By Ethan Benedicto
Narre Warren South has been coined as one of the suburbs with the highest growth rate in home auctions with a 200 per cent year-over-year increase compared to 2023, according to a report by RealEstate in early June.
This comes in conjunction with the increase of home prices – a 0.3 per cent increase in May – which in turn has also seen an increased confidence in the market.
Throughout the year and for 17 consecutive months, home prices have grown by 6.7 per cent, contributing to the 26 per cent increase in scheduled auctions from January to May 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.
Director and OIEC of the Ray White Narre Warren South branch, Metin Aziret said that while supply and demand is a factor, the suburb’s location plays a crucial hand in the spike of home auctions.
“The last [roughly] 24 to 36 months supply and demand has been an issue here, and it’s just owners wanting to capitalise on that, that supply and demand issue through a transparent and fair form of sale which is an auction,” he said.
Tied with Ermington in Sydney, Narre Warren South had 33 scheduled auctions for the first 22 weeks of 2024, and as mentioned, is a 200 per cent increase from 2023’s numbers.
In terms of what’s attractive and who it’s attracting, Mr Aziret said “I’m seeing a lot of second and third home buyers, [and] I suppose the schools, the amenities and also the age; because we’re still relatively young, our median age of property is still very low compared to surrounding areas.”
Trying his best not to echo the real estate agent speech, he added that Narre Warren South’s appeal moves beyond just the prices and that its centrality and proximity to local community amenities plays a strong hand.
“This is probably right at the cusp of where people really want to go, they don’t want to go any further because what we tend to find is a lot of the jobs are still back in Dandenong South, Keysborough and Noble Park,” he said.
Ameer Jafari, a recent auction homebuyer in Narre Warren South said that while he had intricate ties to the suburb from having lived there as a child, what it had to offer couldn’t be ignored.
“That’s the main reason why I bought the house, it has all the amenities I need you know?” he said.
The suburb began development in the late 1980s and into the 1990s, experiencing rapid growth into the 2000s with majority of residential areas being completed.
Pushing towards the early 2010s, Narre Warren South was considered a well-serviced suburb, and in 2024 is currently complete with multiple schools from Narre Warren South P-12 College, Hillsmeade Primary School and Trinity Catholic Primary School.
Furthermore, it is home to multiple reserves and parks, with Hallam Main Reserve, River Gum Creek Reserve and part of Berwick Springs Park to name a few.
Speaking on the homes themselves, Mr Aziret said “what’s driving people here would be the properties themselves, the quality and calibre of them; I tend to find that people are coming here because obviously of the price point, but also for that money they can just drop their bags and move in.
“Whereas you go to Berwick next door, you might spend a similar amount of money or more and then [buyers] still have to do carpets and paint; here, these properties going to auction are seeing success because they don’t need renovations whatsoever,” he said.
The suburb also houses two shopping centres, with Casey Central and Amberly Park Shopping Centre.
Westfield Fountain Gate is also just roughly 10 minutes by car, and 15 to 20 minutes by public transport, in addition to quick access to the Monash Freeway.
Elizabeth Stephens, a Narre Warren South resident for the last 20 years said that the area’s appeal rests with the fact that “everything is at your fingertips”.
“You’re close to Cranbourne, Fountain Gate, you’ve got Casey Central where I was, you’ve got buses, trains and so on,” she said.
With the need to downsize, Ms Stephens sold her home through an auction, but remains steadfast in her belief that Narre Warren South is “just the place to be at the moment”.
Circling back to neighbouring suburbs, Mr Aziret said that “what I find is that Clyde and Clyde North, one of the aspects that aren’t so attractive is the distance from there”.
“Moving out to that area, usually, even though it’s only four to five kilometres away will sometimes add 30 to 45 minutes on your commute because traffic is terrible,” Mr Aziret said.
Considering its status in the last few years, Mr Aziret said that Narre Warren South doesn’t necessarily get “the credit it deserves”.
“People are definitely noticing that it’s here, noticing the benefits of the suburb [and] it’s exciting, it’s very complementary to the area,” he said.
