Spearwood vs WillettonTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Spearwood (WA 6163) is approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, south of Fremantle and inland from Coogee. Willetton (WA 6155) is approximately 12 km south of the Perth CBD. At the 2021 Census, Spearwood had 10,944 residents with a median age of 41, and Willetton had 19,262 residents with a median age of 40.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 5% of occupied dwellings in Spearwood and 6% in Willetton, while 29% of Spearwood households rented compared with 20% in Willetton. 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 6163 · South-west metropolitan Perth
Spearwood
Spearwood is an established City of Cockburn suburb of older houses and infill townhouses around the Phoenix Shopping Centre, with no train station.
City of Cockburn. Approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, south of Fremantle and inland from Coogee.
Read the full Spearwood guideWA 6155 · Southern metropolitan Perth
Willetton
Willetton is an established City of Canning family suburb of mostly four-bedroom houses, near Bull Creek and Murdoch stations, with steady infill.
City of Canning. Approximately 12 km south of the Perth CBD.
Read the full Willetton guide
What buying in Spearwood and Willetton 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 Spearwood and Willetton.
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 Spearwood to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Willetton 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.
Spearwood and Willetton: 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 | Spearwood | Willetton |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 10,944 | 19,262 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 40 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.3 | 3.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,448 | $2,178 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $350 | $400 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $2,100 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 29% | 20% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 34% | 40% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 36% | 40% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 74% | 90% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 21% | 4% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 5% | 6% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 18% | 4% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 33% | 65% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 9% | 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 Spearwood and Willetton
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.
Spearwood
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Original, renovated and newly built homes often share a street, so comparable sales vary widely and a valuation below the contract price is possible.
- Older houses may draw valuer comments about condition, asbestos-containing materials or unapproved additions, and lenders can ask for further reports.
- Strata levies reduce assessed borrowing capacity, and very small units may fall below the minimum floor area that some lenders require.
- A standard home loan is assessed on the property as it stands; subdividing or building extra dwellings usually needs a staged construction facility.
- Properties near the freight railway, Stock Road or designated bush fire prone land may attract valuer comment or higher insurance premiums.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer.
Willetton
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Large family houses require larger loans, so serviceability at the lender's assessment rate, rather than property type, is usually the limiting factor.
- Upgraders who buy before selling may need bridging finance, or an offer condition that makes the purchase subject to the sale of an existing home.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer before signing.
- Buyers planning to subdivide or rebuild usually need a construction loan with staged drawdowns, and lenders may ask for approvals and a fixed-price building contract.
- Survey-strata and rear lots are generally accepted as security, but shared driveways, small lot areas and highway noise may attract valuer comment.
- Unapproved patios, pools and additions on older houses can delay a valuation or settlement if the lender asks for evidence of council approval.
Housing stock in Spearwood and Willetton compared
Spearwood
- Older single-storey houses
- Houses from the 1970s and 1980s on comparatively large lots; three-bedroom dwellings numbered 2,132 at the 2021 Census.
- Infill villas and townhouses
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings made up 936 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census, most in small strata groups.
- Newer houses on compact lots
- Estates developed since the 2000s, including land around the former Watsonia factory, with small lots and greater site coverage.
- Flats and small apartment buildings
- The 2021 Census counted 243 flats or apartments, a modest share concentrated in the higher-coded streets near the centre.
Willetton
- Established four-bedroom family houses
- Detached homes dating from the mid-1960s onward; four-bedroom dwellings numbered 3,314 at the 2021 Census.
- Older three-bedroom houses
- The 1,916 three-bedroom homes counted at the 2021 Census are typically among the earlier and smaller houses.
- Infill houses, villas and townhouses
- Subdivision under the R20 base code and in R30 and R40 pockets has added newer homes, including survey-strata lots.
- Flats and apartments
- Only 350 flats or apartments were counted at the 2021 Census, so small dwellings are scarce.
Official sale price and rent figures for Spearwood and Willetton
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.
Spearwood
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Spearwood, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Willetton
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Willetton, 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 Spearwood and Willetton
Spearwood
Transport
- Fremantle Station (Fremantle) (train)
- Cockburn Central Station (Cockburn Central) (train)
- Route 512 (bus)
- Routes 548 and 549 (bus)
- Route 114 (bus)
- Stock Road and Rockingham Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Spearwood Primary School (primary, government)
- Newton Primary School (primary, government)
- Spearwood Alternative School (primary, government)
- Fremantle College (Beaconsfield) (secondary, government)
Amenities
- Phoenix Shopping Centre
- City of Cockburn Administration Centre
- Spearwood Library
- Cockburn Seniors Centre
- Market Garden Swamp
- Manning Park (Hamilton Hill)
Willetton
Transport
- Bull Creek Station (train)
- Murdoch Station (train)
- Transperth route 925 (bus)
- Nicholson Road Station (train)
- Roe Highway (road)
- Leach Highway and South Street (road)
Schools and campuses
- Willetton Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Willetton Primary School (primary, government)
- Burrendah Primary School (primary, government)
- Rostrata Primary School (primary, government)
- Castlereagh School (special, government)
- Orana Catholic Primary School (primary, catholic)
Amenities
- Southlands Boulevarde shopping centre
- Willetton Library
- Willetton Sports and Community Centre, Burrendah Reserve
- Willetton Reserve
- Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch
- Murdoch University, Murdoch
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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