Question 1

Is West Ballina a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

West Ballina sits beside the Richmond River and close to the coast, with riverfront housing, a small commercial strip, parks and sporting grounds.

The community is older, with incomes below the NSW median and many households owning their homes outright (49.5%). Everyday amenity centres on river and coastal recreation, including boating, fishing and walks along river paths and nearby beaches, alongside a small shopping strip and road links and bridges to Ballina's town centre. The River Street Duplication project is being delivered by Ballina Shire Council, with parts of the route in pre-construction.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in West Ballina?

Accepted Answer

House rents in West Ballina run to $800 a week for houses and $620 a week for units, while a typical local household earned about $1,015 a week at the last Census. On those figures, a house rent would take about 79% of a typical local household's weekly income and a unit rent about 61%, which means renting would use a large share of local income.

Buying looks considerably more stretched. The median house price of $840,000 is about 15.9 times a typical local annual household income, which sits well above local incomes. If you're renting, the rent share is the relevant figure; if considering buying, the price multiple is the relevant figure.

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 West Ballina a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

What stands out in West Ballina is the scale of movement in the unit market: over the past 12 months unit values rose 26.7% while unit rents jumped 33.3%.

Houses moved more modestly, with house values up a solid 5.1% and house rents climbing 11.1%. For both property types, rents increased by more than values, and the unit sector shifted by a considerably larger margin than the house sector for both capital growth and rental income.

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	$840K	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	5.1%	26.7%
Sold Past 3 months	13	1
Median days on market Past 12 months	59	42
Average rent Past 12 months	$800	$620
Change in rent Past 12 months	11.1%	33.3%

	Suburb	NSW
Median age years	54	39
Median household income weekly	$1,015	$1,829
Couples with children share of families	24.0%	44.7%
Couples without children share of families	54.2%	37.9%
One-parent families share of families	20.3%	15.8%
Homes owned outright share of homes	49.5%	32.6%
Homes with a mortgage share of homes	21.7%	33.6%
Homes rented share of homes	28.8%	33.7%

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