Buyers are increasingly searching for properties with a tennis court, according to new data from Domain, though suitably-equipped properties are in short supply.
With the Australian Open in full swing, Domain has had a look at how Aussie’s love for tennis translates to property.
‘Tennis’ is now the 26th most-searched keyword on the listing platform, up three places from 2021.
However, only 0.4 per cent of listings sold in 2022 were equipped with a tennis court, according to Dr Nicola Powell, Domain’s Chief of Research and Economics, indicating a strong discrepancy between supply and demand.
“Our analysis shows that more potential buyers are looking for a tennis court compared to a year ago,” Dr Powell said.
“The search term ‘tennis’ is now the 26th most-searched keyword, up three spots from 2021.
“While tennis is high on the property search list, buyers will find a property with a tennis court hard to find, with only a small amount (0.4 per cent) of all properties nationwide sold in 2022 having one.”
Dr Powell said that tennis courts’ move up the buyer rankings indicated a shift in preferences in the luxury market.
“This shows that preferences are changing in the luxury market and for those that have the option, the lifestyle additions some people want from a home,” she said.
Domain’s research shows tennis-mad buyers may have more luck searching for a property in a regional area, with a slightly higher number of properties advertised with the feature there.
Victorians the most likely to want a court of their own
Victorian buyers were showing the greatest interest in properties with a tennis court, perhaps unsurprising given the state’s association with the Australian Open.
‘Tennis’ was the 14th most searched keyword for Victorian buyers in 2022.
Doncaster East, Templestowe and Hawthorn were the suburbs where prospective purchasers were most likely to want a tennis court.
In NSW, ‘tennis’ ranked 22nd on the list of search terms, up 10 spots from 2019.
Gordon had the highest concentration of buyers keen to get on court, followed by Pymble and Killara.
Queensland buyers seem less excited to pick up a racquet, with tennis dropping from the 23rd most-searched term in 2019 to 36th in 2022.
Demand was still strong in the suburbs of Robina, Mermaid Waters and Clear Island Waters though.
It’s a similar story in South Australia, with the term dropping from 11th spot in 2019 to 24th in 2022.
The suburbs of Adelaide, Belair and Crafers were most likely to see buyers searching for their own court.
Tennis courts were even less of a priority in the remaining states and territories.
In WA ‘tennis’ is the 68th most-searched for term (up from 159th in 2019).
In Tasmania it was ranked at 120, and in the Northern Territory it was in spot 53.
Research from Knight Frank, published in 2021, suggested homes with tennis courts had gained popularity with buyers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on sales since 2011, the top three suburbs in Australia for super-prime properties with tennis courts were Toorak in Melbourne (39 sales), Bellevue Hill in Sydney (23 sales) and Vaucluse and Mosman, which came equal third with 16 sales, Knight Frank reported.
