Australian Property Monitors' data shows that while the suburbs of Griffith, Red Hill and Yarralumla recorded the top median prices for the year, values fell on average by 12 per cent.

However, the suburb of Chapman, which rated seventh on the highest median house price list, recorded a growth in value of 13 per cent for the year. The data shows that more than 120 houses changed hands last year in just the top three suburbs.

Lucky buyers to move into one of the territory's sought-after suburbs included the Goughs, who purchased a duplex home in Red Hill at the end of the year.

Alistair, Amelia and two-year-old Anika had been "busting out" of their Higgins residence when they spied the leafy Red Hill street they were soon to call home.

The couple had always liked the more established suburbs since moving to Canberra in 2005 and had been targeting the inner north and inner south for about six months.

Mrs Gough said they felt quite fortunate to buy into the suburb.

"We thought we were getting quite a good deal," she said.

"The duplex factor made it a bit more affordable for us."

Peter Blackshaw Manuka sales agent Dan McAlpine said duplexes were quite a rare offering in the inner south, with just a handful in suburbs such as Griffith, Deakin and Yarralumla. But he said if buyers were lucky enough such a purchase was a good entry point into suburbs where median house prices edged upwards of $800,000.

Australian Property Monitors' senior economist, Dr Andrew Wilson, said the lowest interest rates in 60 years, a shortage of property in the territory and rising confidence would lead to increased buyer activity this year.

Soon-to-be Crace resident Olivia Fang was so keen to buy at the start of the year that she made the initial payment on her family's new home in the delivery room.

Ms Fang and husband Bruce Song welcomed Imogen into the world just three hours after they purchased their yet-to-be-built home.