Question 1

Is Smiths Lake a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

Smiths Lake is a lakeside village on the mid-north coast that sits between the calm waters of the lake and the bush of Booti Booti National Park. It feels quietly coastal and hosts a mix of long-standing locals, sea-change residents and holiday homeowners who come for fishing, kayaking and beach days at the nearby Pacific Palms coastline. Housing ranges from older weatherboard cottages and elevated timber homes to newer lakefront houses and bushland blocks. The community of 1,332 people has a median age of 49 and is largely owner-occupied, while local services are modest so residents commonly travel to Forster and Tuncurry for broader shopping and services.

The suburb has a council-adopted Recreation Park master plan that sets out staged improvements subject to grant funding, including a larger entry shelter, formalised parking, a native sensory garden, marked pickleball on the multi-court, exercise stations, solar path lighting and event power. The boating plan includes investigating a pontoon or jetty to support the John Debert Reserve boat ramp, and the reserve’s playground and landscaping have been upgraded. Taken together, Smiths Lake suits people after a lakeside, coastal setting with nearby bushland and those comfortable travelling for major shopping; whether it fits you depends on what you want from a suburb.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in Smiths Lake?

Accepted Answer

On the figures, housing in Smiths Lake looks stretched against what local households earned at the last Census. A house rent of $580 a week would take about 47.9% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, which is a large share of income. The median house price of $775,000 works out to about 12.3 times a typical local household's annual income at the last Census, which sits well above local incomes. If you are renting rather than buying, that rent share is the most directly relevant number for your budget.

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 Smiths Lake a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

Over the past 12 months, house values in Smiths Lake edged down 0.6%, a slight fall in the capital value of houses for the year. If capital growth is your priority, that movement is the main figure to look at here, and whether it fits your investment 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.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$775K	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	-0.6%	N/A
Sold Past 3 months	11	N/A
Median days on market Past 12 months	44	N/A
Average rent Past 12 months	$580	N/A
Change in rent Past 12 months	N/A	N/A

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