Invest
Australia’s best WFH destination revealed
With Australians working from home, 30 locations are tipped to be the beneficiaries of this lifestyle change, a property researcher has found.
Australia’s best WFH destination revealed
With Australians working from home, 30 locations are tipped to be the beneficiaries of this lifestyle change, a property researcher has found.
Propertyology’s head of research, Simon Pressley, believes locations that offer foodie cultures, beautiful winery regions, sea changes and many amazing inland wonders will enjoy considerably increased housing demand for many years to come.
Mr Pressley describes Byron Bay as Australia’s best community prototype to have already adopted a work-from-home demographic.
“A significant 13.4 percent of Byron’s workforce nominated ‘home’ as their primary work address at the 2016 census. That is three times the national average of 4.7 percent,” said Mr Pressley.
In addition to having one of the largest WFH workforces in the country, Australia’s 73rd biggest town (population 35,000) has the highest median house price in the country ($995,000 in June 2020).
“Over the last 20 years, no Australian location, capital city or region had a higher average annual rate of capital growth than Byron. One shouldn’t underestimate the role that work from home played in this outcome,” the researcher said.
Mr Pressley said that it is anyone’s guess what the WFH population might grow to, but the scope is considerable.
“It is a logical conclusion. The pandemic restrictions have encouraged people to review life’s priorities. A segment of our population will embrace technology to enhance their lifestyle,” he explained.
Propertyology pointed out that 46 per cent of Australia’s workforce of 13 million people fall within the categories of professionals, managers and clerical assistance.
“Examples of roles that can comfortably service their customers no matter where they live include lawyers, accountants, journalists, mortgage brokers, call-centre operators, engineers, marketing consultants, web designers, analysts and graphic designers, after trialling it ourselves during the national lockdown,” said Mr Pressley.
In addition to Byron Bay, the Australian locations that had the highest portion of WFH employers at the 2016 census include but are not limited to:
Coastal locations: Surf Coast Vic (12.8 percent), Kiama NSW (11.4 percent), Noosa Qld (10.8 percent), Esperance WA (8.8 percent), Ballina NSW (8.3 percent), Bass Coast Vic (8 percent), Victor Harbour SA (6.9 percent)
Winery and foodie cultures: Adelaide Hills SA (13.8 percent), Macedon Ranges Vic (11.1 percent), Margaret River WA (8.7 percent), Mornington Peninsula Vic (8 percent)
Other inland wonders: Golden Plains Vic (16.9 percent), Scenic Rim Qld (12.3 percent), Maleny Qld (11.9 percent), Warragul Vic (9.2 percent), Armidale NSW (6.8 percent)
Other locations with WFH appeal include Orange, Cessnock and Albury (in NSW); Cairns, Townsville, Hervey Bay and Yeppoon (in Queensland); Kingscliff and Batemans Bay (in NSW); Bendigo and Warrnambool (in Victoria); Hobart and Launceston (in Tasmania) and Geraldton (in Western Australia).
About the author
About the author
Property
A generation of Aussies could be locked out of the housing market as prices boom
A booming property market is set to see a generation of younger Australians priced out of the market, a shadow assistant minister has said, challenging the narrative that younger people are failing...Read more
Property
Is the property market reaching its summit?
While home values continued to rise across the country in April, current trends are pointing to the possibility that the property market has peaked, a new report has revealed. ...Read more
Property
Wait, so it’s definitely cheaper to rent than buy?
New research has revealed that there are indeed dwellings in Australia that are cheaper to buy than rent (57 per cent to be exact), but where are these dwellings located and are they liveable? ...Read more
Property
‘List your homes before the good times run out’
Aussies who had planned to sell their house prior to the pandemic are being urged to realise those plans now, with buyers said to be immensely hungry for housing. ...Read more
Property
National house prices break 18-year record
Building on the post-pandemic recovery trend, national house prices saw the steepest quarterly increase in almost 18 years, with a majority of the capital cities witnessing record price gains. ...Read more
Property
Rents grow at fastest pace since 2007
Housing rents are rising at the fastest pace since 2007, but experts are warning that rental conditions around the country are extremely diverse. ...Read more
Property
It is now more expensive to rent in the Gold Coast than Sydney: Domain
A spike in consumer lifestyle demand means it is now more expensive to rent on the Gold Coast than in Sydney, a new industry report has revealed. ...Read more
Property
Has the property market reached its peak?
Australian property has shown exceptional strength as it rebounds post-pandemic, with the national growth rate in March beating a 33-year record. However, some experts believe it’s all downhill from...Read more
Has the property market reached its peak; Biden’s climate summit and our sharemarket, and the upcoming budget
Listen now
Is the market overheating; should ETFs take your fancy, and what’s happening to the low and middle income tax offset?
Listen now
Home values up 30% (or are they); NFTs taking the world by storm, and why Keating thinks Aussies will be ‘poor’ in retirement
Listen now
Raging floods, the tech stock bubble and the ongoing SG debate
Listen now
Property
A generation of Aussies could be locked out of the housing market as prices boom
A booming property market is set to see a generation of younger Australians priced out of the market, a shadow assistant minister has said, challenging the narrative that younger people are failing...Read more
Property
Is the property market reaching its summit?
While home values continued to rise across the country in April, current trends are pointing to the possibility that the property market has peaked, a new report has revealed. ...Read more
Property
Wait, so it’s definitely cheaper to rent than buy?
New research has revealed that there are indeed dwellings in Australia that are cheaper to buy than rent (57 per cent to be exact), but where are these dwellings located and are they liveable? ...Read more
Property
‘List your homes before the good times run out’
Aussies who had planned to sell their house prior to the pandemic are being urged to realise those plans now, with buyers said to be immensely hungry for housing. ...Read more
Property
National house prices break 18-year record
Building on the post-pandemic recovery trend, national house prices saw the steepest quarterly increase in almost 18 years, with a majority of the capital cities witnessing record price gains. ...Read more
Property
Rents grow at fastest pace since 2007
Housing rents are rising at the fastest pace since 2007, but experts are warning that rental conditions around the country are extremely diverse. ...Read more
Property
It is now more expensive to rent in the Gold Coast than Sydney: Domain
A spike in consumer lifestyle demand means it is now more expensive to rent on the Gold Coast than in Sydney, a new industry report has revealed. ...Read more
Property
Has the property market reached its peak?
Australian property has shown exceptional strength as it rebounds post-pandemic, with the national growth rate in March beating a 33-year record. However, some experts believe it’s all downhill from...Read more
More articles
Website Notifications
Get notifications in real-time for staying up to date with content that matters to you.
