Perth home buyers are increasingly prioritising space, workshops and granny flats over beach views, as rising property prices prompt them to seek greater value from the land they buy.
Domain’s Spring Homebuyer Report found that pools, granny flats, land and workshops were among the most popular search terms in Perth this year. The findings suggest buyers are looking for ways to expand the usefulness of their homes without necessarily spending more.
Alice Stolz, Domain’s national property editor, said the trend represented a shift towards space as “the ultimate luxury”.
“What we’re seeing is that basically most Perth buyers are looking for space,” she said. “What that means is, it’s not just pools. Basically, buyers are searching for other ways to add volume to what their parcel of land or home is.”
Sheds and workshops grow in appeal
Interest in land and dual-living options has risen over the past year, with sheds and workshops also featuring prominently among searches in the Perth market.
The areas attracting the strongest demand include Mundaring and Kalamunda. Nigel Aldridge, a sales representative at Ray White Aldridge & Associates, said younger buyers had moved into areas where larger blocks could offer more for their money.
“People can buy quite a big block and get a substantial home, for the price that you might pay for a smaller home on a smaller block closer to the city, for instance,” he said.
Mr Aldridge said buyers were particularly interested in the potential of blocks measuring 1,000 or 2,000 square metres, where they could accommodate features such as a granny flat, shed, pool and additional storage.
He also said demand for multi-generational homes was beginning to emerge. Some buyers had purchased properties with plans to add an ancillary dwelling, while others had moved into homes intended to accommodate a child or an older parent.
Ms Stolz said the popularity of granny flats, workshops and sheds reflected the financial pressures facing many buyers, including those purchasing their first home.
“If they’re a first-home buyer, and they’re scrimping and saving to get a deposit, if they’ve got things like a granny flat, even a workshop or a shed, and I know this sounds odd, but often people then become quite creative,” she said.
She said some owners might consider making an additional space compliant so it could potentially be rented out to generate income.
Despite the growing focus on usable land, pools remained the most searched-for feature in almost every Australian city included in the report, with Canberra the exception. Ms Stolz said the results showed that buyers continued to value homes with enough outdoor space for a pool.
Perth was also the only city to record annual growth in new housing and unit supply between June and August.
