Katoomba property value guide

Katoomba at a glance

Katoomba is the working town of the upper mountains. Katoomba Street has the supermarkets, banks, doctors and cafés, the station is at the top of town, and Echo Point and the Three Sisters bring visitors through every week of the year. Locals get a proper town with bush and cliff walks at the end of the street, and that mix is why Katoomba has buyers in almost every market.

It is also cold. Katoomba sits above 1,000 metres, fog rolls in often, and winter runs from May well into spring. Every buyer who inspects in July remembers how warm your house felt.

Which part of Katoomba you are in

Prices in Katoomba move from one pocket to the next, sometimes within a few hundred metres:

• The streets near town and the station suit commuters, downsizers and anyone who wants to live without a second car. Walkability sells here.
• South towards Echo Point and the cliff walks is where outlook and the escarpment come into play. A clear view is worth a noticeable premium. A glimpse through the trees is worth much less.
• North of the highway and the railway has more post-war and later family homes on quieter streets, often at a lower price point than the southern side.
• Busy roads, including the Great Western Highway and the main routes through town, can take the edge off a price compared with a quiet street nearby.

The winter test buyers put your home through

In our experience, Katoomba buyers judge a home on how it copes with the weather as much as how it looks. Before you list, check:

• Heating. A modern, efficient heater or a well-maintained slow-combustion wood heater is a real selling point. Have wood heaters serviced and the flue cleaned.
• Damp. Building inspectors in the upper mountains look hard at subfloors, ventilation and signs of moisture. Fix leaks and clear blocked vents before the inspection finds them.
• Gutters and roof. Leaf-filled gutters and tired roofs are the first thing buyers see from the street and the first thing the inspector reports.
• Parking. Off-street parking on a level driveway matters in ice and fog.

Homes you will find in Katoomba

Katoomba has one of the widest spreads of housing in the mountains: weatherboard and fibro cottages, Federation and interwar homes, post-war brick houses, some newer builds, and units and townhouses close to town. Plenty have been renovated and plenty have not. This is where online estimates go wrong in Katoomba. Two three-bedroom homes on the same street can be a long way apart in condition, and the computer cannot see inside either of them.

If a buyer asks about short-term letting

Katoomba attracts investors who plan to let homes to visitors. Short-term rental accommodation in NSW has to be registered on the state register, and council planning rules also apply. If your buyer is counting on holiday-let income, they will check the current rules, so don't promote it as a sure thing in your marketing.

Checks to have ready

• Your section 10.7 planning certificate, which shows bushfire prone land and any heritage listing or conservation area
• Any bushfire attack level (BAL) assessment or building approvals for past work
• Service records for the wood heater, and any recent roof, plumbing or electrical work

Pricing a Katoomba home

A suburb median tells you very little in a town this varied. The number that holds up comes from recent sales in your own pocket, of homes in similar condition, adjusted for outlook and warmth. Our guide to what your house is worth in the Blue Mountains explains the adjustments, and what adds value before you sell covers the work worth doing first.