BehindTheSign

Let’s Stop Pretending Downsizing Is a Failure Downsizing has developed an image problem. As if moving to a smaller home means you’ve lost momentum, lost relevance, or lost the plot. It hasn’t. It usually means your life has changed, and your house hasn’t caught up yet. Big Houses Make Sense. Until They Don’t. There was a season when every room had a job. Kids. Chaos. Family...

If you’re expecting a dramatic shift in the Perth property market in 2026, don’t hold your breath. My view. More of the same. Stock remains tight. Demand remains strong. Quality homes continue to attract competition. The fundamentals that shaped 2025 are still very much in play. But here’s what will change ... Seller behaviour. 2026 will be the year sellers stop waiting for the...

If you’re expecting a dramatic shift in the Perth property market in 2026, don’t hold your breath. My view. More of the same. Stock remains tight. Demand remains strong. Quality homes continue to attract competition. The fundamentals that shaped 2025 are still very much in play. But here’s what will change ... Seller behaviour. 2026 will be the year sellers stop waiting for the...

  Should You Sell During The School Holidays? Short answer: Actually… yes. Every term break, sellers clutch their diaries and declare that launching during school holidays is property suicide. “Everyone’s in Europe.” “Everyone’s skiing.” “Everyone’s at Rotto.” Everyone? Really? Yes, plenty of families disappear for a week or two. But the idea that the suburbs empty out...

Perth has its own Great Wall, the Swan River. A sparkling divide that somehow separates two entirely different worlds. No one remembers when the rivalry started, but it’s alive and well. People don’t pick a side; they’re born into it. I was born South of the River, a first-generation crayfisherman’s daughter in East Fremantle. My childhood was grapevines, concrete backyards, loud cars down...

If you live in Perth and don’t have a pool, you’ve probably thought about getting one. If you do have a pool, you’ve probably thought about filling it in. The backyard pool is our city’s most loved and least used status symbol. A glittering blue badge of success that gets used for about three weeks a year, mostly by visiting grandchildren, Labradors, or the tradie fixing the filer. All the...

Buyers have changed. They’re not falling for fairy lights and feature walls anymore. They’re buying certainty, not dreams. And if sellers don’t catch up, they’ll keep missing the mark on what really makes a home sell in 2025.   Every weekend, I walk into homes dressed like a throwback to 2010.Fake plants. Feature walls painted in colours with names like “Cappuccino Dream.” Sellers...

Everyone thinks selling in this market is a walk in the park. Snap a few photos, slap them online, and wait for the bidding frenzy to begin. Easy money, right?Wrong.Yes, homes are selling fast. But fast doesn’t mean your agent did a great job. Just because it sold in three days doesn’t mean you got top dollar. The first offer isn’t always the best. It is just the first person to show up with a...

The Stickybeak Neighbour (The Ugly) They’ve been peering over the fence for years, and now’s their chance to ride straight in. Not here to buy, just to shoot their mouth off. They’ll sneer at your renos, point out the leaking gutter, and make sure everyone within ear shot knows about your dog’s late-night barking. Call them what they are - the local bandits. The Millennials With Kids (The...

You know who you are. You’re living in a house designed for six kids, three Labradors and a netball team, but the only thing left roaming the halls is you, the vacuum, and maybe a disgruntled spouse. Welcome to the “This House Is Too Big for Me Club.” Membership is exploding, and the entry criteria is simple: own a property so large it needs a small army to maintain, but refuse to move because...