What SA buyers are searching for in a home.

A year ago, at the height of the pandemic, house hunters in South Australia were prioritising homes that came with either a yard or a garden. Acreage properties got a thumbs up, too.

But looks like that Wishlist has been turned on its head with new research showing homebuyers were now keen on saving rather than splurging.

PropTrack data of the most popular search terms on realestate.com.au revealed house hunters were increasingly looking for houses that offered a guaranteed rental income, were semi-detached and also energy-efficient.

More buyers searched for homes on offer by Defence Housing Australia this year with the term ‘DHA’ recording the biggest year-on-year growth, up 219 per cent.

The rising cost of living and increase in interest rates seems to have got buyers leaning towards ‘duplex’ or semi-detached homes with a preference for the ‘ground floor’.

According to PropTrack economist Cameron Kusher, increase in search terms such as “DHA” and “high-energy efficiency” was indicative of the fact that people were more cautious with their income now.

Buyer interest for “warehouse”, “historic” and “mid-century” homes was also on the rise, the data reported.

“The rising level of interest in this type of warehouse conversion is indeed significant. It’s not just a stunning conversion, it is an energy-efficient smart home,”

Year on Year % growth

DHA, 219%

Duplex, 99%

High energy efficiency, 94%

Warehouse, 79%

Brick, 76%

Ground floor, 66%

Historic, 55%

Bath, 50%

Mid-century, 45%

Tenant, 42%

Source: PropTrack &  realestate.com.au