Get a property report and suburb profile for any property in Mount Barker

Mount Barker is the principal town of the Adelaide Hills, set among rolling hills, orchards and nearby vineyards. It combines a relaxed country-town atmosphere with the services of a regional centre, centred on a busy main street of cafés, specialty shops and local businesses and a range of health and council services. Housing ranges from older stone cottages and weatherboard homes near the centre to newer residential estates and lifestyle blocks on the fringes, and outdoor recreation is close at hand with bushland walking trails, lookouts and easy access to wine country. Good road links keep the city within reach.

Home to 18,330 people with a median age of 36, Mount Barker is a suburb weighted towards families and mostly owner-occupied, with about 69.2% of dwellings owned and 30.8% rented. Major public projects are under way, including a hospital redevelopment that increases inpatient capacity and adds theatres, maternity, paediatric, rehabilitation and allied health facilities, plus transport and centre masterplanning for the growth area. Whether that mix suits you will depend on what you want from a regional town with country character.

On these figures, housing in Mount Barker sits above local incomes recorded at the most recent Census. A median house price of $838,000 works out to about 9.9 times a typical local annual household income at the last Census, which places buying a house well above what people locally earned at that time.

Renting looks less extreme but still takes a sizeable share of income: a house rent of $600 a week is about 36.9% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, and a unit rent of $495 a week is about 30.5%. Whether that feels expensive will depend on your own income and circumstances.

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

House values in Mount Barker jumped 43.8% over the past 12 months, a strong rise in the price side of the market. House rents rose a more modest 3.4% over the same period, so for houses this year capital growth outpaced rental income.

Units moved differently: median unit values rose a modest 2.8% while unit rents increased a solid 8.8%, so rental income for units climbed faster than their capital value. In short, houses showed much larger price growth than units, while unit rents rose more quickly than house rents. What that pattern means for you depends on whether your priority is capital growth or rental income and on your own 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.