Fern Bay vs Hamilton North

Houses cost about the same in both suburbs: the median house price is $1.1M in Fern Bay and $1.1M in Hamilton North.

Gross rental yield on houses is effectively level, at 3.50% in Fern Bay and 3.50% in Hamilton North, so neither suburb has a cash flow edge on houses.

Over the past year house prices moved +6.5% in Fern Bay and +4.7% in Hamilton North, so recent momentum favours Fern Bay, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Fern Bay houses are +10.6% and Hamilton North houses +17.5%, so Hamilton North has compounded faster than Fern Bay over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 0.4% in Hamilton North and 1.0% in Fern Bay, so landlords in Hamilton North face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Fern Bay is the bigger suburb, with a population of 4,046 against 934, roughly 4.3 times the size of Hamilton North; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

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