Small gestures like sharing an abundance of fruit from a tree or old toys with neighbours. People may have been apart during the lockdowns, but warm-hearted deeds like these have built up a true sense of community in many city pockets.

If social distancing and the coronavirus pandemic have taught us anything, it's the critical importance of the neighbourhood we live in.

Considerations such as proximity to popular shopping strips, cafes, parks and other amenities are now of the utmost importance.

That's why choosing the right neighbourhood is so essential for today's property buyers.

These 'liveable' neighbourhoods are where capital growth will outperform those that currently do not offer access to these important amenities."

Going forward, trends indicate that people will place a sharper emphasis on neighbourhoods and inner and middle-ring suburbs, with greater access to these conveniences.

How do we recognise these locations? What makes specific areas more desirable than others?

A lot has to do with the demographics. Humans generally gravitate toward areas that best present their circumstances and interests.

"The reality is that you don't need the intimate knowledge of a suburb; it is the intimate knowledge of a neighbourhood that is needed," says Nelson Alexander, Director, Arch Staver.

The intricacies of every street, block, suburb have become more apparent."

For example, a neighbourhood might vary significantly from one pocket of Fitzroy, such as the area south of Gertrude Street, to the area just north of Johnston Street because of the make-up of who lives in any particular area."

Over the past decade or so, the emergence of the 'sharing economy' in the areas where Nelson Alexander operates has been a new driving factor in attracting residents to particular neighbourhoods.

The sharing economy involves short-term, peer-to-peer transactions to share idle assets and services or facilitate collaboration.

Nelson Alexander's organisational structure is not too dissimilar to the shared economy concept. Being a non-franchised business, there is an unfettered exchange of real estate knowledge between staff and departments.

"We have so many staff members who have spent more than 20 years with Nelson Alexander... that is unique, and we work hard to harness all that experience and share it with our community."– Mr Staver notes.

If you're looking for assistance on the intricacies of specific neighbourhoods, reach out to a Nelson Alexander agent today via the form below.