The new luxury: Why Perth buyers are abandoning beach views for sheds and workshops

Aside from affordability, Perth home buyers are looking for space when it comes to buying their next property.

That’s according to Domain’s Spring Homebuyer Report, released today, which revealed the top search trends in Perth this year have been pools, granny flats, land and workshops.

Domain’s national property editor Alice Stolz said the trends showed Perth buyers were moving away from beachfront views and towards more space to play and grow.

“What we’re seeing is that basically most Perth buyers are looking for space, which is kind of the ultimate luxury,” 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.”

Stolz said land and dual living had climbed the ranks in search trends over the past year.

“We’re particularly seeing a strong interest in things like granny flats, land, and workshops when it comes to what people are searching for in the Perth market,” she said.

“I think what that is also reflective of is the Perth market has obviously seen huge supersonic growth over the past few years, and many people are kind of trying to get more bang for their buck in what they’re paying for.

“So, even if they can’t sort of flex that much on price, can they find other ways to kind of have more value in that parcel of their property?”

The search trends match the regions which have the highest demand in Perth at the moment, with Mundaring and Kalamunda leading the way in 2026.

Ray White Aldridge & Associates sales representative Nigel Aldridge said it was a trend he had noticed with buyers in Kalamunda.

“Kalamunda has gone through quite a transformation in terms of demographics. So a lot of the people that built their houses up there, and the same with Mundaring, actually, in the 70s and the 80s, they’re moving out quite quickly,” he said.

“But what’s happened is that a lot of younger people have moved back in, and I think what happens with those areas is that they actually represent very good value when they’re actually broken down.

“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.”

Sheds and workshops have topped the list of must-haves for buyers in the area.

“You can do a whole lot on 1000 square metres or 2000 square meters. All of those things: granny flat shed, pool, lifestyle,” he said.

“A lot of people want sheds and storage.”

But it’s the multi-generational home that is coming up through the trends at the moment.

“A multi-generational home has become, I wouldn’t say really popular, but certainly, it’s been creeping in, and we’ve seen the demand for that increase,” Aldridge said.

“Bearing in mind that it’s coming from almost a zero base, and it’s starting now, so it’s interesting.

“I’ve noticed that a couple of times we’ve sold properties to people whose plan is to add an ancillary dwelling, or they’ve sold their property to move into a property with a child or an older parent.”

Stolz said that sheds and workshops also have benefits for first homebuyers looking to make some money in the long run.

“I think seeing granny flats, land, workshops, and sheds on the list really speaks to me about the affordability constraints that many buyers are facing, and how they get more flexibility on what they do purchase,” she said.

“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.

“They’ll think, if I get it compliant, could I potentially rent that out as an extra space to earn some income on the side as the owner of that property?”

Despite space being the main trends on the search list, it was a good old pool that came out on top for almost all cities in Australia except for Canberra.

Stolz said it shows people still value the use of a pool in their backyard.

“The fact it’s still number one, sort of everywhere in the country except for poor old Canberra, really speaks volumes to me about the fact that we really value our homes being a sanctuary and somewhere where we can sort of just live in a little bubble of our home,” she said.

“We do still really value having a house with a backyard that’s big enough for a pool in it.”

Across June to August, Perth was the only city to record annual growth in new housing and unit supply.