I don't live in Ryde but I do know the area as I live in Sydney's Inner West and worked at Ryde for a few months. Have noticed that the shopping centre has been demolished, are they building apartments there or a new shopping centre?
I believe prices in Ryde should mirror prices in Eastwood as I believe it is right next door to Ryde.
Don't know how rents are in Ryde but I would make sure that you can get a decent return from your investment. If you can get around 5-7% return from rent then I think you should be okay. As for capital gain well I am no expert but considering the way things are now I don't believe you will get the gains that were achieved 3-4 years ago but saying that certain areas of Sydney have certainly shown good resilience, how long though remains to be seen.
Anyway goodluck in your decision. But do shop around as I believe you will find good value as long as you look hard enough.
