Victorian towns ranked by house price for a flooring franchise 2026

Best overall starting point: Geelong, for a franchisee who wants the deepest pool of renovating homeowners. Best for balance: Ballarat and Bendigo. Best for a lower entry cost on the home front: Traralgon, Shepparton and Mildura. This guide groups eight Victorian towns into three tiers by house price and shows what each tier means for a flooring showroom in 2026.

If you want the franchise side first, start at National Floors, which recruits flooring showroom franchisees for exclusive territories across Victoria.

Why house price matters for a flooring showroom

Flooring is bought by people who own or are renovating a home. House prices shape that buyer in two ways: how much equity owners hold, and how much a typical job is worth.

Higher house prices tend to mean larger homes and more equity to spend on a renovation. Lower house prices tend to mean cheaper living costs for you as the owner, and often a more price-sensitive customer.

Neither is better. They are different businesses. You choose which one you want to run.

This ranking uses relative price position only. Median prices move every quarter, so the tiers describe where a town generally sits, not an exact figure. Look up the current median for any town on your shortlist from a published source such as the Valuer-General Victoria or a property data provider before you decide.

What makes a good flooring franchise town

House price is the sorting key. These five criteria decide whether a town is actually worth a showroom:

• House price tier: sets the likely job size and the equity owners have to renovate.
• Population base: more households means more flooring jobs in the catchment.
• Housing turnover: people who just bought a home often replace carpet, timber or laminate.
• New builds: new estates need flooring in every room.
• Your own cost of living: a lower-priced town changes what you need to draw from the business.

Rank on all five, not on price alone. A cheap town with a thin catchment loses to a mid-priced town with steady building.

Towns at a glance

The order inside each tier is not a price order. Confirm every town against current data.

1. Geelong: best for the biggest homeowner pool

Geelong is a large city with a direct link to Melbourne, and it sits in the higher-priced tier. That means more owners with equity and more households per square kilometre than any other town on this list.

Geelong pros:

• Large population and housing base
• Steady renovation and new-build activity
• Higher house prices support larger jobs
• Close enough to Melbourne for supplier and head-office contact

Geelong cons:

• More competing flooring retailers
• Higher cost of living for you as the owner
• Territory availability needs confirming with National Floors

Best for: an owner who wants volume and is comfortable competing for it.

Verdict: Shortlist.

2. Ballarat: best for size without the biggest-city costs

Ballarat is a major regional city in the higher-priced tier. It offers a large local catchment and a regional pull across surrounding towns.

Ballarat pros:

• Large regional population
• Consistent housing activity
• Catchment extends into nearby towns

Ballarat cons:

• Rising prices push up what you pay to live and operate there
• Established local competitors

Best for: an owner who wants a regional city base with real scale.

Verdict: Shortlist.

3. Bendigo: best for a regional hub

Bendigo sits alongside Ballarat in the higher-priced tier. It is the retail and service centre for a wide inland area, so a showroom there draws from well beyond the city limits.

Bendigo pros:

• Regional hub for surrounding towns
• Mix of established homes and new estates
• Higher prices support renovation spending

Bendigo cons:

• Customers spread across a wide area, so job travel adds up
• Established competitors

Best for: an owner happy to quote and install across a broad territory.

Verdict: Shortlist.

4. Warrnambool: best for a south-west regional base

Warrnambool is the main centre for the south-west coast and sits in the mid tier. It is smaller than the three cities above but has less direct competition from larger centres.

Warrnambool pros:

• Regional centre with a loyal local market
• Mid-tier prices keep your own costs more manageable
• Coastal and farming households both buy flooring

Warrnambool cons:

• Smaller population than Geelong, Ballarat or Bendigo
• Distance from Melbourne

Best for: an owner who prefers a community-driven business over volume.

Verdict: Hold until you have checked the current median and territory availability.

5. Wodonga: best for border-region demand

Wodonga sits in the mid tier and shares a catchment with Albury across the New South Wales border. That widens the potential customer base but also the competitor set.

Wodonga pros:

• Combined twin-city catchment
• Mid-tier prices
• Growth from new housing estates

Wodonga cons:

• Cross-border competitors
• Distance from Melbourne

Best for: an owner who wants a regional base with a bigger combined market.

Verdict: Hold. Confirm how a Victorian territory is defined before you plan around the border.

6. Traralgon: best for a lower cost of living

Traralgon is the main centre of the Latrobe Valley and sits in the lower-priced tier. Lower house prices mean lower living costs for you, but customers often compare quotes harder.

Traralgon pros:

• Lower house prices reduce your own cost base
• Central position in the valley
• Homes that need updating are common in lower-priced markets

Traralgon cons:

• Price-sensitive customers
• Job values may run smaller than in the higher tier

Best for: an owner who wants a lean cost base and is comfortable selling on value.

Verdict: Shortlist if low overheads matter most to you.

7. Shepparton: best for reach into a farming region

Shepparton is the regional centre for the Goulburn Valley and sits in the lower-priced tier. Demand follows the regional economy, so you need to understand that cycle.

Shepparton pros:

• Clear regional centre
• Lower house prices
• Wide catchment across the valley

Shepparton cons:

• Demand tied to the regional economy
• Customers compare on price

Best for: an owner who knows the region and values a firm local reputation.

Verdict: Hold. Check local building activity first.

8. Mildura: best for exclusive reach in the north-west

Mildura sits in the lower-priced tier and is far from competing larger centres. That distance limits the competitor set and defines a clear territory.

Mildura pros:

• Isolated from bigger centres, so locals buy locally
• Lower house prices
• Clear regional territory

Mildura cons:

• Distance from Melbourne for supply and support visits
• Smaller overall market

Best for: an owner who wants to be the obvious local flooring option.

Verdict: Hold. Confirm freight and install logistics before you commit.

How these towns were ranked

The tiers use relative house price position: higher, mid, lower. The five criteria above then decide the shortlist verdicts. No dollar medians are quoted here because they change every quarter and a stale figure misleads more than it helps.

Which town should you choose?

Default pick: Geelong, Ballarat or Bendigo if you want scale; Traralgon if you want the lowest overhead. Mid-tier Warrnambool and Wodonga suit owners who want a strong local identity.

Do this in order:

• Pick the tier that matches how you want to run the business.
• Pull the current median house price for your two or three towns.
• Check building and renovation activity in each catchment.
• Confirm which territories are open with National Floors.

Price tier is the first filter, not the last.

FAQ

One last thing

Most people shortlist towns by price alone and skip the catchment. Check how far your customers really are from the showroom. A town ranked second on price that gives you a tight, easy-to-service territory can beat the top-ranked town in 2026.