As a Sydney mortgage broker, I’m of the mind that a home just shouldn’t look good – properties for sale are to suit a purpose. Which isn’t entirely a ground-breaking statement, but with so many people buying off the plan, I need to emphasise that a home has a job to do. Whether that’s to suitably house a growing family, or suit the needs of a growing community, a home in Sydney needs to do something more than just look nice.
And if with housing vacancy at an all-time low, it makes sense to combine practicality with community, context and design. The ABS reported that Sydney would be the first Australian city to boast a population of 5 million. While this is a testament to our great city’s enduring popularity and livability, it also means that the property market has to change to suit the city’s growing need for more housing.
Sydney’s changing, and with it, so too are residential developments. Is going up the answer? Perhaps. Whether they’re built to house hundreds or family of 4, these Sydney properties for sale combine beauty and function with great results.
Rising Ryde, Ryde
New-York-based studio Architensions recently released the design for its shortlisted project, Rising Ryde for the Ryde Civic Center. From the looks of things, Ryde is set for a large, hill-shaped building that injects a dose of nature into the otherwise industrial area.
Just another apartment block? It most certainly is not. Its “transparent walls” (read: glass) create a sense of openness that is supposed to connect the building with urban life. It’s a great step towards to housing more of Sydney’s residents outside of the standard high-rise structure that’s often imposing, and well, ugly.
The Horizon Tower, Darlinghurst
Where would an article on functional architecture be without mention of Harry Seidler? As one of Sydney’s pioneering architects, the late Austrian expat is the brains by The Horizon Tower in Darlinghurst. The 43-storey apartment building enjoys views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. But it’s not just another apartment block with a panoramic view. Seidler preemptively designed the units to be flexible and unseemingly spacious, allowing residents to easily convert a 3-bedroom unit into a 2-bedroom unit with an extended living space, and vice versa. Makes sense for today’s changing housing market which requires increased flexibility.
Sheffield – Thornton, Penrith
Described as a “new level of prestige”, this Western suburbs apartment block sold out within hours. The sales attracted a lot of first home buyers keen to own their slice of the Sydney property market, plus their very own view of the Blue Mountains.No.1 Lachlan, Waterloo
“Green space and style, all in one” is the clever tag-line spouted by this new property development in inner-city Sydney. Aspirational, yes, but it’s encouraging to see developments like this try to recreate a neighbourhood-feel in a sky-high building. With Sydney families taking a European approach to housing with an increase in apartment living, it makes sense to turn the unfriendly apartment block into its very own community of sorts. It boasts a residents-only rooftop, providing a means for home owners to mingle with the built-in community, giving the designer flats a village-like feel. And the cherry on-top? The development is to also house a child-care centre.
There are many more Sydney properties for sale which demonstrate an increasingly popular approach to re-thinking property ownership. Remember – this is your home, not just a place to sleep in. Whether you’re buying a home with friends using a property share loan or buying a single bedroom apartment, your Sydney home has to suit your ever-changing needs.
Need a hand deciding? I’m always happy to help and only an email away.