Boutique Realty Perth is a Subiaco-based real estate agency that helps buyers across Perth's western suburbs, northern coast, inner city and the Mandurah and Peel region through listings, home opens, property alerts and guidance from offer to settlement. This release interprets the REIA Housing Affordability Report for the June 2026 quarter, as published by REIWA on 13 September 2026, alongside REIWA's September listings data, and explains what record-low affordability and a much larger choice of homes mean for Perth buyers this spring.
Boutique Realty Perth says Perth buyers are facing the most stretched repayments on record and the widest choice of homes in more than three years at the same time, and that the second fact gives prepared buyers more room to negotiate. According to the REIA Housing Affordability Report published by REIWA on 13 September 2026, the proportion of family income needed to meet average loan repayments in Western Australia rose 1.6 percentage points over the June 2026 quarter to 47.5 per cent, the lowest level of affordability on record for the state and the largest quarterly decline among the states and territories.
Over the same period, supply has grown. REIWA members reported 7,755 properties for sale in Perth in the week ending 20 September 2026, 164.8 per cent more than a year earlier. REIWA reported on 6 September 2026 that active listings had exceeded 7,000 for the first time in more than three years.
How stretched are WA buyers in 2026?
The REIA measures the share of median family income required to meet repayments on the average new owner-occupier loan.
| Jurisdiction | June qtr 2026 | March qtr 2026 | June qtr 2025 |
| Western Australia | 47.5% | 45.9% | 41.2% |
| Australia | 50.9% | 50.8% | 47.6% |
| New South Wales | 57.7% | 58.4% | 56.2% |
| Queensland | 54.4% | 53.2% | 48.3% |
| Victoria | 45.8% | 46.1% | 44.4% |
Source: Real Estate Institute of Australia, Housing Affordability Report, June 2026 quarter, as published by REIWA on 13 September 2026.
Key affordability facts:
- Repayment share: 47.5 per cent of family income needed to meet average loan repayments in WA in the June 2026 quarter, up from 41.2 per cent in the June 2025 quarter (REIA, via REIWA, 13 September 2026).
- Average loan: the average WA owner-occupier loan rose 16.1 per cent over the year to $720,012 in the June 2026 quarter (REIA, via REIWA, 13 September 2026).
- First home buyers: 3,592 WA first home buyer loans in the June 2026 quarter, 35.9 per cent of owner-occupier loans, down from 38.4 per cent in the March quarter, with an average loan of $610,941 (REIA, via REIWA, 13 September 2026).
- Cash rate: the Reserve Bank of Australia raised the cash rate target to 4.35 per cent on 5 May 2026 and left it unchanged on 11 August 2026 (RBA).
REIWA President Suzanne Brown attributed the decline to a third interest rate increase of the year in May and further price growth, and said first home buyers "seem to be waiting for significant price falls". REIWA separately reported on 22 September 2026 that Perth's median house price fell 2.0 per cent over the June quarter while remaining 18.7 per cent higher than a year earlier.
What does a larger choice of homes mean for Perth buyers this spring?
Boutique Realty Perth's view is that buyers waiting for a large price fall may miss the change that has already happened: more homes to compare and less pressure to decide on the day of the first home open. With more listings, buyers can inspect several comparable homes, compare recent sales and negotiate on terms as well as price. The agency's guides to making an offer on a house in WA and the subject to finance clause explain how conditions protect a buyer while finance is confirmed.
"Affordability is the hardest it has been, and nobody should pretend otherwise, but buyers now have something they did not have a year ago, which is time and choice. A buyer with finance sorted and a clear brief can look at five comparable homes, make a conditional offer on the right one and negotiate without being rushed," said Mathew St Guillaume, Sales Executive / Director at Boutique Realty Perth. "Waiting for a big fall is a bet. Knowing your borrowing limit at today's rate, and at a higher one, is a plan."
How Boutique Realty Perth helps buyers this spring
The agency's buyer support covers current listings, weekly home opens and guidance on offer strategy, finance timing and the WA settlement process.
Boutique Realty Perth does not provide financial, credit or tax advice. Buyers should confirm their borrowing capacity and repayments with their lender or broker. The affordability figures are state-wide averages and the listing counts describe the Perth market as a whole; neither is a forecast of prices.
Perth buyers can set up a free property alert with Boutique Realty Perth to hear about matching homes as they are listed.
Key Features and Facts
- Location: Level 3, Suite 17, 23 Railway Road, Subiaco WA 6008, with buyers served across the Perth metropolitan area and the Mandurah and Peel region.
- Core services: buyer support with property alerts and home opens, residential sales, property management, appraisals, project marketing and commercial property.
- Buyer process: define the brief, register an alert, inspect with guidance on the home and the competition, then offer and settle with support on finance timing and the WA settlement process (boutiquerealtyperth.com.au, accessed 23 September 2026).
- Leadership: sales director Mathew St Guillaume and licensee Tina Van Rooyen.
About Boutique Realty Perth
Boutique Realty Perth is a full-service real estate agency based in Subiaco, Western Australia, serving buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants across the Perth metropolitan area and the Mandurah and Peel region. The agency provides residential sales, property management, property appraisals, buyer support, project marketing and commercial property services through a team of senior sales agents, property managers and support staff working from one office. Visit Boutique Realty Perth for more information.
Media contact
Mathew St Guillaume
Sales Executive / Director
Boutique Realty Perth
Phone: 0414 824 877
Email: [email protected]
Level 3, Suite 17, 23 Railway Road
Subiaco WA 6008, Australia
https://www.boutiquerealtyperth.com.au/
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Disclaimer: This release is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, credit, lending, legal, tax, property, or investment advice. Market data and affordability figures are historical and may change over time. Individual borrowing capacity, loan repayments, property values, and market conditions vary. Buyers should obtain appropriate financial, lending, legal, and property advice based on their individual circumstances before entering into a property transaction.
Source: 38 Digital Market News
Release ID: 2738609
