Byford vs Piara WatersTwo 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. Piara Waters (WA 6112) is approximately 20 km south of the Perth CBD, between Cockburn Central and Armadale. At the 2021 Census, Byford had 18,878 residents with a median age of 31, and Piara Waters had 15,029 residents with a median age of 31.
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 Piara Waters, while 16% of Byford households rented compared with 16% in Piara Waters. 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 6112 · South-east metropolitan Perth
Piara Waters
Piara Waters is a young City of Armadale estate suburb of four-bedroom houses where three in four households have a mortgage and there is no station.
City of Armadale. Approximately 20 km south of the Perth CBD, between Cockburn Central and Armadale.
Read the full Piara Waters guide
What buying in Byford and Piara Waters 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 Piara Waters.
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 Piara Waters 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 Piara Waters: 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 | Piara Waters |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 18,878 | 15,029 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 31 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,059 | $2,477 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $380 | $420 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,898 | $2,054 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 16% | 16% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 70% | 75% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 14% | 8% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 99% | 99% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 1% | 1% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 0% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 2% | 1% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 72% | 71% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 6% | 4% |
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 Piara Waters
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.
Piara Waters
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- High loan-to-value borrowing is common in young estate suburbs, so lenders mortgage insurance or the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme is often relevant.
- Construction loans are drawn in stages and valued on an as-if-complete basis, and costs outside the building contract need to be funded from savings.
- Streets of near-identical houses, with new homes still being released nearby, make it easy for a valuer to test a price, so a shortfall is possible.
- Piara Waters shares postcode 6112 with Armadale, so where a lender or insurer applies a postcode-based policy it may be prudent to confirm how the suburb is treated.
- Designated bush fire prone land can raise construction standards for new homes and extensions, and may affect insurance premiums, which lenders require at settlement.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer before signing.
Housing stock in Byford and Piara Waters 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.
Piara Waters
- Four-bedroom project homes
- Single-storey brick family houses built by volume builders; four-bedroom dwellings numbered 3,090 at the 2021 Census.
- Three-bedroom houses on compact lots
- The 1,232 three-bedroom homes counted at the 2021 Census are generally the smaller houses on narrower estate lots.
- House and land packages
- Vacant lots in the remaining western estates, bought with a separate building contract and funded by a construction loan.
- Townhouses
- Only 64 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census, and no flats or apartments were recorded.
Official sale price and rent figures for Byford and Piara Waters
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.
Piara Waters
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Piara Waters, 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 Piara Waters
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)
Piara Waters
Transport
- Cockburn Central Station (Cockburn Central) (train)
- Ranford Road Station (Canning Vale) (train)
- Routes 233 and 529 (bus)
- Routes 518 and 519 (bus)
- Armadale Road (road)
- Nicholson Road and Warton Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Piara Waters Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Piara Waters Primary School (primary, government)
- Aspiri Primary School (primary, government)
- Riva Primary School (primary, government)
- St John Bosco College (combined, catholic)
Amenities
- Piara Waters Library
- Piara Waters Oval and Pavilion
- Rossiter Pavilion and Playing Field
- Piara Nature Reserve
- Robot Park
- Stockland Harrisdale (Harrisdale)
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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