5 reasons why more Aussies are relocating
Recent population data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and analysed by CoreLogic shows 394,200 interstate arrivals nationwide in the year to September 2018, just shy of the 30-year record of September 2003, when 397,200 people undertook interstate relocations.
Here are some key reasons why Australians are increasingly willing to make a big change in where they live.
- Cheaper house prices
Lower house prices are always a key reason for people relocating from the big cities, primarily Sydney and Melbourne. It’s no surprise that record high interstate migration coincides with the final years of property booms in these cities.
In the year to September 2018, NSW recorded its biggest net loss of residents in a decade, with 22,113 people leaving Australia’s biggest city for greener pastures.
Some departees head to other major cities, such as Brisbane or the Gold Coast, where there are employment opportunities and homes are cheaper. Others go to regional cities where wages are not so different from the big cities in many industries but house prices are vastly lower.
- It’s about lifestyle
The increasingly hectic hustle and bustle of our two biggest cities are starting to play on people’s nerves. Many mums and dads in Sydney, in particular, complain of long commutes to work – exacerbated by ongoing population growth, resulting in less time with their families at home.
Life in regional areas is much easier, with work and recreation options all a short distance away. Many of our regional agents are meeting many city departees who are citing traffic and overcrowding as major reasons for their relocation away from the big CBDs, with cheaper house prices secondary.
- Let’s talk about the weather
Weather is also a factor in some interstate migration, with the well-worn path from Melbourne and Sydney to South-East Queensland still a popular choice amongst young families, downsizers and retirees.
The data showed arrivals from NSW and Victoria to Queensland were at their highest levels in around 15 years. NSW arrivals alone accounted for almost half of the Sunshine State’s total interstate arrivals in the year to September 2018.
It is also interesting to note that arrivals from NSW and Queensland to Tasmania, where the weather is noticeably cooler, were also at their highest levels since 2004 and 2008 respectively.
Australians have traditionally always chased the sun but perhaps climate change impacts, such as more 40-degree days in summer, might persuade more people to venture south in future years?
- And then there’s transport improvements
We continue to see families from Sydney and Melbourne moving to commuter towns within 90 minutes of the CBD, such as the Central Coast and Wollongong in NSW and Geelong and Ballarat in Victoria, where homes are cheaper and better transport makes commuting easier than ever before.
Semi retirees or senior executives who only need to be in the CBD periodically are increasingly seeking a change of pace in lifestyle locations such as Port Macquarie, Byron Bay and the Blue Mountains, where improvements in air services and roads have enabled a faster commute.
- Technology and work flexibility changes
Advances in technology are allowing many people to escape the big city life and commence start-ups in beautiful lifestyle locations.
Forward-thinking organisations are also allowing more flexible work arrangements, such as letting some employees work from home. In such cases, many families have relocated to lifestyle areas that have easy transport options back to the cities. All they need is a strong broadband connection.
Australia is a beautiful country that enables any individual or family to discover their dream lifestyle.
Advances in technology, workplace reform and improving transport are giving us many more options than previous generations who needed to congregate in the traditional job hubs of our capital cities.