Since Nan Bought

Southern Adelaide · South Australia

What's changed in Seaford since Nan bought

In 1955 a typical Seaford house was about $6,300, or 3.7 years of an average wage. In 2026 it is about $720,000, or 7.2 years. Here is the decade-by-decade version, what was standing when, and what her block does now.

Price, 1955 → 2026
$6,300 → $720,000
Years of wages
3.7 → 7.2
Rebuilt or infill today
0% of homes

Modelled, not measured. Prices are the Adelaide median house price of the day (rounded, dollars of the day) scaled to where Seaford sits against the city median in 2026, blended toward the median for earlier decades because suburbs move up and down the ladder. Wages are national average full-time earnings. Treat every figure as "about". For actual sales history, ask an agent or the state valuer.

The decades

1955
$6,300≈ 3.7 yrs of wages ($1,700/yr)

Trust homes and fibro on the fringe; stone villas closer in.

Of today's houses, standing by 1955
1%
1965
$8,900≈ 3.2 yrs of wages ($2,800/yr)

Cream brick veneer, one bathroom, a Hills Hoist.

Of today's houses, standing by 1965
4%
1975
$24,500≈ 3.1 yrs of wages ($8,000/yr)

Brown brick project homes, ducted evaporative, a family room.

Of today's houses, standing by 1975
7%
1985
$64,500≈ 3.2 yrs of wages ($20,000/yr)

The ensuite arrives. Colorbond replaces galvanised iron.

Of today's houses, standing by 1985
20%
1995
$97,000≈ 2.9 yrs of wages ($34,000/yr)

Four-two-two under one roof. Rendered feature walls.

Of today's houses, standing by 1995
40%
2005
$230,000≈ 4.2 yrs of wages ($55,000/yr)

Biggest houses in the world. Alfresco and theatre room.

Of today's houses, standing by 2005
68%
2015
$365,000≈ 4.7 yrs of wages ($78,000/yr)

Two-for-one subdivisions start. Solar on a third of roofs.

Of today's houses, standing by 2015
90%
2026
$720,000≈ 7.2 yrs of wages ($100,000/yr)

7-star, all-electric, 300m² blocks. Or a rebuild on Nan's.

Of today's houses, standing by 2026
100%

What's been knocked down

Rebuild pressure in Seaford is low. Streets look much as they did. Occasional renovation, very little demolition. Seaford Heights and Meadows stages are the last greenfield. Otherwise established.

Locals know: The train arrived in 2014 and the suburb has been repricing ever since.

What Nan's block does today

A typical Seaford block is 400-700m². Three realistic paths in 2026.

Knock it down, build one

One 220-260m² family home on the full block, $520K-$900K depending on builder tier. Keeps the backyard.

Read the guide

Keep it and fix it

Roof, rewire, switchboard, salt damp and a bathroom: $60K-$120K to bring an old Adelaide house up to modern comfort.

Read the guide

Questions about Seaford

How much did a house in Seaford cost in the 1960s?+

Modelled on the Adelaide median of the day and Seaford's current position relative to the city, a typical Seaford house was around $8,900 in 1965, or about 3.2 years of an average full-time wage. In 2026 it is around $720,000, or about 7.2 years of wages. These are indicative figures, not sales records.

How much of Seaford has been knocked down and rebuilt?+

Roughly 0% of today's homes in Seaford are infill: townhouses, courtyard homes or rebuilds that replaced an earlier house. Rebuild pressure is low: Streets look much as they did. Occasional renovation, very little demolition.

What was Seaford like when it was built?+

The largest share of Seaford (40%) is 1980s-90s brick veneer (1980s-1990s). Brick veneer with a Colorbond or concrete-tile roof, ensuite, formal lounge nobody uses, double garage under the main roof by the 90s. Rendered feature walls arrive late.

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