Glen Forrest vs KalamundaTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
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. Kalamunda (WA 6076) is approximately 25 km east of the Perth CBD, on the Darling Scarp at 250 to 300 metres elevation. At the 2021 Census, Glen Forrest had 2,789 residents with a median age of 45, and Kalamunda had 7,163 residents with a median age of 49.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Glen Forrest and 1% in Kalamunda, while 7% of Glen Forrest households rented compared with 15% in Kalamunda. 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 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 guideWA 6076 · Perth Hills
Kalamunda
Kalamunda is a Perth Hills town on the Darling Scarp where 49.6 per cent of households own outright, with bushfire and sloping-site issues central to buying.
City of Kalamunda. Approximately 25 km east of the Perth CBD, on the Darling Scarp at 250 to 300 metres elevation.
Read the full Kalamunda guide
What buying in Glen Forrest and Kalamunda 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 Glen Forrest and Kalamunda.
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 Glen Forrest to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Kalamunda 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.
Glen Forrest and Kalamunda: 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 | Glen Forrest | Kalamunda |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 2,789 | 7,163 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 45 | 49 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,103 | $1,622 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $380 | $360 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,950 | $2,100 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 7% | 15% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 50% | 34% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 42% | 50% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 98% | 89% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 1% | 9% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 1% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 7% | 13% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 55% | 49% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 7% |
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 Glen Forrest and Kalamunda
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.
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.
Kalamunda
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- Land is commonly designated bush fire prone, which triggers a Bushfire Attack Level assessment for building work.
- Bushfire designation can raise insurance premiums materially and make cover harder to place.
- Larger lots can fall into a lender's rural or lifestyle category with a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio.
- Sloping, treed sites raise retaining, stormwater and emergency vehicle access questions.
- Deep clay soils mean site classification for footings differs from coastal plain suburbs.
Housing stock in Glen Forrest and Kalamunda compared
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.
Kalamunda
- Detached houses on treed hills lots
- Separate houses numbered 2,518 at the 2021 Census, 89.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,056 dwellings had four bedrooms and 319 had five or more.
- Town centre townhouses
- The 261 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings and 36 flats counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Glen Forrest and Kalamunda
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.
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.
Kalamunda
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Kalamunda, 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 Glen Forrest and Kalamunda
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
Kalamunda
Transport
- Kalamunda Bus Station (bus)
- High Wycombe Station (train)
- Kalamunda Road (road)
- Zig Zag scenic drive (road)
Amenities
- Kalamunda National Park
- Bibbulmun Track northern terminus
- Kalamunda town centre
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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