Game, set, match: Tennis homes champion pandemic

More Australian homeowners have been practising their serve ahead of this year’s Australian Open, as the coronavirus pandemic spurs on home sales featuring private tennis courts.  

New data from realestate.com.au has revealed a relatively sharp increase in the number of houses with tennis courts sold across most major capitals in 2020 compared to the previous year, particularly in Sydney and Brisbane.

Chief economist at realestate.com.au Nerida Conisbee said COVID-19 lockdowns and a new work-from-home lifestyle have pushed more people to look for homes with more recreational space.

“People have got more time at home and just want things to do,” Ms Conisbee said.

“It’s also not necessarily tennis courts that people want, but just the additional property. Tennis courts can be converted into other things,” she added.

Ms Conisbee said the increase in tennis home sales is also linked to a shift away from capital city markets during the health crisis.

“Tennis courts are typically on bigger properties and most bigger properties are not close to capital cities. There’s been a real shift out to suburban areas [during COVID], the opening up of where people can live based on the fact that they’re all working differently has dramatically changed people’s preferences in a home.”

Low interest rates have also encouraged people to take the plunge and buy the house of their dreams, she said.

“People have got more money to spend because they have got higher savings rates, they’ve got more money in their banks accounts and they’ve also got ability to borrow more money, so that’s obviously had an impact on how much they’re prepared to pay.”

The number of Sydney houses with tennis courts sold in 2020 increased by 31% to 118 sales compared to the previous year, while in Brisbane sales jumped 38%. In Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, sales increased by at least 10%.

Sydney had the biggest proportion of all tennis home sales across the country at 35.4% while Brisbane was second at 24.9%.

Canberra, Hobart and Darwin were excluded from the realestate.com.au analysis as these cities did not have enough sales to meet the data requirements.

The top tennis markets in prestige property

While tennis courts are not just a luxury for those who can afford to buy a home in a prestige area, premium property markets around the country also saw a rise in the number tennis homes sold in 2020.

A separate realestate.com.au analysis of house sales above $2 million that featured a tennis court showed Wahroonga on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, had the biggest number of sales in the past decade at 41.

Tony Lu of Century 21 Radar Properties – Turramurra said all the homes he has sold in Wahroonga recently have featured a tennis court.

“Every one of them seemed to make a new street record,” Mr Lu said.

“The Ku-ring-gai Council no longer approves hardly any tennis courts, so tennis court value has actually gone up,” he explained. “That makes existing homes with tennis courts highly sought-after and more expensive.”

Mr Lu is currently marketing the prestigious Mount Alverna Estate at 12A Water Street, Wahroonga, which features a champion-grade north-to-south tennis court. 

Of the top 10 premium suburbs considered in the analysis, nine were located in New South Wales.

Mount Eliza on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula came in at number six on the national list with 19 tennis home sales in the past 10 years.

In Queensland, Brookfield took out top spot with eight sales.

Melbourne’s blue-chip Brighton, known for its large homes, had the third biggest number of tennis home sales in Melbourne in the past decade, according to the realestate.com.au premium suburb data.

Director at Marshall White – Bayside Matthew Pillios said he had seen an increase in buyers looking for tennis courts in Brighton and the rest of the bayside area over the past 12 months.

“The desirability for larger blocks, tennis courts and basketball courts has become bigger than ever,” Mr Pillios said.

“There has also been interest in properties where at least a half tennis or basketball court could be built.

“People are just sick of being stuck in small spaces [during the pandemic]. Whether it’s shared walls with townhouses or smaller backyards, the desirability has definitely come back to 600 to 1000 square metre blocks so people have their own little haven.”

Mr Pillios’ colleagues recently sold the resort-style home at 16 Park Street, Brighton, which features a stunning north-to-south tennis court perfect for at-home grand slams.

Industry sources suggest the five-bedroom, six-bathroom home, previously owned by cricket legend Shane Warne before he sold in 2009, sold for $10.15 million. 

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