Byford vs Glen ForrestTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Byford (WA 6122) is approximately 33 km south-east of the Perth CBD, at the foot of the Darling Scarp. Glen Forrest (WA 6071) is approximately 24 km east of the Perth CBD, on the southern side of Great Eastern Highway in the Perth Hills. At the 2021 Census, Byford had 18,878 residents with a median age of 31, and Glen Forrest had 2,789 residents with a median age of 45.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Byford and 0% in Glen Forrest, while 16% of Byford households rented compared with 7% in Glen Forrest. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
WA 6122 · Outer south-east metropolitan Perth
Byford
Byford is a fast-growing estate suburb in the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale, below the Darling Scarp, with a new Armadale Line terminus station.
Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale. Approximately 33 km south-east of the Perth CBD, at the foot of the Darling Scarp.
Read the full Byford guideWA 6071 · Perth Hills
Glen Forrest
Glen Forrest is a Perth Hills suburb of houses on large bushland lots, almost entirely owner-occupied, with buses to Midland and bushfire planning rules.
Shire of Mundaring. Approximately 24 km east of the Perth CBD, on the southern side of Great Eastern Highway in the Perth Hills.
Read the full Glen Forrest guide
What buying in Byford and Glen Forrest would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Byford and Glen Forrest.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Byford to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Glen Forrest to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Byford and Glen Forrest: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Byford | Glen Forrest |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 18,878 | 2,789 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 31 | 45 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,059 | $2,103 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $380 | $380 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,898 | $1,950 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 16% | 7% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 70% | 50% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 14% | 42% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 99% | 98% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 1% | 1% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 0% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 2% | 7% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 72% | 55% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 6% | 8% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Byford and Glen Forrest
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Byford
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Construction loans are drawn in stages against a fixed-price building contract, with interest charged on the amount drawn during the build.
- Items outside the building contract, such as site works variations, flooring, fencing and landscaping, are funded by the borrower and need a contingency.
- A valuation for a house and land package can come in below the combined land and building price, which matters most where the deposit is small.
- Most of Byford is designated bush fire prone, which can raise construction standards, building costs and insurance premiums.
- Rural-residential lots toward the scarp may exceed the land area that some lenders accept on standard residential terms.
- Offers on established houses are binding once accepted, with no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions belong in the offer itself.
Glen Forrest
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- The whole suburb is designated bush fire prone, so new houses and extensions need planning approval supported by a Bushfire Attack Level assessment.
- Some lenders and mortgage insurers cap the land area accepted at standard loan-to-value ratios or treat rural residential zoning differently.
- Few closely comparable sales occur in a small suburb of varied properties, so a valuation below the contract price is a possibility to plan for.
- Construction loans are drawn in stages against a fixed-price contract, which needs to reflect bushfire construction requirements before the lender's valuation.
- Lenders require building insurance at settlement, and insurers assess bushfire exposure property by property, so early quotations are worthwhile.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and effluent system enquiries belong in the offer.
Housing stock in Byford and Glen Forrest compared
Byford
- Four-bedroom estate houses
- Single-storey brick homes on estate lots; four-bedroom dwellings numbered 3,944 at the 2021 Census.
- Three-bedroom houses
- The 2021 Census counted 1,463 three-bedroom homes, the main alternative to the four-bedroom standard.
- House and land packages
- Vacant estate lots paired with a separate fixed-price building contract, usually financed with a construction loan.
- Rural-residential properties
- Large lots toward the Darling Scarp in the Rural Residential zone, where bush fire prone designation is extensive.
Glen Forrest
- Detached houses on large residential lots
- Separate houses numbered 980 of 995 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, on village land coded R5 or R2.5 under Local Planning Scheme No. 4.
- Rural residential and small holdings properties
- Larger bushland properties surround the village, many within the Middle Helena Catchment Area special control area in the south of the suburb.
- Older village houses and heritage places
- The precinct plan and the state heritage database record railway-era places around Railway Parade, including the former Station Master's House.
Official sale price and rent figures for Byford and Glen Forrest
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Byford
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Byford, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Glen Forrest
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Glen Forrest, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Byford and Glen Forrest
Byford
Transport
- Byford Station (train)
- Route 251 (bus)
- Routes 254, 255 and 256 (bus)
- Routes 259 and 262 (bus)
- South Western Highway (road)
- Tonkin Highway Extension (road)
Schools and campuses
- Byford Secondary College (secondary, government)
- Byford Primary School (primary, government)
- Marri Grove Primary School (primary, government)
- West Byford Primary School (primary, government)
- Salvado Catholic College (combined, catholic)
- Byford John Calvin School (primary, independent)
Amenities
- SJ Community Recreation Centre
- Briggs Park, Byford Skate Park and Bike Pump Track
- Byford Library
- Byford Village
- Darling Range Regional Park
- Armadale Health Service (Mount Nasura)
Glen Forrest
Transport
- Midland Station (train)
- Transperth route 322 (bus)
- Transperth routes 320 and 328 (bus)
- Great Eastern Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Glen Forrest Primary School (primary, government)
- Helena College (combined, independent)
- Eastern Hills Senior High School (secondary, government)
Amenities
- Railway Reserves Heritage Trail
- Glen Forrest Hall (Octagonal Hall)
- Glen Forrest Oval
- Morgan John Morgan reserve and playground
- Hardey Road and Railway Parade local centres
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
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