Blair Athol vs Lurnea

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.2M in Blair Athol and $1.2M in Lurnea.

For units, Blair Athol sits at a median of $530K against $750K in Lurnea, which makes Blair Athol the more affordable unit market and Lurnea the pricier one.

Gross rental yield on houses is effectively level, at 3.05% in Blair Athol and 3.02% in Lurnea, so neither suburb has a cash flow edge on houses.

Over the past year house prices moved +9.3% in Blair Athol and +10.6% in Lurnea (an estimate), so recent momentum favours Lurnea, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Rental vacancy is 0.6% in Blair Athol and 0.8% in Lurnea, so landlords in Blair Athol face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Lurnea is the bigger suburb, with a population of 10,057 against 2,725, roughly 3.7 times the size of Blair Athol; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: Lurnea for recent price momentum, Blair Athol for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.