Rutherford (NSW 2320) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 73/100, 4.1% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: High-Supply Growth Corridor (Street Selection Critical) · R-Score: 73/100 (National Rank #4,280 of 15,286) · Street Average: 37/100 across 204 streets.

On the surface, Rutherford attracts heavy buyer attention because of its $815,000 entry point and modern housing stock. However, council-wide building approvals in Maitland are running at 4% of existing stock. In high-supply corridors like this, buying a generic new-build on the fringe exposes you to years of competing stage releases. The only way to outperform the Rutherford median is to buy established homes on tightly held, 75–100 scored owner-occupier streets where land is already built out.

“I would treat the 166-street sample as the practical starting point, not background detail. With 100 streets scoring under 50 and only 50 at 75 or above, the buyer’s work is selecting the right pocket and property, then budgeting for the reported negative $316 weekly cashflow.”

Looking for the live, monthly-updated numbers? The Rutherford (NSW) suburb profile tracks the current median house price, rent, vacancy and R-Score, and the Rutherford street-by-street scores rank every street. This article is our investment analysis of what those numbers mean.

Below is our full October 2026 quantitative and street-level breakdown for Rutherford (NSW 2320), combining 36 months of settled price and rental history from our Aurora research warehouse, council-level supply and employment data for Maitland (NSW), and block-by-block ABS 2021 Census SA1 tenure and yield rankings across 7,052 residential addresses.

1. Rutherford (NSW) 3-Year Market Trajectory & 27-Indicator R-Score (October 2026)

Over the past 12 months, Rutherford’s median house price moved +7.2% (from $760,000 to $815,000), bringing its 3-year cumulative price movement to +27.1% (from $641,000 three years ago). On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved -1.5% over the past year to $640/wk (+31.7% over 36 months), equating to a 4.1% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when Rutherford carried an R-Score of 45/100—its current composite R-Score of 73/100 represents a +28-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	Rutherford (NSW) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	73 / 100	Ranked #4,280 of 15,286 suburbs (was 45/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$815,000	12m change: +7.2% · 36m change: +27.1%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$640/wk (4.1%)	12m rent change: -1.5% · 36m rent change: +31.7%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	2.3% vacancy	Median selling time: 49 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	37 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	30 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	70 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Maitland & NSW
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	53 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

2. The “Two-Speed Suburb” Test: Best & Worst Streets in Rutherford (NSW)

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in Rutherford achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 7,052 addresses across 204 streets in Rutherford through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 50 streets (30% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the Rutherford rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 16 streets pass the core owner-occupier and public-housing thresholds but sit below the suburb median on weekly rent or yield.
• Weaker / Caution Street Profile (Score 0–25): 100 streets fail one or both census tenure thresholds—meaning either owner-occupation sits at or below 65% or state/community public housing exceeds 5% on those specific SA1 blocks.

Top 5 Highest-Scoring Streets in Rutherford (NSW)

These streets sit in SA1 census blocks with high homeowner pride of ownership, minimal social housing concentration, and strong block-level rents (inspect all 204 streets in Rutherford):

Top Street in Rutherford	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Tournament Street	100/100	61	85%	0%	$690/wk (4.3%)
#2 Masters Street	100/100	22	85%	0%	$690/wk (4.3%)
#3 Canter Close	100/100	20	85%	0%	$690/wk (4.3%)
#4 Pitch Street	100/100	16	85%	0%	$690/wk (4.3%)
#5 Midfield Close	100/100	15	85%	0%	$690/wk (4.3%)

Streets Where Block-Level Tenure Trails the Rutherford Average

By contrast, the streets below run through SA1 census blocks that fail one or more of our tenure or rental tests. A lower Street Score is not a judgement of any individual house, but it highlights where higher renter turnover or public housing concentration exists within Rutherford:

Caution Street Sample	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Median Rent
Churchill Crescent	0/100	88	20%	56.9%	$450/wk
Montgomery Avenue	0/100	35	20%	56.9%	$450/wk
Howarth Street	0/100	18	20%	56.9%	$450/wk

3. Economic & Supply Drivers in Maitland Council (New South Wales)

Rutherford sits within the Maitland Local Government Area, which has a residential population of approximately 100,439 (+7.2% population movement over the past 3 years) and 30,635 total dwellings. Three council-level fundamentals shape Rutherford’s medium-term outlook:

• Local Employment Diversity (ABS Census): The largest employment sectors across Maitland are Health Care and Social Assistance (16%), Retail Trade (13%), Construction (9%), Education and Training (9%). Multi-sector employment reduces reliance on any single employer or commodity cycle.
• New Building Approvals vs. Existing Stock: Over the latest 12-month financial year, Maitland approved 4% new dwelling stock (~1,377.992 dwellings). Because new approvals exceed 1.8% of stock, investors in Rutherford must avoid generic greenfield house-and-land pockets and stick to established, built-out streets.
• State Comparison: Compare Rutherford against the Top 25 Highest R-Score Suburbs in NSW.

4. Worked Cashflow, Deposit & 80% LVR Stress-Test for Rutherford (October 2026)

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in Rutherford at today’s median price of $815,000 and median rent of $640/wk? Below is the baseline 80% Loan-to-Value Ratio (LVR) model we use to stress-test serviceability before shortlisting a property:

Cashflow & Capital Item	Rutherford Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$815,000	Settled house median as of October 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$202,120	$163,000 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$39,120 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$652,000	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$33,280/yr ($640/wk)	4.1% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$49,715/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($40,750/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($8,965/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	-$316/wk top-up	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

5. Who Should Buy in Rutherford—And 3 Rules Before You Make an Offer

Strong Buyer Activity Meets an Active New-Build Pipeline. Based on our October 2026 data, Rutherford is best suited to equity-backed homeowners and portfolio builders seeking a balanced entry price ($815,000) and 4.1% rental yield in NSW.

1. Never Buy Blind on the Suburb Median: In Rutherford, 100 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the Rutherford Street Score Hub and target the 50 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Tournament Street, individual lots can carry overland flow paths, steep gradients, or sewer easements that restrict granny-flat additions or spike insurance premiums.
3. Price Against Street-Matched Settled Comparables: Do not let a selling agent justify an asking price on a 25/100 street using comparable sales from a 100/100 street. Compare settled sales within the same SA1 Street Score band.