New data from Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) has revealed the trend has surged in the June 2021 quarter.

There was an 11 per cent rise in the number of people moving from the country's capital cities to regional areas, compared to the same period in 2020, according to the report.

In the Tamworth region there was a three per cent increase, and LJ Hooker Tamworth licensee Sam Spokes said the interest from the city is definitely growing.

While there was a higher number of people looking before the current lockdowns, he believes there are many buyers waiting to be given the green light to get out of Sydney to look at properties in Tamworth.

"I think once we come out of lockdown there will be a big rush of people coming from metropolitan areas to Tamworth, which is what we were seeing in June to July prior to Sydney going into lockdown," he said.

READ ALSO:

With rising house prices in the major metropolitan centres, flexible work options driven by the pandemic and affordability has made making the move to a regional area has now become a realistic option.

"With COVID a lot of big businesses have realised that they don't necessarily need their staff to be in an essential office in Sydney which means they can save a lot of money on commercial leases," Mr Spokes said.

"There's a lot of people who have been told they can do their job remotely, and they don't really enjoy the lifestyle of Sydney.

"The cost of living in Tamworth is also so much cheaper, and with their wages that they're already getting it's quite affordable to commute for a day or two if need be."

But Mr Spokes says there is one thing holding cashed up Sydney buyers back - a shortage of supply.

"The interest is definitely there but the availability of the sort of properties people are looking for aren't as high," he said.

"We've got a database now of more than 100 people who are actively looking to buy, who are money ready, but the properties haven't come up to buy, and that ranges from a $300,000 investment property to a multi-million dollar acreage.

"For people that are thinking of selling, it's a great time to come to the market, but the only thing holding that extra rush of people coming out of Sydney is lockdown and the availability of a property to move into."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: