House vs unit: areas with smallest and biggest price gaps
House and unit prices have begun to converge in many Sydney areas, with new data showing property seekers can get houses for only marginally more than a unit in some locations.
The exclusive Ray White research indicated the average difference between units and houses in certain western suburbs was as little as 20 per cent – well below trend for Sydney, where houses are typically about 80 per cent pricier than units.
The narrowing of house and unit prices in some areas has followed a long run of unit price increases since interest rates began to rise in early 2022.
Higher rates forced more buyers to target cheaper units and the resulting increase in competition pushed up apartment prices – especially in suburbs west of Parramatta.
There has also been large scale unit development, which has meant units are often a lot newer than the local house stock and this has attracted a premium.
Western Sydney suburb Lethbridge Park had one of the tightest gaps between unit and house prices. A unit or townhouse in the area cost an average $647,000, while houses cost $838,000 – just 22 per cent, or $190,000 more, according to Ray White.
The analysis revealed that by boosting your budget between 20-25 per cent, buyers in St Clair, Gorokan, Kanwal, Charmhaven and Cambridge Park could buy houses instead of units.
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On the other hand, apartments offered an entry into some of Sydney's most sought-after and expensive markets, where the analysis revealed the difference between the two dwelling types was an eye-watering $3m.
Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee said the areas with a smaller price gap likely had older houses competing with newer apartments and townhouses.
'But if you're looking long term and might do a renovation project or a knockdown rebuild, there's opportunity there,' she said.
That climate contrasted with much of the north shore, including suburbs Greenwich and Riverview, where money-conscious buyers were far better off buying a unit.
Apartments in these areas cost about $1.07m compared to the median price of a house at $4.06m, a saving of almost $3m.
It was a similar story for nearby Mosman, along with eastern suburbs Bellevue Hill, Dover Heights and Rose Bay.
Ms Conisbee said Aussies in most city areas would need to embrace apartment living for affordability reasons but those who could afford houses would benefit from more capital growth.
'When we look overall at a city, houses do generally outperform apartments,' she said.
Buyers advocate Cate Bakos said it came down to the buyer's needs.
'If their dominant need is location I'll be talking to them about a unit if they're priced out of a suburb. If their dominant need is the dwelling size and the long tenure of the home, we look at houses,' Ms Bakos said.
Eddie Dilleen, one of the country's most successful investors, found purchasing a unit was more cost affective in building a large property portfolio.
'About 70 per cent of my portfolio is affordable units, townhouses and villas and I've had better results with these kids of properties,' he said.
Rose and Dave Ung decided to flip the narrative and sold their suburban family home to move into a three-bedroom apartment in Rhodes with their two kids and dog.
'(We're) well connected with public transport, we have immediate access to parklands,' Ms Ung said.
'There is such a big (price) difference between the houses, a couple million dollar difference … we have a three bed apartment and study, so it's quite generous and works for our family, there wasn't a benefit in forking out a couple extra million.
'What I like about apartment life is the community aspect, shops, convenience of things, I've connected with the community and the local cafe owner … in our house we didn't even have a favourite cafe.'
Billbergia's development director planning and design Saul Moran buyers aren't necessarily prioritising houses and land but 'liveability, the convenience of living close to amenity and transport'.
Rhodes residents in Bilbergia's Oasis and Peake buildings could access a pool, spa, kids splash zone, table tennis, work from home break outpaces and an off-leash dog park that added another element of convenience for the residents, he added.
'It's the evolving nature of the great Australian dream that's more viable in the modern economic world,' he said.
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News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
You should delete yourself from the internet: here's how
If you feel like most of the calls you're getting at the moment are from 'The Visa MasterCard fraud department' or you're getting bombarded by texts from Clive Palmer 's lackeys, then your data has probably been bought and sold. Your name, mobile number, email address and possibly even home address are likely showing up on the databases of data brokers, available to the highest bidder or, worse, anyone who knows where to look. In the best case scenario, this data is being used to try and sell you stuff, in the worst case scenario, it's being combined with other data for identity theft. The good news is that you can take some of the control back and remove yourself from many of these databases. Turns out it's not even that complicated if you're willing to dedicate a little time or money to the problem. The only issue is that it's going to be a Sisyphean task. Dr Arash Shanghagi, a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security at the University of New South Wales says that while this process can seem like a hassle, it's necessary. 'People opt out of data broker databases to protect their privacy and reduce risks like identity theft, fraud, or aggressive marketing. Brokers collect and sell personal details. This can include names, addresses, phone numbers, and even financial data. Often without consent,' he said. 'This exposure can make you a target. Here's a familiar example: 'Hi Alice, this is Sarah from your energy provider. We've noticed unusual usage at your home on 10 Sydney Street. To secure your account, can you confirm your billing details?' It sounds legitimate because they know your name and address. But it's a scam. That kind of info is often bought from data brokers and used to trick people into giving up payment info or login credentials. By removing yourself from these databases, you're not just cleaning up your digital footprint. You're reducing attack surface. The goal is to reclaim control and make it harder for bad actors to exploit personal data.' If you want to get a sense of what data of yours is out there, there's a free tool from Google called 'Results About You' which will periodically scan the internet to see if your name, email address, phone number and/or home address has shown up in any of the data bases or 'people search' websites it checks. If data is found, you can start the process to request its removal. It's a very simple, low stakes tool. A Google spokesperson told that Results About You is just one of the tools Google makes available so people can take control of their privacy: 'We provide people with a range of tools to help safeguard their online information and mitigate the risk of identity theft. Beyond robust security features like Security Checkup, My Activity offers valuable insight into online activity, enabling people to investigate suspicious activity on their account. Google also actively sends notifications if it detects suspicious activity on your account to help you prevent unauthorised access and secure your information. Additionally, our 'Results about you' tool allows for the removal of personal contact information from Search, further enhancing privacy.' When I tried the Results About You tool, nothing came up for me, even though I know my data is out there, judging purely on the amount of spam and prank calls I get. While those free Google tools are a good place to start, they don't cover the full breadth of what's out there. Dr Shanghagi also says that it's worth being weary of data protection and privacy tools released by a company whose primary business is selling data. 'I think a healthy dose of scepticism is justified. Google's core business is built on data-driven advertising, so when they offer a tool like 'Results About You,' it's worth noting what it actually does – and doesn't do. It only removes your personal info from Google search results, not from the original data broker sites. It is a very narrow offering from a company that thrives on data. Use it, sure. But don't mistake it for real protection. Always pair it with more comprehensive tools and be mindful of how much data you're handing over to Google and other online services.' Step two: Use premium services to go even further Services like DeleteMe, PrivacyBee, Mozilla Monitor and Optery are set up to scan the internet and, depending on what account tier you pick, delete all your data on your behalf. Lawrence Gentilello, CEO and Founder of Optery told that when it comes to the databases of data brokers, his company understands the stakes. 'The personal information collected by data brokers is compiled into extremely detailed profiles. The information in these profiles can be used against people in harmful ways. It's both a privacy issue and a security issue. Most people don't want their private details made available publicly or for sale. The scale and granularity of data collection is beyond what most people would even imagine, sometimes including tens of thousands of sub-attributes and inferences about a person's behaviour, which may or may not be accurate. There is a widespread pattern of data brokers failing to adequately vet their customers, some of whom are malicious actors. Millions of dollars have been stolen from vulnerable consumers using brokered data.' 'Data brokers get hacked, and when they do, the personal profiles they've compiled are often sold by cybercriminals on the dark web. Data broker profiles enable phishing attacks, voice and messaging scams, identity theft, and fraud. They also pose a physical danger by enabling doxing, stalking, harassment, and violence. And so personal data removal is important for both digital and physical security. People in high-profile or high-risk roles — such as executives, journalists, law enforcement, and judges — use personal data removal to prevent malicious actors from showing up at their homes.' The data that services like Optery uncover and delete goes deeper than just your name and addresses, but things like your real time location, your favourite order at that place you have a loyalty card with, political preference, mental health status, device usage, and religion. Gentilello told us 'This data is packaged and sold to marketers, political groups, law enforcement, private investigators, and virtually anyone through subscription-based platforms. The datasets include inferred characteristics, life events, spending habits, and real-time or historical geolocation data.' 'Some brokers openly advertise data on US government employees, military personnel, students, elderly Americans, and even people with Alzheimer's or cancer. This kind of profiling is used for targeted advertising, lead generation, and identity verification, but it can just as easily be used for scams, discrimination, or surveillance. Malicious actors can buy pre-packaged datasets to identify and exploit vulnerable populations. Companies may also use this data to make decisions about you — whether you qualify for a loan, get hired, or receive certain services — without you ever knowing it.' With Optery, you can sign up for free, get a report on what private data more than 645 websites have on you. You can then manually remove yourself from these databases for free, or you can subscribe to various tiers to have Optery opt out of these databases for you. Because most of these services are US-based, most of their targets are also American, but the local options appear to be limited and this is better than nothing. Step three: The nuclear option Fully deleting yourself from the entire internet is likely an impossible task, but if you want to keep going after deleting yourself from these data broker sites, there are a few things you can do: Delete your account from any social media websites you're a part of. Some will allow you to just scrub your account from the settings, while others will require you use third party tools to delete your posts, and then you have to contact the service directly to request they delete your account, this doesn't guarantee that the company won't keep their data on you, but it will usually mean it stops being public (though it won't delete it from any internet archives that may have archived). Delete your accounts in any apps that you've made accounts. This might also involve contacting the company to request your data is deleted. Then, once you've deleted the account, delete the app and all its data from your phone. Once you've deleted any public profiles or accounts of yourself from the original sites, if you want to go really scorched Earth, you can then contact The Internet Archive to delete any archives of your data by emailing info@ To then stay off the radar without completely withdrawing from society, you can use a few different tools when looking at buying devices or using apps. First, consult Mozilla's Privacy Not Included database to gauge the creepiness level of the device or service you're looking for to see if there's one whose policies you're comfortable with. Another great tool is the Terms of Service: Didn't Read website, which sums up terms of service documents so you can understand what you're agreeing to without wading through all the legalese. Alternative step three: the more alert but not alarmed option Dr Shanghagi also recommends the following habits as a middle ground if you don't want to delete yourself completely: • Use privacy-first tools: Browsers like Brave or Firefox, along with ad blockers, can cut down on invisible tracking and surveillance. • Use alias emails and phone numbers: Services like Firefox Relay or SimpleLogin let you mask your real contact info when signing up for things online. • Create a 'privacy-first' identity: For newsletters, online stores, or giveaways, use a separate email and minimal real info. Keep your primary identity for essentials only. • Be mindful on social media: Oversharing is a goldmine for data brokers. Share less, and when in doubt, leave it out. • Avoid 'Sign in with Google' or Facebook logins: They may save time, but they link your activity across platforms. This is not great for privacy. • Tighten your settings: Check your privacy settings regularly across social, email, and mobile accounts. Do not trust the defaults. • Use a VPN: It hides your IP address and encrypts your internet traffic. Very useful when on public Wi-Fi or travelling. • Opt out where you can: Unsubscribe from marketing lists and use opt-out tools or services to remove your info from broker databases. Be selective with online forms: Skip the optional fields. your birthdate or phone number often isn't necessary. The goal isn't to disappear. It's to be intentional. A little effort goes a long way in protecting your digital footprint.' Generally, if it's not something a company has to know to provide whatever service it is for require, you don't actually have to give them any real information. Have fun coming up with your alias, and make sure it's something you can remember, so your real identity stays safe. Another thing that came up repeatedly from the experts we spoke to, and the guides we read is to use privacy focused web browsers, like Firefox and Brave, and to make use of privacy focused extensions. Good luck out there.
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