Gaven vs North Arm

The median house price is $1.6M in Gaven and $1.5M in North Arm, so North Arm is the cheaper entry point, with Gaven houses about 2% dearer.

For units, Gaven sits at a median of $895K against $655K in North Arm, which makes North Arm the more affordable unit market and Gaven the pricier one.

Over the past year house prices moved +4.3% in Gaven and +9.9% in North Arm, so recent momentum favours North Arm, although both suburbs recorded growth.

Looking back three years, Gaven houses are +32.0% and North Arm houses +31.9%, so Gaven has compounded faster than North Arm over the longer window.

Rental vacancy is 1.1% in Gaven and 1.6% in North Arm, so landlords in Gaven face less competition for tenants. Anything under 2% is generally read as a tight market where tenants compete for homes.

Gaven is the bigger suburb, with a population of 1,638 against 734, roughly 2.2 times the size of North Arm; a larger suburb usually means a deeper pool of buyers and tenants.

In short: North Arm for a lower purchase price, North Arm for recent price momentum, Gaven for the tighter rental market. Which matters more depends on whether the investor is buying for cash flow, capital growth or affordability.