Buyer's Guide to this Bellevue Hill Neighbourhood
James Dunn is born and bred Eastern Suburbs, growing up in Bellevue Hill on Suttie Road and has been servicing the area since 2004.
Diverse mix of people
Around Bellevue Road you'll find more apartments, younger couples, singles and downsizers than some of the more suburban areas of Bellevue Hill.
Lifestyle factors
I loved growing up around this area because it has Cooper Park, which has got tennis courts, I’m also a very keen surfer and it’s an easy drive down to Bronte or Tamarama to surf but then you’re not there in the thick of things, you can kind of get away from it.
On Bellevue Road there’s been a lot of great cafes which have just opening up, and great little restaurants, so it’s become a really desirable area to live.
Zoning changes are driving development
On certain streets here you can subdivide the land, Carlotta Road has now got the R3 zoning, and you’re starting to see quite a lot of neighbours coming together and selling in one line, to either put in blocks of apartments or what have you.
This has just happened recently on Bellevue Road, a sale off market, the neighbours are looking to join the two properties together and put on six apartments.
On the other streets near by like Suttie Road, Kulgoa or Victoria, the zoning there is more the fact that they are just doing additions to the house, knocking the house down, building a new house, or just renovating what's currently there or adding a new level if it’s a single little bungalow.
High demand for one bedders
Interestingly now a lot of one bedrooms places seem to be in higher demand and the prices for them are also really high, what I’ve noticed is a lot of people don’t seem to be getting married until their thirties now, and by the time you’re mid, late twenties you don’t really want to living with three other people, so the one bedroom rental demand is very strong and that’s the same on the sales side now too.
Apartment lifestyles are becoming more appealing
I’ve sold quite a few apartments in this area and it’s interesting to see that a lot of the younger families now like the lifestyle of having an apartment, easy to lock up and leave, you don’t have to worry about maintaining the gardens and the pools, more sort of a European or New York lifestyle.
Personally I think this trend will start come into play quite a bit more, people are so busy these days and time poor that they don’t want to have to worry about cleaning the big pool and doing the garden, they can live close to all the amenities and take their kids to the beaches which are close by, that seems to be what they prefer.
People move here for the schooling options alone
There's lots of quality schools accessible from Bellevue Hill, you’ve got Cranbrook which is pretty close which I went to, Cranbrook and Scots are close, then you’ve got Holy Cross and Reddam which are not too far away, I know people that are buying here specifically so they can get their kids up towards Reddam and also Cranbrook, and then Ascham’s close as well.
Parents are investing in apartments for their kids
There’s plenty of investors here particularly closer to Double Bay or Bellevue Road, and a lot of them seem to be parents who own houses in Woollahra, Bellevue Hill, or bigger house in Double Bay.
Their kids go to Cranbrook , Ascham, Scots or Reddam or what have you and they are buying little investment properties for the them for the future.