Domain's national property editor Alice Stolz said the trends showed buyers were prioritising space, which she called "kind of the ultimate luxury." "It's not just pools. Basically, buyers are searching for other ways to add volume to what their parcel of land or home is," she said.
Stolz said land and dual living had climbed the search rankings over the past year, with strong interest in granny flats, land and workshops. She linked the shift to the "supersonic growth" in the Perth market over recent years and to buyers seeking more value for their money within tight budgets.
The search trends match the regions with the highest demand in Perth, with Mundaring and Kalamunda leading the way in 2026. Ray White Aldridge & Associates sales representative Nigel Aldridge said he had noticed the trend in Kalamunda, where younger buyers were moving into homes built in the 1970s and 1980s.
"People can buy quite a big block and get a substantial home, for the price that you might pay for a smaller home on a smaller block closer to the city," he said. Sheds and workshops have topped the list of must-haves in the area, with Aldridge noting "a lot of people want sheds and storage."
He also pointed to growing interest in multi-generational homes, where buyers add an ancillary dwelling or move in with adult children or older parents. "It's been creeping in, and we've seen the demand for that increase," he said, adding that it was coming from "almost a zero base."
Stolz said the focus on granny flats, land and workshops reflected the affordability constraints many buyers face. "It really speaks to me about the affordability constraints that many buyers are facing, and how they get more flexibility on what they do purchase," she said.