Question 1

Is Forbes a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

Forbes sits on the banks of the Lachlan River in central west NSW and acts as a service hub for surrounding cropping and grazing country. Its compact town centre of heritage brick and timber buildings has a main street of shops, cafes and community services, and riverfront parklands and tree-lined streets give the town a relaxed village feel. Daily life is shaped by agriculture, local sporting clubs and the practical services that support a broad rural district.

Residents include farming families, people who commute to nearby regional centres and retirees, living in older cottages and larger rural or lifestyle blocks. Homes are mostly owner-occupied, around 70.6%. Local projects are in planning or funded, including a Homes NSW social housing development, funding for a Forbes Hospital operating theatre redevelopment, highway and bridge planning, and government grants for lake, parks and netball facility upgrades. Whether Forbes suits you comes down to what you want from a country service town.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in Forbes?

Accepted Answer

On these figures, buying a house in Forbes works out to about 7.5 times a typical local household's annual income at the last Census, which sits in the "well above local incomes" range. Renting looks less stretched: the average house rent of $440 a week would take about 36.0% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, a sizeable share, while the average unit rent of $310 a week is roughly 25.4% of that weekly income, a moderate share. So buying a house here is notably further from local incomes at the last Census than renting is; whether that feels expensive will depend 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.

Question 3

Is Forbes a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

Over the past year, house values in Forbes rose 5.8%, a solid increase, while house rents increased 4.8%, a moderate gain. Put another way, capital growth on houses has edged ahead of rental income on the same stock over the 12-month period. If rental income is your priority, note the rent movement; if capital growth matters more, focus on the value change — which of those matters most depends on your goals and circumstances.

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.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$475K	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	5.8%	N/A
Sold Past 3 months	46	3
Median days on market Past 12 months	85	N/A
Average rent Past 12 months	$440	$310
Change in rent Past 12 months	4.8%	N/A

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