How to Buy Property in Perth as a Foreign Buyer: The Full Process

This is the flagship guide — an overview of every stage of buying residential property in Perth or elsewhere in WA as a foreign buyer, with links out to a deep-dive guide on each stage. Read this first, then use the links to go deeper wherever you need to.

Step 1 — Work out if you’re a “foreign person” under FIRB rules

Most non-citizens and non-permanent-residents need approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board before buying. This single fact shapes almost everything else about your purchase, including what type of property you can even consider — and the rules genuinely differ depending on your specific visa or residency status, rather than applying the same way to everyone.

→ Full FIRB Approval Guide · Does FIRB Apply to Me? Visa & Residency Breakdown

Step 2 — Understand what you’re actually allowed to buy

Since April 2025, foreign persons are generally restricted from buying established (previously lived-in) dwellings. For most foreign buyers, this means your realistic shortlist is new dwellings, off-the-plan apartments, or vacant land you commit to building on. This materially narrows your search from day one — better to know it before you fall in love with a house you can’t get approval for.

→ FIRB Approval Guide: the established dwelling ban · Buying Off-the-Plan & New Builds

Step 3 — Budget the full cost, not just the price tag

WA adds a 7% foreign buyers duty surcharge on top of standard transfer duty, plus a FIRB application fee, plus the usual settlement and inspection costs. On the upside, WA — unlike NSW, Victoria and Queensland — currently has no annual foreign-owner land tax surcharge, which affects the long-term cost of holding the property. If you want to see how these add up in practice, our worked example walks through a real $700,000 scenario line by line.

→ WA Foreign Buyer Duty & Tax Guide · Worked Cost Example

Step 4 — Sort out finance (or confirm your funds)

Foreign non-resident borrowers typically need a much larger deposit than local buyers — often 30–40% — because lenders cap loan-to-value ratios lower and Lenders Mortgage Insurance is often unavailable to non-residents. Get a realistic read on your borrowing capacity before you start looking seriously.

→ Financing Guide

Step 5 — Engage a WA settlement agent or solicitor early

Do this before you make an offer, not after. WA property law has genuine local quirks — most importantly, no statutory cooling-off period — and a local settlement agent or solicitor will help you structure your offer conditions correctly from the start.

→ Legal Process & Settlement Guide

Step 6 — Search, shortlist, and make an offer

WA property is typically sold through an Offer and Acceptance process, not auction. Once your offer is accepted and that acceptance is communicated to you, you have a binding contract — there’s no cooling-off period to fall back on. This makes your special conditions (finance, FIRB approval, building inspection) essential, not optional extras.

When shortlisting, it’s also worth knowing what public infrastructure is actually underway near an area you’re considering — new rail lines, freeway extensions and regional airport upgrades change accessibility over time, which is one of several factors that can influence long-term demand.

→ Legal Process Guide: Offer and Acceptance explained · Major WA Infrastructure Projects

Step 7 — Finalise FIRB approval and arrange your deposit transfer

If you haven’t already secured FIRB approval before offering, this is where it needs to land — along with your finance approval and building/pest inspection, if those are conditions of your contract. Start any international funds transfer early; cross-border transfers and source-of-funds documentation are common causes of delay.

→ FIRB Approval Guide · Financing Guide

Step 8 — Settlement

Your settlement agent manages the handover: adjusting rates, arranging payment of transfer duty (standard plus the foreign buyer surcharge), and lodging the transfer with Landgate, WA’s land titles registry. Typical WA settlement periods run 30–45 days from when the contract becomes unconditional.

→ Legal Process & Settlement Guide

Step 9 — Know your ongoing obligations

After settlement, as a foreign owner you may need to lodge an annual vacancy fee return with the ATO (and pay a fee if the property sits unoccupied for 183+ days a year), plus ordinary council rates and — if applicable — land tax. Many foreign owners rent their property out, whether by choice or to satisfy that vacancy requirement, which brings its own set of WA landlord obligations. When you eventually sell, 15% of your sale price is withheld at settlement regardless of value, and the main residence exemption and CGT discount generally don’t apply to foreign residents the way they would to a local seller.

→ WA Foreign Buyer Duty & Tax Guide · Renting Out Your Property · Selling & Exit Guide

The one-paragraph version

Confirm you’re a foreign person under FIRB rules, accept that you’re realistically shopping for new-build or vacant land rather than an established home, budget in the 7% WA foreign buyer duty surcharge and your FIRB fee, get finance sorted with a lender that handles foreign/non-resident borrowers, hire a WA settlement agent before you make an offer, put finance/FIRB/inspection conditions in that offer because there’s no cooling-off period once it’s accepted, then let your settlement agent carry you through to registration at Landgate.

Where to next

• FIRB Approval
• Does FIRB Apply to Me? Visa & Residency Breakdown
• WA Foreign Buyer Duty & Tax
• Financing
• Legal Process & Settlement
• Buying Off-the-Plan & New Builds
• Strata Title & Apartment Ownership
• Renting Out Your Property
• Selling & Exit: CGT Withholding
• Worked Cost Example
• Major WA Infrastructure Projects
• Glossary of terms
• FAQ