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 “perfect time” and start taking control of their destiny.

Over the past 12–18 months, many homeowners have sat on their hands. They wanted to move, but fear, uncertainty, or the logistics of buying and selling at the same time kept them stuck. In 2026, that hesitation starts to break.

We’re already seeing a growing willingness to use smarter transaction tools, particularly subject to sale and subject to purchase strategies. These aren’t new concepts, but they are becoming far more mainstream as sellers realise they don’t need to choose between security and progress.

Instead of waiting for the market to do something dramatic, sellers are engineering their own outcomes. This shift matters. It means more movement without flooding the market. It means controlled listings rather than panic selling. It means sellers staying in charge of timing, price and conditions, rather than being dictated to by fear or headlines.

For buyers, competition remains. For sellers, leverage still exists. But the winners in 2026 will be those who plan properly, structure their sale intelligently, and work with agents who actually know how to negotiate these conditions rather than shy away from them. The market isn’t softening. It isn’t overheating.

It’s settling into a disciplined, deliberate phase. And in markets like that, the people who move decisively do best.

If you’re thinking about making a move in 2026, the question isn’t what will the market do? It’s what are you prepared to do to make it work for you?

Want to talk strategy? Contact me directly, let’s map out a campaign that gets you the result you deserve.

— Paulette Contessi, CEO & Founder Contessi Properties
0438 908 264
paulette@contessi.com.au