Interest in Mount Gambier from investors continues: HTW
Investor interest in Mount Gambier is high, according to Herron Todd White’s latest August report.
The property investment firm says that investors are interested in a range of property types.
“Investor interest in the Mount Gambier region has been relatively good in recent years.
“A range of property types, such as units, maisonettes and house and land packages in modern divisions, appeals to investors in the area
“Local and out of town investors are purchasing properties in Mount Gambier. Local investors typically spend less on a property and will generally lean towards units rather than house and land packages.
“In comparison, out of town investors often have larger budgets and will invest in properties that provide good yields, such as flats or house and land packages,” the report stated.
Different investors will have a different preference on what type of property they want to invest in Herron Todd White says.
“Local investors generally look at properties in the mid range whereas out of town investors look at properties in the low or high range.
“In recent years there has been limited capital growth in the Mount Gambier region.
“However, in comparison to cities and other regional areas, the returns on properties within the region are considered quite good and are therefore attractive for investment properties.
“New modern divisions have been targeted by out of town investors in recent years.
“These modern divisions have had bigger marketing campaigns that purely focus on drawing in investors,” the report commented.
Unit sales in the Mount Gambier region is increasing Herron Todd White advises.
“In recent years the number of unit sales occurring has been increasing and in 2016 unit sales were almost double what they were in previous years.
“As seen in the graph below, last year there were 98 unit sales, whilst in 2013 and 2014 there were only approximately 50 unit sales.
A three bedroom unit at 1/11 Bertha Street, Mount Gambier (above) was recently sold for $212,000.
Built in 1987 the property is currently rented for $270 a week reflecting a rental yield of 6%.
A two bedroom unit at 2/1 Hart Street, Mount Gambier (below) was recently sold for $205,000.
Built in 1992 the property was last sold in 2008 for $200,000.
“A high percentage of these unit sales tends to be to investors.
“Investors are generally seen as a positive for the Mount Gambier region,” the report advised.
Investors are also keen on obtaining rental properties in the area Herron Todd White stated.
“With the recent creation of the James Morrison Academy of Music, there has been more interest from investors because there are more people looking for rental properties.
“If investor activity were to slow within the Mount Gambier region we do not consider this to significantly impact the current market.
“There would likely be a bigger impact if investors were looking to exit the market altogether, as this could create an oversupply of properties.
“If we could give any advice to investors who are thinking of buying in the Mount Gambier market, it would be to do your research on locations and look deeper than just the yield.
“It would be beneficial to look at the local industry and employment within the region and also the health of the local economy,” the report stated.