Glen Forrest vs MidlandTwo 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. Midland (WA 6056) is approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet. At the 2021 Census, Glen Forrest had 2,789 residents with a median age of 45, and Midland had 6,335 residents with a median age of 39.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Glen Forrest and townhouses and terraces in Midland. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Glen Forrest and 17% in Midland, while 7% of Glen Forrest households rented compared with 63% in Midland. 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 6056 · Eastern metropolitan Perth
Midland
Midland is the strategic centre of Perth's east, with a rail terminus rebuilt in 2026, a public hospital, heritage workshops and mostly rented townhouses.
City of Swan. Approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet.
Read the full Midland guide
What buying in Glen Forrest and Midland 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 Midland.
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 Midland 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 Midland: 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 | Midland |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 2,789 | 6,335 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 45 | 39 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,103 | $1,138 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $380 | $295 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,950 | $1,350 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 7% | 63% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 50% | 19% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 42% | 17% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 98% | 32% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 1% | 51% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 17% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 7% | 42% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 55% | 7% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 14% |
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 Midland
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.
Midland
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Some lenders apply minimum internal floor areas and limit exposure to a single building or to postcodes with many units, which can reduce the maximum loan.
- Strata levies are included in serviceability assessments, and scheme insurance, reserve funds and planned works affect valuation.
- Lenders usually count only part of expected rent when assessing an investor's capacity, which matters in a suburb where most households rent.
- Flood prone and aircraft noise special control areas apply to parts of Midland, so insurance quotes are worth obtaining before an offer becomes unconditional.
- Heritage-listed places and converted workshop buildings may be valued more conservatively because alterations require approval.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata disclosure matters need attention before signing.
Housing stock in Glen Forrest and Midland 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.
Midland
- Strata villas and townhouses
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings numbered 1,468 of the 2,900 occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Older detached houses
- Separate houses in the streets around the town centre, some on lots with split density codings and some subject to heritage listing.
- Apartments and mixed-use buildings
- Flats and apartments numbered 487 at the 2021 Census, including newer buildings above shops in the town centre and workshops precinct.
- Medium-density redevelopment housing
- Townhouses and compact homes delivered through the DevelopmentWA program, such as the Woodbridge Lakes neighbourhood.
Official sale price and rent figures for Glen Forrest and Midland
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.
Midland
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Midland, 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 Midland
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
Midland
Transport
- Midland Station (train)
- Midland Station bus interchange (bus)
- Great Eastern Highway (road)
- Great Northern Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Moorditj Noongar Community College (primary, government)
- Governor Stirling Senior High School (secondary, government)
- La Salle College (secondary, catholic)
- St Brigid's Primary School (primary, catholic)
- Curtin University, Midland Campus (tertiary, university)
- North Metropolitan TAFE, Midland Campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- St John of God Midland Public Hospital
- Midland Gate Shopping Centre
- Midland Railway Workshops and Railway Square
- Swan Active Midland
- Midland Library
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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