment but....

 

Seaford extension cuts out quite a bit for me as the bus from McLaren Vale will only be around 7 minutes instead of 25. Then we have electric trains coming online which accelerate much quicker and with a bit of luck, the new timetables might offer a compromised limited stopper service between frequency and speed, a survey has been sent out to lots of southern commuters so hopefully people have filled them in. True express trains, it would seem, have gone for good - and I've met with the transport minister and his minions and that was straight from them. It looks hopefully that by June, the train line will be well settled with electric services running so it's not too far away.

 

A second car (or rather $500 wreck) will cut out the bus altogether and that's my fall back position if the buses don't tie up too well with the trains or it's still not delivered the promised service.

 

 

Obviously many people will just drive all the way, or drive and park and get the tram, but I want to be a bit economical with my commute spending (or possibly tight?!) and I am just laying out the truth that it's a right pain using public transport to commute from here to the city at the moment, but with better prospects on the way. Obviously, being just out of the suburbs adds quite a bit.....journey will be much easier if you are within walking distance of the stations.

 

 

I don't regret buying here though, as jobs can change and I really wanted to live somewhere I actually wanted to be - learnt that lesson in the UK!

Edited January 28, 2014 by zebedee

[Guest BurgessFamily]

You can guarantee, once the train-line work has been done they will ramp up ticket prices to help fill the financial hole in the budget.

[Petrus]

To be honest, since I was in Europe Aldinga Beach seen from google maps seemed to be a good place where to live, but right yesterday I've tried to reach the CBD starting from Aldinga and then, after 45 minutes in the car (and it was not peak hour), I've realized that I can't afford any trip longer than Christies Beach/Port Noarlunga-City. Not everyday, at least...

[zebedee]

To be honest, since I was in Europe Aldinga Beach seen from google maps seemed to be a good place where to live, but right yesterday I've tried to reach the CBD starting from Aldinga and then, after 45 minutes in the car (and it was not peak hour), I've realized that I can't afford any trip longer than Christies Beach/Port Noarlunga-City. Not everyday, at least...

 

That is the reality and Adelaide's infrastructure is patchy and will be even when the current projects are finished. It's a tough choice and Adelaide Metro have really let down southern train commuters by scraping the express trains. I think we are pushing about as far out as you can realistically go, and even then I am seriously questioning the future I have with working in the CBD. Guess you can't have your cake and eat it.

[Petrus]

Yep, the move of suppressing the express trains on the southern line is really unexplicable.

[Jessica Berry]

Some good points have been raised. I used to work with someone that lived way down South and the office was based in the CBD. At the end of each day leading up to 5.00pm the person would be getting ready to leave, change into their trainers and then be out the door like a shot, dead on 5.00pm. I reckon they could give Usain Bolt a run for their money ha ha, because it was a 20 minute walk to the train station (remember it also depends where you are based in the CBD in relation to the train station) and the speed they used to walk at was very fast because they knew they only had a few minutes grace period from when they left the office or else they would miss their train. Then at the other end they could have their car parked at the station and drive home. I used to find their journey stressful and I wasn't even doing it!!!!! The person was on tender hooks at the end of the day hoping no one would come and ask them to do something near 5.00pm or else they would miss their train. I think people need to be realistic about where their job opportunities will be and also while it might be ok in the short term to travel long distances, it can be very tiring.

 

I have a friend that lives South and works South, takes them 10 minutes to get to work, so no dramas, this is why organisations such as Flinders Uni and Flinders Medical Centre are popular choices for Southern residents. Where you live can have an impact on whether you will be considered for a job, (not always it depends on the sector and supply and demand for the position). I have a friend that recruits and they say to me 'I won't recruit people living at XXXXX' because it is too far from where the company is based. Someone was telling me recently they had advertised a temporary admin role and they had received over 500 applications, I would be pretty certain they will use location as a reason to exclude applicants.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Jessica Berry