Question 1

Is St James a nice place to live?

Accepted Answer

St James is a small, established suburb in Perth’s inner south-east with quiet, tree-lined streets and a stock of modest mid-century single-storey homes and low-rise units. It reads as a residential pocket where local parks and corner shops meet everyday needs, while larger shopping and recreation precincts in neighbouring suburbs are easily reached. The suburb is home to 4,894 people, with a median age of 32 and a median household income of $1,827 a week (about $95,000 a year).

Families are dominated by couples, together about four in five families, and homes are just over half owner-occupied (52.3% owned) while renters make up 47.6% of dwellings. Local initiatives have upgraded roads and Warwick Park, added street-tree planting and community placemaking activity, and a broader Bentley place plan is guiding staged renewal next door. That mix tends to suit families, professionals and downsizers looking for a calm neighbourhood with straightforward road and public transport links; whether it fits you will depend on what you value in a suburb.

Question 2

Is it expensive to live in St James?

Accepted Answer

A median house in St James works out to about 11.0 times what a typical local household earned in a year at the last Census, which sits well above local incomes. Rents also take a large share of local income: a house rent of $750 a week is about 41.1% of a typical local household's weekly income at the last Census, while a unit rent of $640 a week is about 35.0% of that income. If you are primarily looking at renting rather than buying, those rent shares are the most relevant figures to consider.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so it's important to consider your own circumstances when deciding which suburb is right for you.

Question 3

Is St James a good place to invest?

Accepted Answer

Over the last 12 months in St James, house values rose 10.0%, a strong increase, while house rents increased 7.1%, a solid gain, so for houses capital growth outpaced rental growth over the year. Unit rents also rose 6.7%, a solid increase and slightly below the house rent rise, so rental income moved up on both property types. Which of those outcomes matters most to you depends on whether you are focused on capital growth or regular rental income and on your own circumstances.

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. It is not meant to be a substitute for professional financial advice. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

	Houses	Units
Median price Past 3 months	$1.05M	N/A
Change in value Past 12 months	10.0%	N/A
Sold Past 3 months	10	2
Median days on market Past 12 months	12	N/A
Average rent Past 12 months	$750	$640
Change in rent Past 12 months	7.1%	6.7%

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