Mortgage broker in Epping
Epping is one of the most established suburbs on this side of the corridor, with a real market in townhouses and units as well as houses — and, at the last Census, more renters than its neighbours. That makes it a common first step for buyers and a common choice for investors.
Last reviewed
- Postcode
- 3076
- Council
- City of Whittlesea
- Distance from CBD
- Approx. 20km
Where Epping sits
Epping is about 20km north of the CBD in the City of Whittlesea, just south of Wollert. It is long established, and unlike most of the corridor it has a genuine market in townhouses and units as well as houses.
Vacant land is another matter. So few lots sold here through 2025, and then such an unusual batch at the start of 2026, that there is no reliable land median — the figures below explain.
A first step into the market
For a lot of first home buyers, a townhouse or unit in an established suburb is the way in, and Epping has more of them than most suburbs nearby. A few things are worth knowing before you start:
- The property has to suit the lender. Townhouses and villa units are generally assessed much like houses. Some lenders set tighter limits on smaller apartments — a minimum floor area, or a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio. Matching the lender to the property matters
- Owners corporation fees count. A lender includes them in your expenses, and they reduce what you can borrow. Ask for the current levies before you make an offer
- Established means no First Home Owner Grant, which applies to new homes only. Victorian first home buyer duty relief depends on the price, not the age — and a townhouse’s lower price can bring it within the range where it applies
The federal guarantee schemes can let eligible buyers purchase with a smaller deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance. Their price caps vary by area and change, so check the current position before setting a budget around them.
Investing in Epping
At the 2021 Census, almost three in ten Epping homes were rented — the highest share of any suburb on this site — and fewer were owned with a mortgage than anywhere else covered here. It is a suburb with an established rental market.
The mechanics worth understanding before you buy:
- Rent is shaded. Most lenders count around 70 to 80% of it, to allow for vacancy and costs, so an investment adds less to your borrowing capacity than the rent suggests
- Keep the loans separate. An investment loan kept apart from your home loan is cleaner for tax and far easier to change later
- Avoid cross-securing your home and the investment with one lender unless there is a specific reason. It makes selling, refinancing or releasing equity from either one harder
Whether a particular Epping property is a sound investment is a question for people who value property professionally — I would be wary of any broker who claims to answer it. What I can tell you is what you can borrow and how to structure it. More on investment property loans.
For owners already here
Many Epping owners are years into their loans. If yours has not been reviewed since you bought, the refinancing page works through whether switching is worth it once the costs are counted — including when it is not.
Local help
I am based in Mickleham and work across both sides of the corridor, Whittlesea as well as Hume. A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Epping by the numbers
Prices are from the Valuer-General’s sales records, up to the March quarter 2026. The household picture is from the 2021 Census. Every figure is labelled with its period, and none of it is a forecast.
Median house price
$750,000
March quarter 2026, from 91 sales
Up 15.0% on the March quarter 2025
There is no vacant land figure for Epping. Fewer than ten vacant lots sold there in each quarter of 2025, then 110 in the March quarter 2026 at a median of $160,800 — most likely a single batch, and it would have shown Epping land “down 62%”.
Ten years of median prices
Annual medians from completed sales lodged with the state. Years with fewer than ten sales are left out rather than drawn — a median from a handful of sales describes those few properties, not the suburb.
- Houses
What buying at the median involves
At the March quarter 2026 median of $750,000, for a home you will live in.
| Deposit | Cash deposit | Loan | Indicative LMI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | $37,500 | $712,500 | $22,100 – $33,500 |
| 10% | $75,000 | $675,000 | $12,100 – $21,600 |
| 20% | $150,000 | $600,000 | None |
- Stamp duty — first home buyer
- $40,070
- Stamp duty — everyone else
- $40,070
Duty is worked out with the same tables as our stamp duty calculator. LMI is an indicative range — insurers do not publish their pricing — and some occupations avoid it entirely. On a separate land-and-build contract, duty is generally charged on the land rather than the finished home, so it is often much lower than this. Work out the full cash you would need →
Epping at the 2021 Census
When the 2021 Census counted Epping, 33,489 people lived there.
Homes owned with a mortgage
41.9%
Victoria: 36.1%
Median age
35
Victoria: 38
Families that are couples with children
52.7%
Victoria: 45.5%
Residents under five
6.7%
Victoria: 5.8%
Homes that are separate houses
81.2%
Victoria: 73.4%
The Census’s rent, income and repayment figures are left out — dollar amounts date quickly, and a 2021 figure would mislead today. The next Census was taken in August 2026, and the ABS plans to start releasing results in June 2027; this section will be updated then. If your repayments have climbed since you bought, a refinance check takes a few minutes and is often worth more than it sounds.
Sources
- Valuer-General Victoria — Victorian Property Sales Report, March quarter 2026 — January to March 2026, released September 2026. © State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Valuer-General Victoria — house and vacant land medians by suburb, 2015–2025 — Calendar years 2015 to 2025. © State of Victoria (Department of Transport and Planning), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- ABS 2021 Census QuickStats — Epping, Vic. (Suburbs and Localities) — Census night, August 2021. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census of Population and Housing, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- ABS — 2026 Census topics and data release plan — Published November 2025.
Common questions
Can I buy a townhouse or unit in Epping with a small deposit?
Often, but the property matters as well as the deposit. Townhouses and villa units are generally assessed much like houses. Some lenders set tighter limits on smaller apartments — a minimum floor area, or a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio — so the lender has to suit the property, not just you. The federal guarantee schemes also have price caps that vary by area, so check those before you start looking.
If I buy an investment property in Epping, how much of the rent will a lender count?
Less than the full amount. Most lenders count somewhere around 70 to 80% of the rent, to allow for vacancy, management and maintenance. That is the main reason an investment purchase adds less to your borrowing capacity than people expect. How the loan is structured matters too — keeping it separate from your home loan is far easier to set up at the start than to unpick later.
Epping or Wollert?
For the loan itself it makes little difference — both are in the City of Whittlesea and the same lending rules apply. The difference is the property: Epping is established, with older homes and more townhouses and units; Wollert is newer, with land still being released. Which suits you is a property question; what each would cost you to borrow is one I can answer.
Have a question about your situation?
A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Even if the answer is "wait six months", you will know why — and what to do in the meantime.