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Hidden bungalow smashes Melb auction weekend<\/a><\/p>\n But Southbank, Berwick, Docklands and Point Cook have emerged as the city\u2019s strongest upgrader suburbs, with positive price gaps from $65,000 to $97,000 as movers found higher-value homes, bigger family layouts or more desirable locations.<\/p>\n Overall, Melbourne recorded more upward than downward moves, with 51 per cent of movers shifting to higher-value homes and 46 per cent moving lower.<\/p>\n Find a Mover founder and director Howe Tran said the figures showed a clear split between capital city markets where residents were still moving up and those under more pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing across the five capitals is a clear split,\u201d Mr Tran said.<\/p>\n \u201cMelbourne has been rock solid on the property ladder, positive every single quarter for three years. No other capital has managed that.<\/p>\n \u201cSydney and Adelaide are feeling the most pressure. Both have had multiple negative quarters and the data shows people in those markets are finding it harder to move up.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big picture is simple. In Melbourne and Brisbane, people are choosing to spend more. In Sydney and Adelaide, more people are being forced to spend less.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that Melbourne\u2019s upgrade opportunities had not disappeared, but were increasingly concentrated in different types of suburbs such as Southbank and Berwick.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd there\u2019s clearly strong interstate interest in Melbourne, especially from Sydney and Brisbane, which tells you something about how people see Melbourne\u2019s value compared to those markets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Alba Prop director Tom Mifsud said the figures reflected a practical problem for families trying to upgrade: whether they could find the right house, not just the right suburb.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue with some suburbs is not always the suburb itself. It is the housing stock,\u201d Mr Mifsud said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at somewhere like Reservoir or Werribee and I can understand why they may be seen as harder for some upgraders.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not necessarily because they are bad suburbs. It is because a lot of the homes may not have that fourth bedroom or the layout a family upgrader is looking for.<\/p>\n \u201cThat fourth bedroom is a big deal. It might sound simple, but for a family it can be the difference between \u2018this works\u2019 and \u2018this does not work\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Mifsud said many upgraders were chasing the extra bedroom, second living area, backyard, garage and study that would make a home work for the next 10 years.<\/p>\n \u201cA suburb can be cheaper, but if the houses do not solve the buyer\u2019s problem, it will not necessarily attract the upgrader,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the other hand, a suburb can be further out, but if it gives them the fourth bedroom, the land, the schools, the family lifestyle and a manageable mortgage, then it becomes a serious option.\u201d<\/p>\n Buyer\u2019s advocate Madeleine Roberts said Berwick\u2019s result was unsurprising given its appeal to families seeking land, greenery and value for money. The MR Advocacy director said suburbs where movers were shifting lower should not be written off, but the trend could suggest some homeowners were unable to afford the next step up in the same area.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re selling, but they\u2019re not able to keep up and upsize in the same market, so they probably need to consider other suburbs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re getting priced out at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n Melbourne hardest suburbs to upgrade <\/p>\n Sunbury: -$45,000 price gap<\/p>\n Reservoir: -$28,000 price gap<\/p>\n Werribee: -$18,000 price gap<\/p>\n Brunswick: +$2000 price gap<\/p>\n Tarneit: +$2000 price gap<\/p>\n Melbourne strongest upgrader suburbs<\/p>\n Southbank: +$97,000 price gap<\/p>\n Berwick: +$84,000 price gap<\/p>\n Point Cook: +$72,000 price gap<\/p>\n Docklands: +$65,000 price gap<\/p>\n Craigieburn: +$46,000 price gap<\/p>\n Find a Mover compared residential moves from May 2023 to May 2026 property type and bedroom count to estimate whether people moved to higher or lower-value homes. Figures only include moves where values could be estimated at both the origin and destination.<\/p>\n Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here <\/a>to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.<\/p>\n MORE: \u2018Just incredible\u2019: Why Vic landlords are fleeing state \u2018Inevitable\u2019: Grim housing crisis warning for Victorians<\/a><\/p>\n david.bonaddio@news.com.au<\/p>\n Originally published as Melbourne suburbs where homeowners are being priced out of an upgrade<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Block](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/c0c7f2d3d91bf913cce3baa49aadbc5a.webp\")
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\u201cI speak to a lot of people who are considering buying in Berwick, so I\u2019m not surprised by that,\u201d Ms Roberts said.<\/p>\n
Bullish Geelong sale offers gives healthy outlook<\/a><\/p>\n