The cost to buy a unit in Orange has nearly doubled since the Covid pandemic.
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In the four years since March 2020, the city has seen a 79 per cent increase in unit prices with the median sale amount now sitting at $500,000, according to PropTrack data.
This growth was the third largest for any suburb in NSW over that timeframe and 16th for all of Australia.
Pottsville (82 per cent) and Jindabyne (107 per cent) were the only other areas in NSW which saw a bigger increase.
Ash Bock from Our City Real Estate has been the listing agent for a few units in recent times.
Among those include a home in Molong Road which sold on March 12 for $470,000. This was up 59 per cent from its 2019 sale of $295,000.
The most recent of her unit sales came in Wakeford Street. It sold for $389,000, up 50 per cent from when it sold in 2018 for $260,000.
She said both of those sales attracted a larger than normal interest from people looking to live in the unit themselves.
"Units offer a way into the market for people because they are generally more affordable (than houses) despite associated strata costs," she said.
"Since Covid and with the cost of living, units have almost become more desirable as they are low maintenance.
"They have a smaller floorplan in terms of cleaning. People can go away, lock up the place and not have much to worry about."
Ms Bock also noted the benefits of purchasing a unit as an investment property.
She said a unit purchased for $450,000 could receive the same amount of rental return as a house bought for $650,000.
Changes to strata laws which came in affect in December 2023 was also listed as a possible reason for the rise in unit prices.
The new laws are largely more favourable to owner-occupiers and include owners corporations not being able to charge residents a fee or bond for a pet, or require insurance for a pet kept on a lot.
Ms Bock added that although the housing market was "well and truly" levelling out, demand for units could remain.
"I think the cost of living has certainly contributed to people looking for smaller, more manageable properties," she said.
"If cost of living continues to go the way it's been going, more affordable housing alternatives will remain desirable."