New residential communities are a magnet for homebuyers looking for comfort, social interaction and amenities, WRITES LAURA COOK
NEW communities and housing developments across Adelaide and South Australia are proving popular for homehunters chasing the elusive combination of location, amenity and affordability.
New research from the REA Group shows Lightsview, located 8km from the CBD, one of the most central new communities across Australia, is the fifth most searched for new community on realestate.com.au. 
REA Group Chief economist Nerida Conisbee says the popularity of new communities is consistent with a recent study that showed the "ideal house" was located close to shopping, schools and transport.
"Most of the popular estates rank well on these criteria," she says. "Unique features also appear to be a strong driver of interest - Northgate (Lightsview) is one of the few communities located close to a CBD, and many of the most popular estates also feature extensive water features", including the Lightsview development.
Also centrally located, St Clair Estate, which is around 10km from the Adelaide CBD, is the second most searched-for new community in South Australia.
Three things work to encourage people to consider purchasing in new communities, according to Real Estate Institute of South Australia president Greg Troughton.
"The newness is a factor, second is the fact that with that newness quite often comes the ability to design your own home, so it is an opportunity to stamp your own personality on it," he says.
"Finally, more often than not, the newness aligns itself with affordability as well." City of Port Adelaide Enfield   Mayor Gary Johanson says the Lightsview development is bringing new faces into the area. "We're very proud of it as a council, and as a community," Mr Johanson says. "It's bringing a lot of young people to the area, which reinvigorates the area, it gives it new blood, and a new sense of excitement." Set to be one of Lightsview's newest residents is Dianne Oswald, who will be moving in to an apartment in   June. She was inspired to purchase there after seeing her friend Yvonne Longford's "beautiful new house".
"The day before I signed up I had coffee with Yvonne down at Lightsview, and her house was still being built, and I went into the sales office," she says. "They had a model of the new apartment building, which they were selling off plan, and I thought 'I'd like that, it's not too big, it's affordable', and I thought 'oh wow!' and I just signed up, it was signed and sealed by Monday." Yvonne Longford, who has lived there for six months, says the area offers everything she needs and wants, from spectacular views to local shops.
"From my balcony I look out to the Adelaide Hills," she says. "The area is flat, and it's walking distance to the shops, to buses, to a medical centre, and cafes." Mr Troughton says new communities need to be surrounded by amenities in order to be liveable.
"One of the most critical things is the infrastructure that's around, so if you've got public transport, hospitals, good schools, that just adds to the affinity of the place. Generally, council and state governments require open spaces and those sorts of things, so quite often there is more than enough space to go out into communal areas and kick the football as well." Another study from the REA Group using Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals where the most residential building approvals and completions are taking place across South Australia. Mount Barker tops the list for most approvals and completions, followed by Northgate, and Parafield Gardens. All three boast a mix of affordability, amenity and proximity to services.
The 2016 HIA Population and Residential Building Hotspots report revealed that Seaford, with population growth of 3.5 per cent and $54.6 million in residential building approvals, overtook Munno Para West - Angle Vale, as South Australia's number one building and population hotspot. "You get the best of the coast at Seaford," Mr Troughton says. "With the electric light rail, that's a feature. There's the other infrastructure around the area as well, it's not far to good shopping and Flinders Hospital, and people benefit from the two-way Southern Expressway too."
Most searched-for new communities 1 Lightsview 2 St Clair Estate 3 Eyre at Penfield 4 Bluestone, Mt Barker 5 Playford Alive, Munno Para 6 West, West Lakes 7 The Boulevard, Royal Park 8 Mannum 9 The Island at Encounter Lakes, Victor Harbor 10 Littlehampton â-  Data from REA Group
HIA Building and Population Hotspots 2016 1 Seaford, $54.6 million in residential building approvals, 3.5 per cent population growth 2 Adelaide, $284 million in residential building approvals, 3 per cent population growth 3 Northgate/Oakden/Gilles Plains, $88 million in residential building approvals, 2.7 per cent population growth4 Woodville/Cheltenham, $50.6 million in residential building approvals, 2.4 per cent population growth