Dubbo’s diverse business sector and affordability make it a “solid” real estate investment area in Australia, according to residential property website hotspotting.com.au founder Terry Ryder.

NSW regional areas were often overlooked by property investors, Mr Ryder said.

But the dwindling value of metropolitan areas and the “steady growth” of regional cities like Dubbo made it high on Mr Ryder’s list of places to invest in property.

“Dubbo is a very solid regional centre and a very large regional centre servicing a large area,” he said.

And its diverse business sector was another plus for the city, according to Mr Ryder.

“There are a lot of different strands to the economy in Dubbo,” he said.

“It’s a very broad and rounded economy, so the real estate market tends to be steady.”

With the global financial crisis still plaguing the country, expensive real estate areas were suffering, Mr Ryder said.

This meant that affordable real estate areas, like Dubbo, would benefit.

“Dubbo just keeps on keeping on,” he said.

“As a real estate investor, that’s a good quality for a city to have.

“Dubbo offers affordability, which means it will stay solid or grow slightly, whereas most markets are losing value.”

President of the Orana branch of the Real Estate Institute of NSW Rod Crowfoot said he had known for a long time that Dubbo was a good place to invest in property.

According to Real Estate Institute figures, Dubbo had the lowest vacancy rate in the State, with a total of 3300 private rental properties in the 2830 postcode area.

“Low vacancy rates means there’s a better return for landowners,” he said.

He agreed with Mr Ryder and said the broad range of employment opportunities led to a stable real estate market.

“One of the biggest pluses for Dubbo is the different departments we have, including the rural sector, retail, education, medical,” he said.

“And then there’s strengths in sectors when others slow down.”

The Daily Liberal reported at the weekend that new residents said securing accommodation was “the worst thing about moving to Dubbo”.

“When people are finding it hard to get accommodation, it’s a good thing for investors,” Mr Crowfoot said.

carly.dolan@ruralpress.co m