What they wanted
- Four bedrooms
- Two bathrooms
- Secure yard
- Good Perth location
- Minimal work required
- Suitable as a long-term home
Outlier Property
The Owner-Occupier Case Study
A Better Home Started With a Better Strategy
Their original budget meant compromising on location, condition or the property itself. A portfolio restructure increased their buying power and helped secure a four-bedroom Spearwood home below market value.
Client testimonial
“We honestly couldn’t recommend Aaron highly enough.”
Buying a house can be overwhelming, but he made the whole process so much easier from start to finish.
No question was ever too silly, and he was always happy to take the time to explain things and give honest advice. He even drove past potential properties to check things like traffic noise for us, which is just one example of how much he genuinely cared about helping us find the right home.
Aaron guided us through every step of the process, always keeping us informed and making sure we felt confident in our decisions. We never felt pressured, and it was obvious he had our best interests at heart the whole time.
Thanks to Aaron, we found a home we absolutely love, and we couldn’t be happier. If you’re looking for a buyer’s agent who goes above and beyond, we’d recommend him in a heartbeat.
The original position
An unworkable brief
Harvey and Dani were working in regional Western Australia and expected to return to Perth within the next 12 to 24 months.
They had spent months considering whether to build or buy. Their goal was a quality four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a secure yard, minimal renovation requirements and reasonable access to Perth.
Their approximate $850,000 buying position did not match that brief.
Continuing with the same search would have meant compromising heavily on the property, its condition or its location.
The constraint
- Approximate $850,000 position
- Limited suitable established homes
- Suitable land difficult to secure
- Building costs and timelines uncertain
- Significant compromise required
The strategy
Sell well before buying well
Harvey and Dani already owned a former home with relatively little debt, which had since become a rental.
Rather than continuing to search within an unrealistic budget, we reviewed whether retaining that property still supported their long-term plan.
After obtaining appropriate tax advice, they decided to sell.
Outlier Property introduced them to an experienced local selling agent whose work we knew from operating in the market.
The former home sold for $850,000 — approximately $100,000 above Harvey and Dani’s initial expectations. The result materially improved their purchasing position and reinforced the importance of appointing the right selling agent for the property and local market.
The sale released equity, increased their purchasing power and reduced the debt required for their next home.
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Reassess
The original $850,000 position did not support the brief.
-
Restructure
The former home was sold for $850,000 to release equity and improve buying power.
-
Purchase
A four-bedroom Spearwood home was secured for $980,000.
Why Spearwood
One property, three roles
The property needed to perform three distinct roles.
First, it had to operate as a suitable rental while Harvey and Dani remained in regional Western Australia.
Second, it needed to become their long-term home when they returned to Perth, without requiring another sale, purchase and round of transaction costs.
Third, it needed to remain a quality long-term asset with the potential to grow in value and build equity that could support their future investment plans.
Spearwood offered a practical balance of established housing, access to Fremantle and Perth’s southern coastal corridor, and a strong owner-occupier base.
At the time of analysis, approximately 74% of Spearwood households were owner-occupied. Four-bedroom houses had recorded:
- A median sale price of approximately $1.14 million
- 16.3% price growth over 12 months
- 68.3% growth over three years
- 106.9% growth over five years
- A ten-year compound annual growth rate of approximately 6.9%
These figures demonstrated strong historical performance, although they were not treated as a forecast of future growth.
The rental market also supported the property’s immediate role. Four-bedroom houses recorded a median rent of approximately $820 per week, 9.3% annual rental growth, a 1.5% vacancy rate and an indicative gross yield of 3.7%.
Stock on market was approximately 0.8%, while reported market absorption was 39%, indicating limited available supply relative to buyer demand.
The purchased property provided four bedrooms, two bathrooms, secure parking and a secure yard on 335 square metres. It required no renovation and could be leased immediately while remaining suitable for Harvey and Dani’s eventual return to Perth.
At the $980,000 purchase price, it was acquired below both the reported four-bedroom suburb median of $1.14 million and the automated estimate of approximately $1.07 million available during the assessment. These were supporting market reference points rather than formal valuations.
74%
Owner-occupier households
1.5%
Vacancy rate
0.8%
Stock on market
6.9% p.a.
Ten-year price growth CAGR
The negotiation
Competitive on terms, disciplined on price
The purchase occurred shortly after the federal budget announcement, during a brief period of softer buyer sentiment.
We identified the terms that mattered most to the seller and structured the offer around those priorities rather than relying on price alone.
That allowed Harvey and Dani to remain competitive while keeping the purchase price below the available market reference points.
Price discipline
The offer remained within the supporting evidence.
Seller priorities
The offer terms addressed the seller’s preferred conditions and settlement requirements.
Timing
The purchase was secured during a temporary softening in buyer competition.
The outcome
A future home secured without forcing a compromise
Harvey and Dani secured the type of home their original position could not deliver.
The property is now leased through a local property manager recommended by Outlier Property and will be ready for them when they return to Perth.
Selling their former home reduced the debt required for the purchase.
By restructuring before buying, they were able to sell into a strong market, purchase during a period of softer buyer sentiment and preserve a stronger financial position for their next investment decision.
- Former home sold approximately $100,000 above their initial expectation
- Four-bedroom Spearwood home secured
- Purchased below key market reference points
- Immediate rental use arranged
- Lower debt than an entirely debt-funded purchase
- Stronger position for a future investment