Thinking about building your first home outside Melbourne?
Regional Victoria gives you plenty of different places to consider, from larger regional cities such as Bendigo and Ballarat to coastal Warrnambool and northern towns including Shepparton, Echuca and Yarrawonga.
The right location will depend on your budget, work, family, the kind of home you want and what you want everyday life to look like once you move in.
This guide can help you compare some of the regional areas where Mayde builds and work out where you might want to look next.
Moving regional can give you a different set of options when it comes to land, home designs and lifestyle.
For some first home buyers, the appeal is having more space. For others, it is being closer to family, changing the pace of everyday life or choosing a regional city where work, shops, schools and services are already well established.
Regional Victoria is a big place, though. Building in Ballarat can look very different from building in Yarrawonga, so it helps to think about the individual area rather than treating “regional” as one option.
One of Victoria’s largest regional cities, with established amenities, strong transport links and growing new-home communities. For first home buyers who like the idea of regional living but still want the everyday convenience of a larger city, Bendigo can offer a useful middle ground.
Coastal regional living with established services and new-home opportunities. For first home buyers who like the idea of regional and coastal living, Warrnambool offers plenty to consider.
Regional city living with established services and room for new residential growth. For first home buyers who want regional living without giving up the everyday convenience of a larger centre, Shepparton offers plenty to consider.
Regional living on the Murray with established services and growing new-home opportunities. Echuca can suit first home buyers who want a regional lifestyle while still having established everyday services close by.
Murray-region living with established local services and new residential growth. For first home buyers looking for a regional lifestyle, Yarrawonga offers a different pace from Victoria’s larger regional cities.
Choosing to build regionally is not just a question of how far you are willing to move from Melbourne. It is easy to compare locations based on a weekend visit. It is more useful to picture an ordinary Tuesday and ask whether the area still works for you then.
What home and land options are actually available within the amount you want to spend?
Will you work locally, remotely or still need to travel regularly?
How important is staying close to your existing support network?
Consider shopping, healthcare, schools, childcare and the other things you use regularly.
How easily can you get to Melbourne or other regional centres when you need to?
Compare block sizes, lot widths and how they work with the home you want.
Do you want a larger regional city, coastal living, a smaller town or somewhere with more space around you?
If you are buying in a newer development, check whether the land is titled and when you may be able to start building.
There is a difference between moving to a larger regional centre and moving to a smaller town.
Places such as Bendigo, Ballarat and Shepparton offer many of the services you would expect from a larger city, while smaller regional areas can offer a different pace and sense of space.
Neither is automatically better.
Think about what you want close to home and what you are comfortable travelling for. If you work remotely, your priorities may be very different from someone who needs to commute every day or regularly travel back to Melbourne.
If you already own land, or have an existing home you are considering replacing, you do not need to start with house and land packages.
Use our Where We Build tool to check whether Mayde builds in your location, then explore home designs that may suit your block.
Bendigo, Ballarat, Warrnambool, Shepparton, Echuca and Yarrawonga all offer different regional lifestyles and new-home opportunities.
The right place will depend on your budget, work, family, preferred home and the type of regional lifestyle you are looking for.
Not necessarily.
Land and home prices vary considerably between locations, and the cost of building can also depend on the block, site conditions, home design and inclusions.
Rather than assuming regional automatically means cheaper, compare the actual home and land opportunities available in the areas you are considering.
Either can work.
If you already know where you want to live, start by looking at the land available and which home designs suit it. If you already have a particular home in mind, understanding its lot-width and block requirements can help narrow down suitable locations.
Mayde builds across selected regional locations.
If you already own a block or existing property, use our Where We Build tool to check whether your location is within Mayde’s current build area.
Start with the things that affect your everyday life rather than comparing distance alone.
Think about work, family, travel, local services, the home and land available, and what you want from the place you live. Then compare the actual options available across the regions you are considering.
Regional Victoria is only one option. You can also explore Melbourne's north, west, south east and Geelong to compare the different locations and work out where your first home could make the most sense.
