In 2022, the NSW town of North Rothbury appeared on CoreLogic’s Hedonic Home Value Index of regional top performers, which in turn had investors scrambling for the map. The explanation? North Rothbury shares the postcode with the Hunter Valley’s newest masterplanned development, Huntlee.
Situated just north of the Pokolbin wine region, Huntlee’s impressive new town centre welcomes you with open arms. The main hub has all your essential shopping and personal needs. There’s a daycare, medical centre, Coles supermarket [see image scroller at bottom], a tavern [see scroller], and speciality shops. And the new gym and wellness centre, Huntlee Fitness, is just weeks from opening its doors.
Life at Huntlee certainly does seem relaxed. Having the vineyards at your doorstep means there’s a few years’ worth of quality weekends within a very short drive of here. However, it turns out Huntlee is well located for another very important reason. Being surrounded by Singleton, Maitland and Cessnock provides a wealth of work opportunities; from education to engineering; hospitality to high-tech. In turn, working families in the area are focussing on Huntlee as a safe place to raise a family in a supportive, curated environment.
Being the first town in the Hunter in 50 years, the masterplanned community is set to have 7500 residents spread over four villages upon completion. Situated 45 minutes from Newcastle and an easy hop on the freeway to Sydney, the area is seeing an influx of residents taking full advantage of the post-Covid remote-working revolution.
According to forecasts, the North Rothbury-Branxton-Greta region is poised for explosive growth. The combination of unrivalled lifestyle and home prices well below the NSW median make it highly sought-after by growing families.
The current population of 8800 is expected to reach 14,100 residents by 2041—an increase of more than 60 per cent**.
With the average block in Huntlee ranging from 225sq m to 897sq m, residents can achieve a home that is out of reach in the major urban areas. The median rental yield is a healthy 4.9 per cent* and the rental vacancy rate is just 2.79 per cent*. With the Hunter announced as one of NSW’s first green hydrogen hubs, the region is poised to become a major employment centre for new low-carbon jobs#.
Development is also happening at pace in the town centre. Across the road, the luxury retirement village, Green Ridge, is under construction. Nearby land earmarked for primary and secondary schools is ready for development, as the area is now approaching government-mandated population milestones. In the short term, Branxton and Greta primary schools are minutes away; a wide range of public and private secondary schools are also close by.
The emphasis in Huntlee is on self-sustainable communities that generate their own micro-economies by providing employment, education, entertainment, shopping and community services all within the town.
Connectedness is key at Huntlee, which is dotted with parks and walking paths. Huntlee District Park is the jewel in the crown, acting as a social hub for friends and families. Set among the trees is a cafe, an amphitheatre, picnic areas, barbecue facilities and an adjoining dog park.
The year 2023 will see the development focus swing to bringing even more vitality and diversity to the town centre with modern residential and residential/commercial townhomes all within walking distance of the shopping precinct. The Urban Series development offers super modern, open-plan designs––packing a lot of home into highly affordable land footprints.
“The Urban Series will offer a new way of living in the area, especially for the growing number of working and professional people and their families,” says Robert Crane, sales director of Huntlee. “The lock and leave lifestyle will suit a wide range of people, from young couples, executives, right through to downsizers and retirees.”
Huntlee’s residential community is a mix of owners and renters. As at early 2023, the median house price was $826,000 with the median rent $685 a week. Huntlee’s latest land release offers flexible block sizes to suit a variety of needs, the average range is 225sq m to 895sq m with a handful of larger lots available.
Australia’s leading builders offer an impressive range of homes open for inspection at the Huntlee Display Village, worth the trip alone just to steal some design ideas. Of particular interest to investors is the ability to choose design configurations that maximise rental returns and resale.
All land lots come with standard electricity, water and sewer connections. Huntlee also provides a separate recycled water system for toilets and gardening, eliminating the need for bulky water tanks. As well as this, there’s natural gas and FTTP internet connections, fencing at the side and rear, and front landscaping all included in the land purchase price.
The investment and determination to masterplan an entire town is significant. However, the pay-off is also worth the effort, with returns and resales of Huntlee properties homes outperforming the broader housing market. Executive summary: the perfect combination of low vacancy plus high yields in a booming location.
To view the latest release at Huntlee head to Huntlee.com.au
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**forecast.id.com.au/cessnock/about-forecast-areas?WebID=130
*realestateinvestar.com.au/Property/north+rothbury
#environment.nsw.gov.au/news/hunter-hydrogen-hub-to-drive-jobs
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