South Maclean (QLD 4280) in Focus 2026: Is It a Good Investment? R-Score 85/100, 3.9% Yield & Best Streets

Market Classification: High-Supply Growth Corridor (Street Selection Critical) · R-Score: 85/100 (National Rank #2,413 of 15,286) · Street Average: 85/100 across 72 streets.

On the surface, South Maclean attracts heavy buyer attention because of its $865,000 entry point and modern housing stock. However, council-wide building approvals in Logan are running at 4.2% 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 South Maclean 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 100 street scores as a starting filter, not a substitute for inspection. With an 80% LVR cashflow figure of negative $365 a week, the wrong pocket can become an expensive experiment, even where the suburb-wide data looks tidy. Street selection and conservative cashflow assumptions matter here.”

Looking for the live, monthly-updated numbers? The South Maclean (QLD) suburb profile tracks the current median house price, rent, vacancy and R-Score, and the South Maclean 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 South Maclean (QLD 4280), combining 36 months of settled price and rental history from our Aurora research warehouse, council-level supply and employment data for Logan (QLD), and block-by-block ABS 2021 Census SA1 tenure and yield rankings across 1,667 residential addresses.

1. South Maclean (QLD) 3-Year Market Trajectory & 27-Indicator R-Score (October 2026)

Over the past 12 months, South Maclean’s median house price moved +1.8% (from $850,000 to $865,000), bringing its 3-year cumulative price movement to +0.2% (from $863,000 three years ago). On the rental side, median weekly asking rents moved +0% over the past year to $650/wk (+16.8% over 36 months), equating to a 3.9% gross rental yield. Compared with 12 months ago—when South Maclean carried an R-Score of 91/100—its current composite R-Score of 85/100 represents a -6-point shift in underlying market pressure.

Indicator / R-Score Pillar	South Maclean (QLD) Current	12-Month / 36-Month Context
Composite Suburb R-Score	85 / 100	Ranked #2,413 of 15,286 suburbs (was 91/100 12m ago)
Median House Price	$865,000	12m change: +1.8% · 36m change: +0.2%
Median Weekly Rent & Gross Yield	$650/wk (3.9%)	12m rent change: +0% · 36m rent change: +16.8%
Rental Vacancy & Days on Market	40% vacancy	Median selling time: 51 days on market (1.5% vacancy is the tight-market line)
Pillar 1: Buyer Demand	41 / 100	Measures days-on-market compression, vendor discounting & sales velocity
Pillar 2: Supply & Ownership	62 / 100	Measures stock on market, building approvals vs stock & owner-occupier share
Pillar 3: Price Momentum	54 / 100	Measures short/medium-term price velocity vs Logan & QLD
Pillar 4: Yield Pressure	43 / 100	Measures gross rental yield, rent trajectory & vacancy compression

2. The “Two-Speed Suburb” Test: Best & Worst Streets in South Maclean (QLD)

Why do two 4-bedroom houses in South Maclean achieve completely different bank valuations and tenant quality? Because suburb medians blend every pocket together. When we map all 1,667 addresses across 72 streets in South Maclean through G-NAF to their ABS 2021 Census SA1 blocks, the suburb splits into three distinct tiers:

• Strong Street Profile (Score 75–100): 62 streets (100% of scored streets) pass both ABS Census tenure tests (owner-occupiers >65% and public housing ≤5%) plus at least one—or both—of the South Maclean rent and yield benchmarks.
• Mid / Mixed Street Profile (Score 50–74): 0 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): 0 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 South Maclean (QLD)

These streets sit in SA1 census blocks with high homeowner pride of ownership, minimal social housing concentration, and strong block-level rents (inspect all 72 streets in South Maclean):

Top Street in South Maclean	Street Score	Addresses	Owner-Occupiers	Public Housing	SA1 Rent & Yield
#1 Sandpiper Drive	100/100	32	88%	0%	$29809/wk (141.3%)
#2 Evergreen Drive	100/100	62	87%	0%	$980/wk (5.3%)
#3 Doyle Road	100/100	21	87%	0%	$980/wk (5.3%)
#4 Stockleigh Road	100/100	21	87%	0%	$980/wk (5.3%)
#5 Wharf Street	100/100	14	87%	0%	$980/wk (5.3%)

3. Economic & Supply Drivers in Logan Council (Queensland)

South Maclean sits within the Logan Local Government Area, which has a residential population of approximately 403,515 (+11.3% population movement over the past 3 years) and 109,927 total dwellings. Three council-level fundamentals shape South Maclean’s medium-term outlook:

• Local Employment Diversity (ABS Census): The largest employment sectors across Logan are Retail Trade (14%), Health Care and Social Assistance (13%), Construction (11%), Education and Training (10%). 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, Logan approved 4.2% new dwelling stock (~4,991.751 dwellings). Because new approvals exceed 1.8% of stock, investors in South Maclean must avoid generic greenfield house-and-land pockets and stick to established, built-out streets.
• Tracked Infrastructure Pipeline: Logan currently has $8.2 billion in tracked major infrastructure projects (placing it in the 82th percentile of Australian councils).

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

What does it actually cost to acquire and hold a typical house in South Maclean at today’s median price of $865,000 and median rent of $650/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	South Maclean Worked Figure	Assumptions & Notes
Purchase Price (Suburb Median)	$865,000	Settled house median as of October 2026
20% Deposit + Est. Stamp Duty & Costs	$214,520	$173,000 deposit (80% LVR) + ~$41,520 stamp duty, legal & inspection allowance (can be funded via usable home equity)
80% LVR Loan Amount	$692,000	Standard no-LMI investor loan threshold
Gross Annual Rental Income	$33,800/yr ($650/wk)	3.9% gross rental yield before vacancies and expenses
Est. Annual Interest + Operating Costs	$52,765/yr	Assumes 6.25% interest-only ($43,250/yr) + ~1.1% for council rates, insurance & property management ($9,515/yr)
Pre-Tax Weekly Cashflow Position	-$365/wk top-up	Before tax deductions / depreciation (confirm post-tax position with your accountant)

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

Strong Buyer Activity Meets an Active New-Build Pipeline. Based on our October 2026 data, South Maclean is best suited to equity-backed homeowners and portfolio builders seeking a balanced entry price ($865,000) and 3.9% rental yield in QLD.

1. Never Buy Blind on the Suburb Median: In South Maclean, 0 streets score below 50/100 on our census tenure and yield tests. Always run the exact street through the South Maclean Street Score Hub and target the 62 streets scoring 75–100/100.
2. Check Lot-Level Overlays (Flood, Bushfire, Slope & Easements): Even on a 100/100 streetlike Sandpiper Drive, 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.