More people are choosing to rent instead of buy in Wagga and the city has seen a 7 per cent growth in its rental market, while the amount of mortgages taken out and homes owned outright fell.

Professionals Real Estate director Paul Irvine said the demographics of the city’s rental market were quite broad.

“Wagga is lucky because we have such a broad range of property,” he said.

“Suburbs like Tatton have a median rent of $400 to $500 per week, which will attract your small families.

“Usually home owners will lease for 12 months after they have sold their property to establish what step to take next and that could have contributed to the rental market growth.”

The city of Wagga is also a very “seasonal” market, according to Sonia Greentree from Fitzpatricks Real Estate, and she confirmed the demographics can in fact change, depending on what season of the year it is.

“In the December to January period, we get a lot of defence people coming to town,” she said.

“Most of the people looking (in that period) are either defence or executives moving to town.

“They’re normally looking for the four bedroom, two bathroom type homes (north of the city’s centre).”

Townhouses in central Wagga generally don’t attract a “younger person, or single people” to the premises, Mr Irvine said, as opposed to some of the city’s outer suburbs.

“Mount Austin, Glenfield and Ashmont is where your lower disposable income is,” Mr Irvine said.

“That attracts your younger couple who aren’t quite at a point to enter the central market.”