A Sydney real estate agent and mother-of-two, Chloe Hart, has spoken out about her decision to raise her two young sons in a two-bedroom apartment in Manly rather than buying a larger house, arguing that neighbourhood and lifestyle matter more to family life than square footage. Her comments, shared after an Instagram post on the subject went viral, reflect what she describes as a broader shift among buyers who increasingly prioritise location, walkability and community over extra bedrooms or a backyard.

Hart, who works for Belle Property, bought the apartment with her husband in 2021 and says the trade-off has given the family more time to enjoy the outdoors rather than maintaining a large home. Her remarks coincide with a new study by health insurer iSelect, which ranked Manly 10th among Australia's best places to raise a family based on measures including childcare cost and availability, healthcare and birth rates; childcare there accounts for just 22.4 per cent of household income. Sydney suburbs dominated the top 10, with Dural-Wisemans Ferry second, Leichhardt third and Ku-ring-gai fifth nationally.