The NSW town where home buyers splashed the most cash last year

2 weeks ago 9

Orange has been revealed as the regional NSW suburb where buyers splashed the most cash on houses in 2025.

Most top-ranked towns were inland, with only one by the beach. The Central West foodie destination took out the top spot, recording $688,087,299 in house sales, according to Cotality’s Best of the Best 2025 report, which tracks the total value of sales in the 12 months to September.

Orange is known for its wine and foodie culture.

While the median house price was a modest $693,783 at the end of November, high-end listings, including an $8 million trophy sale, helped Orange take the top spot. There were 898 house sales over that period in the Central West city.

Cotality research director Tim Lawless said Orange was the second-largest suburb in NSW by area, which also contributed to the result.

It nudged ahead of the largest suburb, Port Macquarie, partly due to the sheer number of houses that changed hands. The Mid North Coast suburb was the only coastal spot to feature in Cotality’s regional top five.

“Orange had a turnover rate of 5.7 per cent, well above the national average of 5 per cent,” said Lawless.

The drivers of Orange’s economy – a large teaching hospital, a gold mine and an outpost of the state’s Departments of Primary Industries and Regional Development – meant workers came and went, increasing turnover, according to Lawless.

The large numbers of students and temporary workers also supported Orange’s rental market, in turn attracting investors, said Michael Wright, an agent at Peter Fisher Orange.

“People who are priced out of the city market will buy an investment property here as a way to build wealth, with a view to possibly moving here down the track.”

Orange last year was named Australia’s top retirement destination in research from rewards platform Citro (backed by AMP).

Wright said the hospital, which expanded in 2011, and the adjoining medical precinct were drawing growing numbers of visitors and new residents.

“Instead of having to go to Sydney to get treated, people from the bush can come to Orange. We also get a lot of people from further out west retiring here because they want the things a city can offer, but in the country.”

Wright retired from farming and moved to Orange in the 1990s with his wife and three children. He said the city was a “magic” place to raise kids.

“Our springs and autumns have to be seen to be believed.”

A grand Victorian home in the heart of Orange’s CBD.

Orange Mayor Tony Mileto said it had changed over time but had kept its heart. “It’s still welcoming, inclusive and community focused.”

Mileto said the community reached out to support his sister when she lost her husband in a motor vehicle accident in 1989, for example.

The growing Orange Food Week and Orange Wine Festival were attracting tree-changers from larger cities, Mileto said.

“The diversity in our economy is supporting consistent demand for housing at different cost points,” he said.

Orange’s tight rental market and rising house prices – the median has jumped 42.9 per cent in the past five years, according to Cotality – was “a concern” for some long-time residents, Mileto said.

“The challenge is managing growth in a way that welcomes new residents without displacing the people who already call Orange home.”

To address this, Orange City Council has partnered with Landcom to develop a vacant parcel of land. Dubbed Redleaf, the development will deliver more than 300 new homes.

Of the city’s existing stock, houses priced below $800,000 have been attracting the greatest interest, said agent Anthony Cook of John Cook Real Estate.

“We are receiving a lot of investment enquiries for lower-end properties – anything from $400,000 up to $800,000,” he said.

Cook said many affordable properties sold while tenanted. “If they’re not, generally you can find a tenant before the property settles.”

In the centre of town, on the streets surrounding Cook Park, large Victorian homes can change hands for between $3 million and $4 million, Cook said.

On the outskirts, large acreages with grand homesteads can command much higher prices. In August, the 49-hectare Rosedale Farm sold for $8 million.

Cook said the town’s positives far outweighed any worries.

“We’ve got some of the greatest vineyards in the country, for example, and they’re all quite close to town. There is something for everyone here.”

Lawless said Orange’s diverse economy, lifestyle attractions and relative affordability meant the city would probably continue to see price growth.

“That blend of affordability and liveability makes it very attractive. And it’s got some good wine, which never hurts.”