Local property price growth takes off around Badgerys Creek: Terry Ryder
I can’t see anything that would compel an investor to buy in Sydney right now, other than the FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome.
Given four years of strong price growth in Sydney, and the proliferation of attractive alternatives around the nation, it’s not surprising that surveys indicate that many investors are looking elsewhere. The best time to buy in Sydney was 2012, ahead of the marauding pack.
But some people want to buy only in Sydney, especially those who live in the city and believe you have to buy in your own backyard (so you can drive by and keep an eye on it).
For people who think that way, the best strategy is the follow the infrastructure trail – particularly the one created by plans for the second airport.
The Federal Government announced in the Budget it would invest $5.3 billion into the Western Sydney Airport Corporation over the next 10 years.
The corporation will build and operate the Western Sydney Airport, with earthworks expected to start on the 1,800 hectare Badgerys Creek site in the second half of 2018.
Even more important than the airport itself is what will be created around it. Big city airports generate massive employment nodes featuring businesses that want to be near it.
Commercial and industrial businesses will be clambouring to get a foothold near the airport facility. We’ve already had American defence company Northrop Grumman announcing it will invest $50 million to create a centre of excellence in the Badgerys Creek precinct.
Expect a lot more announcements like this. Many businesses will be established there before the first plane takes off.
Sydney Business Chamber’s western Sydney director David Borger says: “I think it is really significant. We’ve always thought this airport area could be an aerotropolis or airport city with lots of jobs nearby, and one of the areas that has great potential is aerospace and defence.
“To have, within a week of the government deciding to build the airport, a decision by the private sector to establish a centre of excellence in aerospace and defence is fantastic news and we hope it will be the start of a massive business park in the precinct around the airport.”
Borger says the big winner may be western Sydney families, with the aerotropolis set to create thousands of local jobs and a better lifestyle. “The biggest challenge facing western Sydney is the jobs deficit of 300,000 people,” he says. “People have to get out of the region for work, so the airport could be a real game-changer.”
Exactly. People want to live close to where they work, so demand for real estate will be strong as the Badgery’s Creek precinct evolves.
We’ve already seen considerable impact. Residential land values in the outer-western suburbs of Sydney have close to doubled over the past five years, with the Badgerys Creek airport as the prime influence.
A NSW Valuer-General’s report shows that housing land in outer-western suburbs including Mulgoa, Luddenham, Bringelly, Horsley Park and Rossmore has become highly sought-after residential property — in some cases rising in value above city trends.
The biggest jumps in valuation have been over the past two years, in the time since (then) Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that Badgerys Creek would be the site of the second airport.
The Valuer-General’s data shows the biggest gains in land value have occurred south of Badgerys Creek at Bringelly.
The value of one 2ha rural property jumped from $700,000 in 2012 to $1.45 million last year. A 1018m2 property’s value jumped from $270,000 to $592,000 over the same period.
The value of a typical block in Luddenham almost doubled in value between 2012 and last year, from $475,000 to $924,000, while the value of another Luddenham site rose from $755,000 to $2.7 million.
We can expect this kind of capital growth to continue as the airport – and the employment nodes that will spring up around it – get closer to reality.
Terry Ryder is the founder of hotspotting.com.au. You can email him or follow him on Twitter.