This article is about the performance of different strata unit types in WA’s property market, with villas and home units emerging as the best performers across key indicators.
The top performers in the strata market: REIWA
REIWA regularly publishes data on the house and unit markets. The unit market includes a significant amount of strata titled properties and can be broken down into four main types – villas, townhouses, home units and apartments.
In this edition we look at the performance of these categories across sale price growth, selling time, rent price growth, time to lease, and yield, and compare them to the unit market as a whole.
Median annual sale price
All unit types saw their median sale price increase over the 2024–25 financial year.
Villas recorded the most growth, with the median sale price rising 23.5 per cent to $575,000. Home units were the next best performer, with median sale price growth of 21.0 per cent.
From June 2020 to June 2025, villas recorded the most growth of any unit type, with the median sale price increasing 79.7 per cent. Home units were again the second best performer, with the median sale price rising 50.8 per cent. Long term, apartments recorded the lowest rate of price growth at just 17.5 per cent.
[su_table responsive="yes" alternate="no"]| Property type | Year to June 2025 |
Year to June 2024 |
Year to June 2020 |
1-year change | 5-year change |
| Apartment | $599,000 | $540,000 | $510,000 | 10.9% | 17.5% |
| Home unit | $490,000 | $405,000 | $325,000 | 21.0% | 50.8% |
| Townhouse | $745,000 | $627,000 | $500,000 | 18.8% | 49.0% |
| Villa | $575,000 | $465,666 | $320,000 | 23.5% | 79.7% |
| UNITS (ALL) | $545,000 | $450,000 | $385,000 | 21.1% | 41.6% |
Selling days
Villas were again the top performing unit type, with dwellings selling in a median of 10 days in 2024–25. All unit types have seen their days on market fall dramatically over five years.
[su_table responsive="yes" alternate="no"]| Property type | Year to June 2025 |
Year to June 2024 |
Year to June 2020 |
1-year change | 5-year change |
| Apartment | 15 | 17 | 56 | -2 | -41 |
| Home unit | 12 | 11 | 62 | 1 | -50 |
| Townhouse | 12 | 11 | 49 | 1 | -37 |
| Villa | 10 | 8 | 51 | 2 | -41 |
| UNITS (ALL) | 13 | 13 | 56 | 0 | -43 |
Why buyers are turning to units
With house prices rising strongly over the past couple of years, we have seen price-sensitive buyers turn to the unit market for a more affordable alternative to houses.
The data suggests villas are particularly popular with buyers. They are relatively affordable when compared to houses and have similar features to a house, including their own yards/courtyards and garaging adjacent to the home.
The affordability of home units also appeals to buyers, along with the relative low-density of these developments.
Median weekly rent price growth
All unit types saw an increase in their median weekly rent over the year. Home units and villas led the way, with median weekly rents rising 14.6 per cent to $550 and 14.0 per cent to $650 respectively.
Since 2020, there has been strong rent price growth across all unit types. The median weekly rents for home units and villas have doubled.
[su_table responsive="yes" alternate="no"]| Property Type | Year to June 2025 |
Year to June 2024 |
Year to June 2020 |
1-year change | 5-year change |
| Apartment | $650 | $590 | $350 | 10.2% | 85.7% |
| Home unit | $550 | $480 | $270 | 14.6% | 103.7% |
| Townhouse | $750 | $660 | $400 | 13.6% | 87.5% |
| Villa | $650 | $570 | $325 | 14.0% | 100.0% |
| UNITS (ALL) | $650 | $570 | $330 | 14.0% | 97.0% |
Leasing days
All unit types are leasing quickly, which reflects the overall strong demand for rental properties. Villas and home units are leasing marginally faster than townhouses and apartments.
[su_table responsive="yes" alternate="no"]| Property types | Year to June 2025 |
Year to June 2024 |
Year to June 2020 |
1-year change | 5-year change |
| Apartment | 15 | 15 | 31 | 0 | -16 |
| Home unit | 14 | 14 | 30 | 0 | -16 |
| Townhouse | 15 | 15 | 29 | 0 | -14 |
| Villa | 14 | 13 | 28 | 1 | -14 |
| UNITS (ALL) | 15 | 14 | 29 | 1 | -14 |
Rental yield
When it comes to rental yield, villas and home units delivered the strongest results for investors in the year to June 2025 with yields of 5.9 per cent and 5.8 per cent respectively.
Yields across all unit types have declined slightly due to strong capital growth and slowing rent price growth.
Apartments saw the most improvement in yields over the past five years, which is a reflection of their lower rate of capital growth.
[su_table responsive="yes" alternate="no"]| Property type | Year to June 2025 |
Year to June 2024 |
Year to June 2020 |
1-year change | 5-year change |
| Apartment | 5.6% | 5.7% | 3.6% | 0.0% | 2.1% |
| Home unit | 5.8% | 6.2% | 4.3% | -0.3% | 1.5% |
| Townhouse | 5.2% | 5.5% | 4.2% | -0.2% | 1.1% |
| Villa | 5.9% | 6.4% | 5.3% | -0.5% | 0.6% |
| UNITS (ALL) | 6.2% | 6.6% | 4.5% | -0.4% | 1.7% |
Investor takeaway
For investors, villas and home units were the top performing unit types across all categories.
Definitions
- Apartment: Dwellings with no private grounds in a multi-storey complex and usually share a common entrance, foyer or stairwell. Apartment complex’s generally have lifts and common amenities such as a pool, gym or garden.
- Home unit: Single-level dwellings in a multi-residential setting where the complex is no more than two storeys.
- Townhouse: Two/three-storey dwellings with their own private grounds. They are in a multi-residential setting and have no other dwelling above or below. They are either attached in some structural way to one or more dwellings or are separated from neighbouring dwellings by less than half a metre.
- Villa: Single-level dwellings with their own private grounds. They are in a multi-residential complex and have no other dwellings above or below.
This article has been republished with permission from the author and first appeared on the REIWA website.
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