Over the past half decade, Perth’s real estate market has quietly transformed — emerging not just as a local leader, but as a standout across Australia. What began as strong growth in outer suburbs is now repeating more broadly — including in inner and middle-ring areas. At Peard, we believe this shift presents both opportunities and caution points for buyers, sellers, and investors alike.
In this blog, we’ll walk through the suburbs leading the charge, emerging trends to watch, and our outlook as we head into 2026.
The Changing Landscape: From Fringe Dominance to Citywide Momentum
In earlier years, Perth’s growth was concentrated in greenfield and new-estate corridors — places such as Baldivis, Rockingham, Mandurah, and the outer northern and eastern fringes. These suburbs benefited from affordability, fresh stock, and demand from buyers seeking value.
But lately, the data tells a different story: growth is spreading inward. Inner-ring and middle suburbs that lagged behind are now showing renewed strength.
This is being driven in part by supply constraints closer to the city, which make inner areas more competitive. The loss of listings, dwindling rental stock, and rising competition for established homes are all contributing factors.
Scarcity in central areas is often a catalyst for both capital gains and rent growth. With fewer options available in the inner suburbs, buyer and tenant demand is focused, which tends to amplify price pressure.
At Peard, we’re seeing these shifts play out in real time: buyers who once looked outward are now seriously considering suburbs 10–20 km from the CBD that offer convenience, lifestyle, and amenity.
2. Suburbs Setting the Pace — 2025 Snapshot as a Benchmark
Below are suburbs that have recently led in price growth. These are not just brief success stories; many have shown strong multi-year performance:
Top House Growth Suburbs (Recent 12 months / 5-Year Growth)
- Bateman: +37–38%
- Ardross: +33%
- Madeley: +30%
- Trigg: +28%
- Woodvale, Calista, Silver Sands, Woodlands, Aubin Grove, Midvale (each +24–25%)
Median days on market in many of these areas are short — often fewer than three weeks, with some suburbs averaging under 10 days.
Top Unit / Apartment Growth Suburbs
- Bicton tops the list
- Hamilton Hill, Doubleview, Bassendean, Mount Pleasant, Applecross, Bentley, Jolimont, North Fremantle, Cloverdale also performing strongly
Units are catching up because many buyers are trading down in size, seeking affordability without giving up location. In some quarters, unit price growth has even outpaced houses.
These suburbs combine amenity, transport access, or proximity to established hubs — precisely the variables we at Peard track when assessing medium-term potential.
3. Signals of a Market Cooling — But Not a Crash
While the price rises have been impressive, several indicators could suggest growth may moderate:
- Affordability pressures: Western Australia, although still among the more affordable major states, has seen affordability worsen in recent quarters.
- Flat homebuyer lending: New lending to homebuyers hasn’t grown substantially, suggesting some buyers may be reaching their limits.
- Refinancing and investor activity: A significant share of growth in finance is via refinancing or investor-driven lending, not just new owner-occupied purchases.
- Moderating forecasts: Some analysts now expect more modest growth rates — in the mid to high single digits — rather than double-digit leaps.
Still, most forecasts point to
ongoing growth, just less aggressive than recent years.
From Peard’s perspective, we anticipate a
consolidation period — periods of steadier growth, potentially with some plateaus — especially in more marginal suburbs but sustained growth overall.
4. What We’re Watching in 2026 & Peard’s Forward Lens
Suburbs in Our 2026 Focus
We see inner and middle suburbs with strong fundamentals as the likely standouts. Some names we’re actively tracking:
- Mount Lawley
- Maylands
- Inglewood
- Bayswater
- South Perth
These suburbs blend lifestyle, connectivity, amenity, and enough land availability to absorb demand. They also tend to attract buyers who value walkability, public transport, and being closer to job hubs.
Key Factors to Watch & Leverage
- Listings & inventory levels: With supply still tight, suburbs that unlock even a few quality listings can see outsized response.
- Infrastructure upgrades: Projects that reduce commute times or add amenity — especially rail, roads, parks, and commercial nodes — may drive premium gains in select suburbs.
- Interest rates / borrowing capacity: Shifts in rates will influence how much buyer budgets stretch, especially for upgrades.
- Rental market strength: Rental yields and tight vacancy rates will continue to underpin investor interest in well-positioned suburbs.
In short:
location, amenity, and scarcity will remain the core drivers.
Perth has moved beyond being a city of fringe boom suburbs. It’s now a more balanced, layered growth environment where inner and local suburbs are part of the story.
The runaway growth phase may be slowing slightly, but we don’t see a crash on the horizon. The structural fundamentals — population growth, supply constraints, lifestyle appeal, interstate migration — are intact.