According to Sydney City's building regulations, local councils must adhere to minimum space standards when approving new apartment projects. Among Sydney's 33 local councils, four have particularly stringent space requirements, thus dubbed the "Golden Four" by Peter Li, General Manager of Plus Agency. He noted, "Buying new apartments in these areas, whether they are one, two, or three-bedroom units, usually means acquiring significantly larger spaces than those offered in other parts of Sydney."

The four councils are Hills Shire, Lane Cove, Burwood, and Waverley. In most areas of Sydney, the minimum required sizes for new constructions are 35 square meters for studios, 50 square meters for one-bedroom apartments, 70 square meters for two-bedroom apartments, and 90 square meters for three-bedroom apartments. However, in Waverley, the minimum size for new two-bedroom apartments is 80 square meters, which is 10 square meters more than in other areas, adding 14% more space. Waverley Council also stipulates that three-bedroom units must have a minimum of 100 square meters, which also exceeds the standards of most other councils.

realestate.com.au

Waverley's suburbs include Bondi, Bondi Junction, North Bondi, Bronte, Dover Heights, Queens Park, Rose Bay, Tamarama, Waverley, and Woollahra. Mr. Li added, "Buyers typically seek the best homes they can afford, and naturally, larger units are more popular."

Hills Shire stands out among the "Golden Four" for offering the largest units on the market. Mr. Li said, "In Hills Shire, you can find the largest one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. For instance, a two-bedroom apartment in Castle Hill could be 57% larger than two-bedroom apartments in other council areas." Key areas in Hills Shire include Bella Vista, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Kenthurst, and Baulkham Hills.

A unique aspect of Hills Shire is that any new multi-story apartment building must use a mixed layout plan. Mr. Li explained, "About one-third of the apartments can remain normal-sized, another third can be 30% larger than normal, and the final third must be 50% to 57% larger than the standard."

realestate.com.au

Over the past few years, the market demand for large apartments has changed. Mr. Li recalled, "About five or six years ago, developers preferred to sell smaller apartments at a higher price per square meter. At that time, one-bedroom apartments always had the highest sales ratio, followed by two-bedrooms, then three-bedrooms." However, he noted, "Now, the situation is completely reversed. Over the past two years, developers have found that three-bedroom apartments yield the highest profit per square meter, followed by two-bedrooms, with one-bedrooms having the lowest profit."

As the market continues to evolve, these "Golden Homes" large apartments have become hot picks in Sydney's real estate market, not only providing more living space for residents but also offering good investment opportunities. With the acceleration of Sydney's urbanization and the increasing demand for quality of life, this trend is expected to continue, attracting more homebuyers seeking premium living spaces.