Blair Athol vs HillcrestTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Blair Athol (SA 5084) is approximately 7 km north of the Adelaide CBD, along Prospect Road. Hillcrest (SA 5086) is approximately 10 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD. At the 2021 Census, Blair Athol had 5,274 residents with a median age of 32, and Hillcrest had 3,659 residents with a median age of 35.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 5% of occupied dwellings in Blair Athol and 3% in Hillcrest, while 46% of Blair Athol households rented compared with 34% in Hillcrest. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
SA 5084 · Adelaide's inner north
Blair Athol
Blair Athol is an inner-northern Adelaide suburb named after a stud farm, with a young population, a large rental market and a noted Afghan retail strip.
City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Approximately 7 km north of the Adelaide CBD, along Prospect Road.
Read the full Blair Athol guideSA 5086 · Adelaide's inner north-east
Hillcrest
Hillcrest is an inner north-eastern Adelaide suburb renewed since 1993, named for a former psychiatric hospital and now mostly detached housing.
City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Approximately 10 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD.
Read the full Hillcrest guide
What buying in Blair Athol and Hillcrest would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Blair Athol and Hillcrest.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Blair Athol to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Hillcrest to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Blair Athol and Hillcrest: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Blair Athol | Hillcrest |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 5,274 | 3,659 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 32 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,459 | $1,599 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $321 | $319 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,600 | $1,602 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 46% | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 31% | 40% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 22% | 23% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 79% | 81% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 5% | 3% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 22% | 16% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 18% | 19% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 7% | 5% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Blair Athol and Hillcrest
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Blair Athol
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Blair Athol shares postcode 5084 with Kilburn, so confirm how a postcode-based lender or insurer policy treats the suburb.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio where public housing was concentrated in the inner north.
- Narrow-lot townhouses on subdivided sites can face minimum floor area or land size requirements with some lenders.
- Renting is the largest tenure, so many purchases are investment lending, assessed on different terms.
- Redevelopment potential should be confirmed against the zone rather than assumed from allotment size.
Hillcrest
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Stock spans original mid-century homes and recent replacements, so comparable sales need care and valuations can vary on one street.
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio where public housing was concentrated.
- Older records may describe institutional land under the Hillcrest name that now lies within Oakden.
- The northern part of the suburb was renamed Gilles Plains, so historical sales data may refer to a different area.
- First home buyer duty relief applies to new homes only, which can be relevant on renewed sites.
Housing stock in Blair Athol and Hillcrest compared
Blair Athol
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,401 at the 2021 Census, 79.0 per cent of occupied homes, above the national 72.3 per cent.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 253 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census are largely infill on subdivided allotments.
- Three-bedroom homes
- The dominant size at 1,027 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Hillcrest
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,108 at the 2021 Census, 80.9 per cent of occupied homes, above the national 72.3 per cent.
- Renewed and replacement homes
- A concerted state government effort to update the housing stock from 1993 means a notable share of dwellings are comparatively modern.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 221 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census are largely built on renewed sites.
Official sale price and rent figures for Blair Athol and Hillcrest
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Blair Athol
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Blair Athol, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Hillcrest
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Hillcrest, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Blair Athol and Hillcrest
Blair Athol
Transport
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Prospect Road (road)
- Main North Road (road)
- Grand Junction Road (road)
Amenities
- Prospect Road retail strip
- Gepps Cross retail precinct
- Gepps Cross Hotel
Hillcrest
Transport
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Grand Junction Road (road)
- North East Road (road)
Amenities
- River Torrens Linear Park
- Hillcrest local shops
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the South Australia education department.
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Request a free assessment: Blair Athol or Hillcrest
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Blair Athol and Hillcrest, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.