Glen Forrest, WA 6071Home loan and property guide

Glen Forrest location and character

Glen Forrest lies east of the Perth CBD in the Perth Hills, within the Shire of Mundaring, which counts it among the settlements of its Hills community. Great Eastern Highway forms the northern boundary, and beyond it is Hovea, which contains part of John Forrest National Park. Darlington lies to the west and Mahogany Creek to the east. The southern part of the suburb sits within the Middle Helena water catchment, and Beelu National Park extends into the locality.

The Shire's Glen Forrest Village Centre Precinct Plan describes a village community within a bushland setting, with low density housing on large lots, houses screened from the road by mature trees, few front fences and two small local centres on Hardey Road and Railway Parade. The octagonal Glen Forrest Hall on McGlew Road, built in 1897, is on the State Register of Heritage Places. The Eastern Railway through the village closed in 1966, and its route now forms part of the Railway Reserves Heritage Trail.

Transport and amenity in Glen Forrest

Glen Forrest has no train service. The nearest station is Midland Station in Midland, the terminus of the Transperth Midland Line, and buses connect the suburb with it. Route 322 runs between Midland Station and Glen Forrest through the village streets on weekdays and weekends, route 321 continues to Mundaring, and routes 320 and 328 use Great Eastern Highway between Midland Station and other hills towns. Great Eastern Highway, a primary regional road, is the main route west to Midland and east to Mundaring.

Schools within the suburb are Glen Forrest Primary School, a government school, and Helena College, an independent school whose Glen Forrest campus on Bilgoman Road takes Years 6 to 12. Eastern Hills Senior High School, a government secondary school in Mount Helena, is reached by a school extension of route 322. There is no hospital in the suburb, and the state's hospital list shows Kalamunda Hospital in Kalamunda and St John of God Midland Public Hospital in Midland as the closest. The Shire lists Glen Forrest Oval, the Morgan John Morgan reserve and a jump track, and Bilgoman Aquatic Centre is in neighbouring Darlington.

Housing stock in Glen Forrest

Housing is almost entirely detached. Under Local Planning Scheme No. 4 the village area is zoned Residential at the very low density codes R5 and R2.5, surrounded by Rural Residential land and, further south, Rural Small Holdings, so lots are far larger than in suburban Perth. The precinct plan notes varied architectural styles, houses set back behind vegetation and gravel driveways. Units and townhouses are close to absent, which leaves little choice for anyone seeking a small, low-maintenance dwelling.

Condition varies with age and setting. Inspections commonly consider roofs and gutters, timber pest activity, retaining walls and drainage on sloping sites, sheds and outbuildings and whether they were approved, water tanks and the on-site effluent disposal system. Water Corporation's public asset mapping shows water mains but no sewer mains in Glen Forrest, and the Shire requires an approved effluent disposal system, such as a septic system with leach drains or a secondary treatment system, wherever sewer is not available.

Who lives and buys in Glen Forrest

The 2021 Census counted 2,789 residents in Glen Forrest, with a median age of 45 against 38 for Australia and an average household size of 2.6 people compared with 2.5 nationally. Of 995 occupied private dwellings, 980 were separate houses, 12 were semi-detached, terrace or townhouse dwellings and 3 were flats or apartments. Houses therefore made up 98.5 per cent of occupied homes against 72.3 per cent nationally. Four-bedroom dwellings were the most common size at 437, followed by three-bedroom dwellings at 377, and 109 homes had five or more bedrooms.

Owner-occupation is close to universal. The Census recorded 492 dwellings owned with a mortgage, 415 owned outright and only 70 rented, so 49.8 per cent of households with a stated tenure had a mortgage against 35 per cent across Australia, 42.0 per cent owned outright against 31 per cent, and just 7.1 per cent rented against 30.6 per cent. Median weekly rent was $380, close to the national median of $375, median monthly mortgage repayments were $1,950 against $1,863, and median weekly household income was $2,103 against $1,746.

For a buyer, the figures describe a settled community of families and older owners rather than a rental market. Residents aged 45 to 54 formed the largest ten-year age group, with 443 people, followed by 395 aged 55 to 64 and 367 aged 65 to 74, while only 225 residents were aged 25 to 34. Upgraders seeking land and space are the most likely purchasers, investors are few because so little stock is rented, and 82 private dwellings were unoccupied on Census night.

Bushfire, water catchment and planning in Glen Forrest

Bushfire is the principal risk. The whole of Glen Forrest is designated bush fire prone on the state Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas, the current version of which took effect on 13 December 2025. The Shire of Mundaring states that all new houses and extensions in bushfire prone areas require planning approval, supported by a Bushfire Attack Level assessment under Australian Standard 3959 and, for a dwelling, a Bushfire Management Statement. The assessment considers vegetation and slope within 100 metres of the building.

The Shire advises that buildings should generally sit in cleared areas at least 20 metres from dense vegetation, that a low fuel asset protection zone should be managed around habitable buildings, and that the state guidelines recommend against siting homes where the rating would be BAL-40 or BAL-FZ. The Shire also publishes a Firebreak and Fuel Load Notice. For a buyer this affects what can be built or extended, what construction may cost, and the ongoing work of managing fuel on a large block. Insurers assess bushfire exposure property by property.

Other overlays are more localised. The southern part of the suburb lies within the Middle Helena Catchment Area, a public drinking water source area that Local Planning Scheme No. 4 maps as a special control area, which may limit land uses and further development. The state floodplain mapping tool shows no mapped floodplain in Glen Forrest. The Shire is preparing Local Planning Scheme No. 5, and the state heritage database records several Shire-listed places, including the former Station Master's House on Railway Parade.

Buying in Glen Forrest: offer and acceptance on a hills property

Private sales in Western Australia normally proceed on an offer and acceptance form, and Consumer Protection WA notes that there is no mandatory cooling-off period and no mandatory seller disclosure statement. On a hills property the conditions written into the offer therefore carry much of the buyer's protection. Beyond finance approval and building and timber pest inspections, buyers may wish to consider enquiries or conditions about the effluent disposal system, the approval status of sheds, additions and pools, and compliance with the Shire's firebreak notice.

Consumer Protection WA also notes that electrical safety switches and mains-powered smoke alarms must be in place before a property changes hands. Anyone buying a block to build on signs a separate building contract, and the Bushfire Attack Level rating is best known before that contract is priced. Transfer duty is assessed by RevenueWA, first home buyers may qualify for relief depending on value, and the stamp duty calculator on this site gives a general estimate.

Home loan considerations for Glen Forrest property

Most lenders treat a house on a residential lot in Glen Forrest as standard security, but policies tighten as land size grows. Some lenders and mortgage insurers cap the land area they accept at standard loan-to-value ratios, value only the house and a set area around it, or treat rural residential and small holdings zoning differently. With few sales of closely comparable properties, valuations can vary, and buyers relying on a small deposit and lenders mortgage insurance may wish to allow for a valuation below the agreed price.

Construction and renovation loans are released in stages against a fixed-price building contract and approved plans, so bushfire construction requirements need to be reflected in the contract before the lender's valuation. Lenders require building insurance to be in place at settlement, which makes early quotations important in a bush fire prone suburb. Borrowing power is assessed on income and living costs, and the running costs of a large property, including fuel reduction and servicing of a wastewater system, belong in a realistic budget.

Lending considerations for Glen Forrest

• 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.

Lender policy differs between institutions and changes over time. The guide to Australian lenders explains how credit policy varies, and the home loan guide sets out the main loan structures.