With its mix of green open space, recreation and good amenity, Forde is proving a perfect and popular haven for families in Canberra.

MARQ Licensed Agent Matt Harmer said Forde was one of the most in-demand suburbs in Gungahlin, largely because of its winning combination of liveability, amenity and ability to help residents connect with nature.

“Forde is one of the most sought-after suburbs in Gungahlin, if not the north side of Canberra,” Matt said. “It’s a master-planned suburb with plenty of green space and appeal.

“People love Forde. There are buyers who want to get into the suburb and for people already in the suburb, they don’t move far.”

Established in 2008 and now home to around 4500 residents, the suburb was named after Frank Forde, who served as Australia’s Prime Minister for just a week after the death of John Curtin.

Flanked by Mulligan Flat Nature Reserve, almost a third of the suburb has been dedicated to green space with ample walking and bike trails, including a dedicated bird walk.

Locally, it is serviced by Forde Shopping Centre as well as a multitude of retail at nearby Gungahlin, and has one of the best schools in Canberra, Burgmann Anglican School.

Matt, who moved to Forde almost six years ago, said he felt fortunate to live and work in the suburb.

“I’ve lived in Forde for 5 ½ years with my family so I have a very intimate knowledge of the suburb and love it very much,” he said.

“The infrastructure is there, there’s really good schools and shops, and access to Mulligan Flat and walking tracks. These are the things that attracted me to the suburb as a buyer, and as an agent these are the things that are important to prospective purchasers.”

While CoreLogic data shows property prices have slipped 7.9% across Canberra in the past year, Forde has held strong, buffering the market drop with a modest 1.3% dip, according to realestate.com.au.

The median house price for Forde has steadily grown in recent years and is now sitting at $1.12 million, realestate.com.au statistics show. After consistent prices since mid-2018, prices surged in early 2021 reaching a peak median of $1.185 million in November 2022 before levelling out this year.

Matt said there was strong demand for Forde from buyers.

Depending on block and house sizes, the starting point for a two bedroom freestanding property on a separate title was in the mid $700,000s, he said.

“The sky’s the limit in Forde because there are homes there that were built back in 2010/2011 that haven’t hit the market yet. There’s some high price properties that we haven’t seen on the market so what they’re worth, we don’t know.

“Forde is a really attractive suburb, particularly for families. It’s well thought out, it’s well laid-out. It’s got everything you need – shops, parks, walking tracks, schools – it’s just a really good community.

“For me personally as someone who grew up in the country, to be able to walk out my door and I’m only a couple of hundred metres from bush is pretty important to us. We just love living in Forde.”