Australia’s under the radar boom suburbs for 2026 have been predicted in a financial services firm report.
The report by Your Future Strategy claims that Australia’s property growth cycle this year will not be led by prestige or inner-city suburbs, but instead those “second-tier” suburbs where infrastructure and lifestyle are improving.
Areas in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne with developing public transport infrastructure and steady buyer demand were in particular focus.
Public transport projects like the Parramatta Metro were a common theme among the suburbs to watch this year. Picture: Supplied.
Whether investing or buying a forever home, Your Future Strategy managing director Gareth Croy said the next phase of the market would reward buyers who avoided one key mistake.
“The biggest mistake buyers make is chasing yesterday’s boom,” he said.
“The strongest growth in 2026 will come from suburbs where infrastructure is already locked in, supply is constrained and lifestyle has caught up, even if the postcode hasn’t yet.”
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The report listed Parramatta as one of Sydney’s top suburbs to watch. Picture: Supplied.
Your Future Strategy named Parramatta and South Campsie as the top Sydney suburbs to watch, owing to their transport investment and shifting buyer behaviour.
Data from the report shows Parramatta house prices rose 5.9 per cent last quarter and 8.7 per cent over the year.
Mr Croy said the Metro West, Parramatta Light Rail and major employment anchors were reshaping buyer demand in Sydney’s ‘second CBD’.
“Parramatta isn’t emerging anymore, it has arrived,” he said.
“When you combine hospitals, universities, offices and transport at scale, you create permanent housing demand.
“That’s why Parramatta keeps outperforming expectations.”
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This two-bedroom home in Campsie, NSW sold for $1.68m in December.
Further south, Mr Croy said Campsie was benefiting from the Sydenham–Bankstown rail upgrade and renewed family demand.
It’s median recorded an 8.8 per cent quarterly improvement and grew 13.4 per cent annually, signalling accelerating momentum ahead of 2026.
“Campsie is a classic mid-ring squeeze,” he said.
“Affordability relative to neighbouring suburbs is closing fast, days-on-market are tightening, and supply isn’t keeping up.
“That’s a powerful mix.”
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Raphael and Kate Tripet moved from Sydney to Brisbane for a better value home. They also own investment properties in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied.
Some investors say they are finding better value outside of Sydney.
Brisbane couple Raphael and Kate Tripet left Sydney two years ago when they struggled to find value in the market.
They moved from Miranda, in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, to Carindale, in Brisbane’s eastern corridor, buying up a $1.327m, four-bedroom home.
“We were starting a family and looking to get a freestanding family home,” Mr Tripet said.
“Unless we were going very far away from the CBD or we were compromising a lot on what we wanted, we couldn’t really find anything in Sydney that we could afford.”
Mr Tripet said it took four months after arriving in Brisbane for them to purchase their family home.
“What we really loved with Brisbane,” he said, “was that it was very lively.”
“It’s still a big city, but it’s family-friendly, very spacious and we have a lot of activities to do with the kids.”
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A Bracken Ridge, QLD home which sold for $1.025m in December.
The Tripets chose Carindale thanks to its school catchments, free standing homes and street appeal.
Raphael, a software engineer, and Kate, a finance manager, have been active investors in the property market, buying and selling homes around the country over the last few years.
For their next investment they have their sights set on Bracken Ridge and Kedron – Your Future Strategy’s top suburbs to watch in Brisbane.
Bracken Ridge, in Brisbane’s north, delivered 7.8 per cent annual growth while prices in inner-north Kedron grew 12.8 per cent.
“Suburbs that can’t sprawl tend to outperform over time,” Mr Croy said.
“Bracken Ridge is effectively landlocked, vacancies are tight, and yields remain competitive, that’s why demand stays resilient.”
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This home on Boothby St in Kedron, Qld sold for $1.32m in December.
The sale reflects what the suburb’s median of $1.394m can get.
Kedron’s inner-north position, Mr Croy added, continues to attract both families and investors.
“Proximity to the CBD, character homes and strong school zones create a stable buyer base,” he said.
“That balance protects prices even in softer conditions.”
Another area where the Tripets have already bought an investment property is Melbourne’s Box Hill – one of Victoria’s suburbs to watch this year.
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A home in Box Hill, Victoria, which sold for $1.565m last year.
Box Hill, in Melbourne’s east, has a median house price of $1.6m.
Box Hill’s infrastructure, Mr Croy said, underpins steady growth, with the median house price growing 3.2 per cent over the last year.
“Box Hill has hospitals, schools, transport and rental demand, fundamentals that don’t disappear just because a year cools,” he said,
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Your Future Strategy managing director Gareth Croy.
Mr Croy also noted the affordability of Werribee West in Melbourne’s south west.
The area has a $580,000 median, showed positive quarterly growth and planned projects like the Suburban Rail Loop West are set to improve connectivity.
“Werribee West shows what happens when affordability meets infrastructure,” Mr Croy said.
“Once commute times drop, demand follows.”
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