By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
IF THE last 10 years are anything to go by, renting in Berwick will continue to flourish.
Michelle Gibson, from Alex Scott Berwick, said the suburb remained a sought-after destination for renters.
“Throughout the 10 years I have worked for Alex Scott & Staff Real Estate, properties in Berwick have consistently rented well,” she said.
“Our agency experiences minimal vacancy rates, with renting in Berwick remaining popular.”
Ms Gibson said Berwick offered an “excellent range” of educational opportunities for potential tenants, while also citing its “fabulous cafes, restaurants, parks and a nearby Westfield Shopping precinct”.
“With easy access to freeways, Berwick is close enough to the city while nearby towns offer a country feel,” she said.
“Berwick continues to be a highly sought after location to live and is still expanding.
“Berwick and surrounds have plenty to offer and the vast selection of properties for lease makes renting an affordable lifestyle.”
Amanda Charles, from Kaye Charles Real Estate, echoed this sentiment, noting that renting in Berwick and waiting out market conditions was often a good option.
“It depends on the market, sometime if you’re in a vendor’s market it’s worth waiting it out, paying someone else’s mortgage for the time being until the market changes,” Ms Charles said.
“It can also be worth waiting if there’s substantial inflation, so if you can see values going up and you’re getting priced out of the market.”
Ms Charles said often when renting was high, buying may be low, but in the current Berwick property climate, both markets were experiencing strong growth.
“Generally if one is quiet, the other is going well, but we’re desperate for stock at the moment,” she said.
“Winter is normally slow but the market was so hot this winter.”
Shae Newell, from Eview South East, also said both the buying and selling markets in Berwick were flourishing.
“This town right now is so busy,” she said.
“Berwick itself is a nice place, you’ve got your schools, and it’s getting busier.
“And just from looking at homes – they are quality. A lot of people want to live in Berwick because everything’s close.”
“Both renting and selling are on fire.”
Ms Charles said such a busy renting market meant it was even more important to ensure potential renters made use of any advantage they might have.
“To get an advantage get good references, if you’ve dealt with an agent before, or you know an agent, put that down,” she said.
“That business experience is important, they need to call up the agent and ask if they can be put down as a referee.”
The agents also said the ages of the people renting in Berwick was varied, ranging from young people who may be struggling to get a loan to buy a house, as well as older families who were renting as a “stop-gap” in between selling a home and while building a new one.
