Author: Eliza

The rental crunch continues to see prices soar in most parts of the country, but renters can still find desirable suburbs where they’ll be paying the same, if not less than pre-pandemic.

As life post-Covid normalises, rents are edging back to what they were in 2019, but new analysis from PropTrack shows some pockets still have medians that haven’t budged.

“While population growth has restarted and international students are returning, they are not yet at the same levels we were seeing pre-Covid,” PropTrack economist Anne Flaherty said.

“Suburbs that rely on these residents are continuing to see rents below pre-COVID levels.

“With white collar workers spending less time in their offices, many are continuing to favour outer suburban and regional areas, hampering the recovery of inner-city areas.”

Suburbs in Melbourne and Sydney have seen the biggest decreases in price since March 2020.

Pyrmont in Sydney had the largest price drop

A renovated, single-fronted Victorian home in Carlton North scored a mega $310,000 premium under the hammer on Saturday.

The three-bedroom pad at 14 Amess St was completely refurbished about 12 years ago, now featuring polished timber floorboards, three spacious bedrooms, two bathrooms and a stylish kitchen with Miele appliances.

Four buyers fought for the keys at auction, which Nelson Alexander Carlton North director Nicholas West said mostly attracted downsizers and “empty nesters”.

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“(The buyers) valued that location and the accommodation over one level,” Mr West said.

“Most homes

Behind the period brick facade of an 1890s Moonee Ponds house lies an entertainer’s dream backyard complete with a pool, gas fireplace and an arbour of climbing greenery.

The four-bedroom home in a “blue-ribbon location” at 100 Park St is listed with a $3.2m-$3.45m price guide that would double the $1.56m local median.

Barry Plant Essendon director Bill Karp said the owners of almost 30 years had extended and renovated the property across the past decade.

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They have added multiple covered and paved spaces, a granite benchtop, a television mounted on a wall near the fireplace and manicured landscaping in the north-facing rear garden.

The iron lacework

Lou Wall is a multi-award winning comedian, composer and content creator.

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First Home

My first home was a tiny shack my parents named “Wall Hall”. It was on about an acre (0.4ha) of land in the bush in the Snowy Mountains, 15 minutes drive from the nearby town.

I only lived there for a year, so I remember nothing, but my Mum tells me it was on the Murrumbidgee Creek, that she would watch platypus duck under the stream as she ate her