- 20% of city folk want to move to the country, a survey has found
- Half of them would like to move in the next year, if possible
- Various push and pull factors are responsible for this trend
Around 20 per cent of Aussie urbanites would like to ‘go country’ according to a new Regional Australia Institute (RAI) survey.
More than half want to make the jump within the next 12 months.
Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) President, Adrian Kelly said that while this move was well underway prior to COVID-19, reforms will be needed to improve the limited supply of housing, inadequate infrastructure and surging housing costs in regional areas.
Mr Kelly cited affordability as a “key factor” attracting people away from cities towards the country, as well as the regions being seen as having “better environments” in which to raise a family and live a healthier, happier lifestyle.
“The trend has created a lack supply of available properties in the regions for both purchase and rent which means that prices are increasing with a fair amount of veracity,” he said.
There have been various reports about regional house prices rising faster than those in the city, due to the increased demand for country living.
“This will cause issues for long term locals who have been used to lower rents and availability of choice which are both now on the decline,” he said.
“More work needs to be done … and this obviously includes building more homes.
“Municipal councils can play an active role in this by streamlining processes for the construction of regular homes in terms of reducing time and costs,” he said.
Pull me, pull you
There are both push and pull factors at play.
The RAI survey found that those in Brisbane were “the most stressed”, followed by Sydney-siders and then those in Melbourne.
“More than 69 percent of all those surveyed said reducing general stress and anxiety is a major driver for considering a life outside our capital cities,” the RAI found.
70% rated traffic congestion as a major factor and 68% wanted to reduce their cost of living.
“The improved general well-being that regional life offers is a major drawcard for three-quarters of those surveyed.
“While the COVID pandemic has significantly raised the desire to move regional … for 22% of survey respondents, more than half said they were already considering relocation before the pandemic,” the RAI research showed.
