Ballarat is booming but there’s no denying that time is of the essence if you’re considering building in this beautiful Regional Victorian town.
‘Ballarat is popular! There’s been huge demand in the area for the last few years, which has been pushed into overdrive thanks to COVID-19,’ explains our local building expert and New Homes Consultant, James Belsar. ‘Land is selling anywhere between 12 months and two years from title, and the timeframes are only pushing out further.’
To help you get started – in the right area and with the right home design – our team have put together your go-to cheat sheet for building in Ballarat.
2. Trending floorplans
Larger families tend to gravitate towards the spacious single storey home designs – such as the Riviera and Barcelona. Whereas, young first or second home buyers in Ballarat are opting for the affordable, compact and clever 23 to 26 square floorplans, such as the Oslo or Havana.
Are you sitting on a smaller block of land with an amazing view? Double storey floorplans such as the Parkville are also extremely popular, advises James.
3. Facades that give you an edge
Given its regional location, it’s little surprise that our luxurious Hamptons facades are trending in Ballarat. That said, the Ballarat market is quickly developing an appetite for new home styles.
‘People are trying to move away from the older, unappealing face brick. Our facades are already an upgrade from the norm, but we’re seeing lots of people opting for both the traditional Hamptons-style facades as well as ultra-modernist options such as the Escala,’ says James.
4. What to expect when living in Ballarat
The beauty of Ballarat is that it has all the attractions of the city without the traffic or hefty price tags. Everything is 15 minutes from your door, including pubs, bars, restaurants, shops, schools, gyms, cafes – the list goes on. And it’s all just an hour train ride from the Melbourne CBD.
‘You can get into a family home with room for the kids to play for exactly what you’d spend on a townhome in Melbourne,’ says James.
‘Ballarat has amazing lakes, gardens, and parklands, some of the best public and private schools in the state and incredible private and public hospitals alongside a huge health care sector.’
5. Build mindsets to avoid
Price growth is a double-edged sword in Ballarat and comes with its own set of considerations. With skyrocketing land values, do you build a premium home to make the most of your investment? Or do you keep your budget tight, given you’ve paid a little extra for the land?
For James, it’s nearly always worth upgrading your home to a level designed for maximum comfort. ‘Remember, people who bought six months ago also felt the same way about land prices at the time – and look at prices now! The growth will come,’ he says.
Are you a Melbourne local looking to join the Ballarat property market or a Ballarat local sitting on land and ready to build?
Take the next step on your journey and contact our Ballarat New Homes Consultant, James Belsar, or visit him at our Riviera 32 home situated in Lucas Display Village.