Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Bald Hills

Bald Hills has a quietly suburban, family-focused feel, edged by river parklands and pockets of bushland that invite walking and weekend sport. It is home to about 7,000 people with a median age of 36, and families are prominent, with couple families with children the largest group. Homes are mostly owner-occupied, with a combined owner-occupation share of 73.9%.

Housing mixes older timber and brick homes with more recent low-rise developments on relatively generous, tree-lined streets. A compact local shopping strip and community facilities cover everyday needs, and Bald Hills railway station on the North Coast line provides direct commuter rail. There are completed upgrades alongside further projects in various stages of delivery: the station park-and-ride is planned to add about 90 car spaces and a covered walkway to bring its total to over 400, the arterial interchange has been rebuilt as a diverging diamond, the Linkfield Road overpass is in pre-construction, and Gus Davies Park has been upgraded with a learn-to-ride track, playground and bikeway elements. Whether Bald Hills suits you comes down to what you value in a suburb.

Buying in Bald Hills sits well above what local households earned at the last Census. The suburb's median house price of $1,091,250 is about 10.9 times a typical local household's annual income at the last Census. Renting looks different: a house rent of $685 a week would take about 35.5% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, a sizeable share, while a unit renting for $425 a week would take about 22.0% of that weekly income, a moderate share. On these figures, buying is much more stretched against local incomes than renting, and whether that feels expensive depends on your own circumstances.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

The most striking movement over the past year is a strong 23.1% rise in house values. In Bald Hills, house rents rose a solid 9.6% over the same period, while unit rents increased a more modest 3.7%.

Put simply, house owners experienced notably larger capital growth this year than rental growth, and house rents also climbed faster than unit rents. If rental income is your priority, the difference between house and unit rent growth is the relevant point; if capital growth matters more, the large rise in house values is the key figure. Whether that balance fits your investing goals and circumstances is for you to weigh up.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.