Free market report · Data to July 2026

Murray property market

Murray is one of the 453 council areas we track on the Momentum Dial, our property clock. This page is the plain-numbers read: where it sits in the cycle, who lives there, what's being built, and the suburbs inside it.

Murray is home to 21,447 people. On the Buyers First Momentum Dial its house market currently reads Slowing. The number that matters most here: population is compounding at +3.3% a year. People arriving is the rawest form of housing demand. Here's the rest of the picture, in plain numbers.

Houses · cycle position

Slowing

The Murray house market is still growing, but the pace has come off its fastest point. Slowing markets often keep rising for years, just less quickly.

0% to +16%

Modelled 12-month price range

+1.2%

Modelled 12-month rent change

Units · cycle position

Not enough unit sales in Murray for a reliable cycle reading. That's common outside the cities, and honest beats guessed.

At a glance · houses

$954,178

Typical house, August 2026

+4.5% a year since 2010

+8.2%

Growth a year, last 10 years

+15.9% a year over the last 5

$549

Rent a week

3.0% gross yield

5 of 15

Years prices fell since 2010

Worst: 2011, -11%

The clock measures growth momentum, not price. Peak means growing fastest, not about to fall. Cycle data and projections sourced from HtAG Analytics. See Murray on the clock.

Free · One per person

Want all of this written up for Murray?

The full report is this data as a written document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Murray, and the numbers that cut against the area. I write them by hand, so it comes from me rather than out of a system.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

The numbers, explained

Murray in charts.

The typical house in Murray went from $460,002 in 2010 to $954,178 in August 2026. That is +107% in total, +4.5% a year. It went backwards 3 years in a row at one point. Any market can have a bad year. The ones that stack them are the ones that hurt, and this is the number we weigh most.

Houses · price change each year · 2011 to 2026

Prices in Murray fell in 5 of the last 15 years

Watch this
-11.2% '11 '12 '13 '14 -0.6% 2015 -5.6% '16 -4.0% '17 '18 '19 -1.6% 2020 '21 '22 '23 37.5% '24 2025 16.6% '26 ytd

+107%

Since 2010

+8.2%

Per year, last 10 years

5 of 15

Years going backwards

-11.2%

Worst year (2011)

What this shows. How much the typical house price in Murray went up or down each year. Teal bars are up years, red bars are down years, and the faded bar is this year so far.

Why it matters. The size of a good year matters less than how many bad years there were and whether they came in a row. Boring? Absolutely. But the length of the down stretch is what decides whether you get out the other side. Typical price at December each year, data from HtAG Analytics.

You don't need to know property to read this. Every chart below opens with the point in one line, then says what it shows and why we care. Teal is a good sign, amber is okay, red means watch it.

The scorecard · 7 things we check

Murray scores 19 out of 35. Mixed.

Okay
Cycle 3Down years 2Supply 1People 5Jobs 4Affordability 1Rentals 3 5 = best
Where it is in the cycle

prices are still rising but more slowly

Years prices fell since 2010

5 of 15 years

New homes being built

6.6 new homes approved per 100 that exist

People moving in

population growing 3.3% a year

Jobs

3.4% unemployed, Australia 4.2%

Can locals afford it

a house costs 11.3 years of a local household's income

Empty rentals

1.6% of rentals are empty, so about 2 in every 100

What this shows. Seven quick checks on Murray, each scored out of five. Five is the reading we most want to see.

Why it matters. No single number tells you whether an area is a good buy. Together they show whether the pieces line up. These are bands, not rules: a council outside a band can still be the right buy for the right person, and one inside every band can still be wrong for you.

House prices since 2010 · Murray vs the 5 most similar councils in WA

Murray has outgrown similar councils over ten years

Good sign
$221k $442k $663k $884k Murray $818k 20102012201420162018202020222024
MurraySimilar councils (middle of 5)

+15.9% vs +10.5%

A year, last 5 years

+8.2% vs +4.2%

A year, last 10 years

+5.6% vs +0.8%

A year, last 15 years

What this shows. The typical house price in Murray every year, in teal, next to the middle of the five councils in WA closest to it in size and starting price: Capel, Augusta Margaret River, Broome, Karratha, Port Hedland. The small "vs" number in each tile is those councils.

Why it matters. Beating its peers over a whole decade is worth more than any single hot year. It usually means something real is pulling people here.

Momentum · the last 36 months

Prices in Murray are picking up speed right now

Good sign
$457k $715k $974k 0 92 sold September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26
Last 3 months' priceLast 12 months' priceHouses sold each month

$945,317

3-month price, August 2026

+9.0%

3-month price vs 12-month price

517 vs 601

Houses sold, last 12 months vs the 12 before

What this shows. Two versions of the same price. The dotted teal line averages the last three months, so it reacts fast. The grey line averages the last twelve, so it moves slowly. The bars are how many houses sold each month.

Why it matters. The last three months are running ahead of the last twelve. That is what speeding up looks like before it shows in the yearly number.

New homes · approvals as a share of all the homes here

A lot of new homes are being built in Murray

Watch this
balanced · 1.5% to 3% a year above this, a lot of building 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 2.7% FY24 · 229 approved 5.9% FY25 · 502 approved 6.6% FY26 · 563 approved · now

What this shows. For every 100 homes already in Murray, how many new ones the council approved each year. The teal band is the range we call balanced.

Why it matters. Lots of new homes competing with the ones already here. Too much supply is the one thing that turns a strong market into a soft one, so we watch this closely. The home count is the population divided by the average household size, so treat the rate as a guide rather than a census.

Affordability · house price in years of local household income

A house in Murray costs 11.3 years of a local family's income

Watch this
expensive · over 8 years stretched · 6 to 8 years affordable · under 6 years 7.1 2016 6.6 2017 6.5 2018 6.4 2019 6.0 2020 6.7 2021 6.5 2022 6.3 2023 8.3 2024 10.0 2025 11.3 2026 so far

What this shows. Take the typical house price and divide it by what a typical household here earns in a year. A bar of 7 means seven years of the whole household's income buys one house.

Why it matters. Expensive for the people who live here. Prices at this level need outside buyers to keep moving, and outside buyers are the first to leave when things wobble. Income is the 2021 Census figure carried forward at 3.5% a year, so it is an estimate, not a measurement.

Rents · typical weekly house rent, last 36 months · and how many rentals sit empty

Rent in Murray is $549 a week, up 2.8% in a year

Okay
$409 $495 $582 $549 a week now September '23March '24September '24March '25September '25March '26

$549

A week, August 2026

+2.8%

Change in the last year

1.6%

Rentals sitting empty (balanced)

What this shows. What a typical house in Murray rents for each week, month by month. The empty-rentals number is the share of rental homes with nobody in them: under 1.5% is tight, over 3% means tenants have plenty of choice.

Why it matters. Rents are moving with inflation. Steady rather than tight.

Rental yield · a year of rent as a share of the price, Murray vs similar councils

Rent covers 3.0% of the price each year in Murray

2.7% 5.5% 8.2% 202120232025
MurraySimilar councils

What this shows. Yield is simple: a whole year of rent divided by the house price. A $500,000 house renting for $500 a week earns $26,000 a year, which is a 5.2% yield.

Why it matters. Lower than similar councils, which are around 7.1%. Prices have run ahead of rents, so you are paying more of the loan yourself while you wait for growth. We don't buy on yield alone and we never set a yield cut-off; it is one piece of the picture, next to growth.

The people

Who lives in Murray.

The population has grown +3.3% a year over the last five years, which is quick by national standards. The growth is mostly people moving in from elsewhere in Australia, 1,820 of them on net over the last three years. Internal migration is the strongest kind of housing demand, because those people chose here on purpose. The median age is 45 and the median household brings in $1,368 a week (Census 2021). 75% of households own or are paying off their home. Owner-occupier markets like this tend to hold their nerve through the cycle, because nobody is forced to sell an address they live at.

Population · ABS estimates 2015 to 2025

Murray is growing fast: 21,447 people, up +3.3% a year

Good sign
16,909 21,447 201520202025

21,447

People, 2025

+3.3% vs +1.5%

A year, last 5 years · typical WA council

+2.4%

A year, last 10 years

Why it matters. People arriving is the rawest form of housing demand. Every new household needs somewhere to live before anything else happens.

Where the growth came from · last 3 years

Most new residents chose Murray on purpose: 1,820 moved in from elsewhere in Australia

Good sign
Births minus deaths
+127
Moved from elsewhere in Australia
+1,820
Moved from overseas
+366

Net change: +2,313 people over three years.

What this shows. Three ways a place gains or loses people: babies born minus people who died, people who moved here from another part of Australia, and people who arrived from overseas. Bars to the right add people, bars to the left take them away.

Why it matters. People who move here from another part of Australia are the strongest kind of demand. They compared it with somewhere else and picked here.

Age and households · Census 2021

Murray is older than the typical WA council: median age 45 vs 42

Older
Median age 45 vs 42
People per household 2.5 vs 2.4

Murray Typical WA council (middle of 103)

Why it matters. An older area leans on retirees and downsizers. Single-level homes near health services do best, and turnover tends to be lower.

Income and who owns the homes · Census 2021

Most homes in Murray are owner-occupied: 75% own or are paying off, 19% rent

Owner market
Household income a week $1,368 -8% vs typical
Who lives in the homes 75% own · 19% rent

Own or paying off Renting Other

Why it matters. Owner-occupier markets hold their nerve through the cycle, because nobody is forced to sell the address they live at.

New supply

What's being approved to build.

563 dwellings were approved in FY26, 521 of them houses. Approvals are clearly trending up, so more supply is coming. Whether that's a problem depends on whether the population keeps outrunning it. On the non-residential side, $19 million of building was approved in FY26, $3 million of it public money. Governments build where they expect people.

Homes approved · ABS, by financial year

A lot is being built in Murray: 563 homes approved in FY26

Watch this
FY24
229
FY25
502
FY26
563

Houses Units, townhouses and other

563

Homes approved, FY26

93%

Of them houses

6.6%

New homes per 100 that exist

What this shows. How many new homes the council approved each financial year, split into houses and everything else. Approved is not built, but it is the earliest warning of supply on the way.

Why it matters. New homes compete with the ones already here. Too much supply is the one thing that turns a strong market soft, so this is the number we check first.

Non-residential building approved · ABS

$19m of non-residential building was approved in Murray in FY26

Okay
FY24
$16m
FY25
$76m
FY26
$19m

Government projects All non-residential

$19m

All sectors, FY26

$3m

Government, FY26

$4m

Schools and health, last 3 years

What this shows. The dollar value of shops, offices, schools, hospitals and other non-home buildings approved each year. The darker bar is the government's share.

Why it matters. Governments build where they expect people. Schools and hospitals are the most honest signal they give about where families are heading. For the named projects behind these numbers, ask for the full report.

Jobs

Who's working in Murray.

Work here runs on mining (13% of jobs), ahead of manufacturing and health care and social assistance. 2,320 more residents are in work than five years ago (+31.6%). That is strong jobs growth, and it usually shows up in housing demand with a lag. Unemployment sits at 3.4%, comfortably under the national 4.2%.

Jobs · SALM, March 2026

2,320 more people in Murray have a job than five years ago

Good sign

9,663

Residents in work

3.4% vs 4.2%

Unemployed · Australia

+31.6%

Jobs change, 5 years

Unemployment rate 3.4% vs 3.4% typical WA council

Murray Australia

Why it matters. Strong jobs growth shows up in housing demand with a lag. People get the job first and buy the house a year or two later.

Who employs people here · Census 2021

Mining is the biggest employer in Murray, 13% of jobs

Advantage 4 of 10
Mining
13%
Manufacturing
11%
Health care and social assistance
10%
Construction
10%
Retail trade
9%

What this shows. The five industries that employ the most residents, as a share of all jobs. The pill is the ABS advantage score: Murray sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally, where 10 is the most advantaged.

Why it matters. A spread of employers means no single closure can empty the town. That is the kind of job base that holds house prices through a downturn.

The outlook

Is Murray worth buying into?

Put the drivers together and the case for Murray is: a population that keeps growing, net internal migration in its favour, a job base that has expanded. None of this guarantees anything. It tells you where to look harder, which is what a report like this is for.

Free · Written by hand · One per person

This page is the public data. The full report is that written up as a document, plus the current price, rent, yield and growth on one suburb inside Murray. One per person.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Inside the LGA

The suburbs of Murray.

Next step. See what's for sale in Pinjarra on realestate.com.au or Domain. Then send me the address before you make an offer. That is the part the data cannot do.

All 27 suburbs and localities in Murray

Banksiadale · Barragup · Birchmont · Blythewood · Coolup · Dwellingup · Etmilyn · Fairbridge · Furnissdale · Holyoake · Inglehope · Marrinup · Meelon · Myara · Nambeelup · Nirimba · North Dandalup · North Yunderup · Pinjarra · Ravenswood · Solus · South Yunderup · Stake Hill · Teesdale · West Coolup · West Pinjarra · Whittaker

Free · Written by hand · One per person

Want the full workup on Murray?

This page is the public data. The full report is the written workup: current price, rent, gross yield and vacancy, growth over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years, days on market and demand, and the supply coming down the pipe, for Murray or any suburb in it. Same data we run for clients. I pull it and email it through, usually within a business day. One per person, no charge, and no 14-part email sequence afterwards. All I ask is that if it lands, you take the fifteen minute call at the end of it.

Name, email and phone. I write these by hand, one per person, and the conversation afterwards is the only thing the report costs.

Leave your details and I'll get in touch about it myself, by email or phone, usually within one business day. It comes from dan@buyersfirstagency.com.au, and it lands in junk more often than it should, so check there if you don't see it. You'll also go on the Market Pulse mailing list, one email a month on where the market is actually heading. Unsubscribe whenever you like, and I never pass your details to anyone else.

Keep comparing

Markets of a similar size in WA.

A council only makes sense in context. These are the WA markets closest to Murray in population, each with its own written report.

General information only, not financial or investment advice. Cycle positions and projections are modelled LGA-level figures to July 2026, sourced from HtAG Analytics. Population and approvals are ABS estimates; employment is SALM smoothed data; income, age and tenure are Census 2021. None of it can see street quality, flood maps, zoning or the contract, which is where deals are actually won and lost. Get advice on your own situation before acting.

Data finds the area. It doesn't buy the house.

We narrow 15,000 suburbs to the top 5 for each client, then find the street and the property. If Murray is on your list, that's a conversation worth having early.

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