Are you looking for a vintage property? Perhaps a historic terrace in Surry Hills?

Or do you prefer the lock-and-leave lifestyle of a beachside apartment in the Northern Beaches?

Boasting a picturesque combination of beach and city, Sydney is one of Australia’s most popular cities to buy a property.

Whether you’re tired of renting or ready for a homeowner lifestyle, there are many hidden property gems to discover for homebuyers in Sydney.

Instead of knocking on different doors for property inspections on weekends, Listing Loop can offer you easy access to a hidden Sidney property market just waiting to be discovered.

Buying Off-Market Is a Great Way to Find a Hidden Gem Property

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-1bs4_AAK0&t=7s

A property that’s not advertised publicly for sale is considered off-market. These properties can be grouped into two categories:

• Pre-market - This is when a property is coming to market but needs to be prepared and photographed.
• Silent Listing - Ideal for people who want to be discrete and avoid a flashy marketing campaign.

Related: Buy off-market properties for sale in Sydney

Where to Find 'Hidden Gems' In Sydney

Do you want to beat other buyers in the frenzied Sydney property market and find the home of your dreams?

Change your location. Avoid the hassle, and save time and money by shifting your search to an area of lesser activity.

If you choose to settle in an up-and-coming location such as Petersham, Bexley, or Padstow Heights, your home will improve in value faster than if you buy in an established neighbourhood.

There are three rules you need to keep in mind when searching for hidden property gems in Sydney:

Avoid Popular Areas

The prestige of a location will likely see buyers fork out more for a standard house.

Data collected by Westpac shows the most popular Sydney suburbs where hidden gems are cheaper to buy than in the more popular neighbouring suburbs.

Suppose you want to buy a house in Baulkham Hills, the third most popular suburb in Sydney. You should consider travelling 8kms further to Seven Hills, where the community offers similar amenities, yet the average home price is 34.1% cheaper.

Identify Your Ideal Neighbourhood

Every suburb or neighbourhood will offer similar amenities, lifestyle and properties.

Have a checklist of the relevant factors that would make you put down roots and raise a family in a particular area. The main features to consider include:

• Good schools
• Low crime rate
• Easy access to roads

Check Next Door

You don't have to choose between a neighbourhood close to the city and one on its outskirts. Two communities can be located side by side and still have a huge difference in house prices.

How to Spot Hidden Property Gems

For buyers looking to find a bargain, reports that areas such as the Northern Beaches no longer have suburbs below the average house price of $1 million can be discouraging.

So how do you spot that excellent hidden gem that others might pass by without breaking the bank?

Understand What Makes a Great Property

You need to look beyond a fresh coat of paint and fancy furnishings to spot a property with real value.

If other buyers overlook a house that looks dilapidated but has the potential to increase in value after minor renovations, it could be your chance to score a solid and decent bargain.

Arm yourself with some insider knowledge and a clear understanding of the features to look for.

Identify Would Be Sellers

If you spot a hidden gem you like, ask your real estate agent about it. You can identify potential properties based on style, land size or a street-by-street basis.

Professional property data from CoreLogic will make the process easier and faster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-1bs4_AAK0&t=7s

Future Infrastructure Projects

Look for suburbs and neighbourhoods that support infrastructure development. Get as much insider information as possible from the local council about both government and private projects in the pipeline.

Gentrification report

Gentrification figures for a specific area will give you the exact timelines for when the area will urbanise or not.

If the demographic shift in the area is noticeable, identify and buy the property you want before the prices increase.

Let Agents Know You’re Looking

Touch base with your real estate agent so that they can make sure you're signed up to Listing Loop.

Research agents’ market share

• Which agent has the impetus for sales?
• Who has a successful closing for the location and type of property you’re searching for?

Befriend your agent

• Can your agent approach potential vendors on your behalf?
• Take advantage of your agent’s existing rapport with potential vendors and find out who may or may not be willing to sell.

Related: How to discover secret listed properties for sale

Should You Buy a Sydney Property?

Although a hot property market is putting off many buyers, shrewd property investors and buyers know that now’s the time to snap up a hidden treasure.

Here are four reasons why Sydney’s property market is the best it’s been in a decade:

• Forecast for strong growth – Economic forecasters are in consensus that the city's property markets will surge strongly in the next few years. ANZ Bank reported increases of 9% in 2021, Riskwise predicts 8-12% growth in the same year, while Westpac forecasts values of up to 14% in 2022-23.
• It’s a seller’s market – While there are few bargains to be found currently, being a seller's market means properties purchased today will look like a bargain in the future.
• It's resilient – Housing values fell by only -3.0% in the worst of the Covid pandemic. Since then there has been a considerable resurgence in buyer activity in the recovery period as compared to other markets.
• Homeowners are upgrading – Many Australians are looking to upgrade their lifestyle by moving to larger houses and neighbourhoods with community facilities and recreational resources. Many areas of Sydney are perfect in this regard.

Get a Head Start Today

Homebuyers who shop with Listing Loop can gain a head start on the competition that keeps driving property prices up. Sign up now to discover pre-market and off-market properties you didn’t even know existed.

Searching off-market gives buyers the chance to arrange a private inspection instead of visiting jam-packed open homes.

Listing Loop often gets to see the best options first before they’re marketed to the masses online.

Expand Your Search

Identifying a property that fits your criteria is of utmost importance but in a hot market this may require expanding your search criteria.

Are you ready to unearth that hidden treasure just waiting for you? Sign up to Listing Loop today and discover the hottest new listings first.

We’re here to help

We're always happy to help with all the dramas and stressors of house buying and selling.

And if you're particularly tired of house-hunting, we've even partnered with buyer advocates who can check out homes for you and organise sales assessments and negotiations.

Our off-market and pre-market marketplace gives you VIP access to properties so you can get in first.

Just sign up at Listing Loop or download our app.

Photo by Dan Freeman / CC BY