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Suburb profile ·Northam LGA · WA ·6403

Grass Valley WA 6403

Grass Valley is in Northam LGA, WA, postcode 6403, with population 158.

Limited data

Thin-context

The page is still useful for local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean one-page call. Use nearby stronger suburbs or compare mode before treating it as a serious shortlist decision.

$130K
-53.2% YoY
2018 → 2026 · 8 periods
ABS + state medians
$278K
$130K
2018 2026
Why it fits

Gross yield screens at about 9.0%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. Population movement supports a growth-led read.

What to check

Evidence depth is verify-heavy, so the profile should be treated as provisional. The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting. Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

Median house
$130K
House median, latest period
53.2%YoY D1 vs AU
Median rent
$225/wk
Market rent signal
D4 vs AU
Gross yield
9.0%
Strong yield band
D10 vs AU
Population
12,758
13K via Northam LGA · SAL undercount
Schools
No matched school data
Drive to city
Not in commute dataset
Solar
47
0 added 12mo · 0MW
Price cycleNear its low
LowPeak

53.2% below peak · 0.0% above its low

See trend depth →

Price history

Trend & investor depth

Cycle positionNear its low
Low · 2026Peak · 2024

53.2% below peak · 0.0% above its low

Price growth (compound)% per year
3-yr
-19.6%
5-yr
-5.8%
Indicative cashflow$41/wk ($2,119/yr) · interest-only @ 6.4%, 80% LVR
Value vs advantage-81% vs suburbs of similar SEIFA advantage (decile 5)

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection. Turnover divides recorded sales by an estimated household count (population over average household size).

Investor profile

Who invests in Grass Valley

Owner-occupied 80%Rented 20%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared8.3%
11 of 24 landlords
Avg rental loss$4,106/yr
Landlords (rental income)24
Reported capital gains17
The read

Owner-occupier stronghold

88% of homes here are owner-occupied and 22% rented, with 8% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

88% owner-occupied — owner-occupiers hold longer and absorb rate shocks, supporting price stability.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Mortgage affordability

13%
of household income to service a new loan
3.0 yrs
to save a 20% deposit
Comfortable
housing-stress band
Rent vs buyBuying cheaper

New-loan repayment $637/mo vs median rent $975/mo (-35% · -$78/wk)

If rates move

At 4.2%: $509/mo (-128) · at 6.2% (current): $637/mo · at 8.2%: $778/mo (+141)

Assumes a 20% deposit and a 30-year principal-and-interest loan at the current RBA new owner-occupier variable rate, against median weekly household income (ABS Census 2021). Stress bands follow the 30% / 45%-of-income thresholds used in ANZ-CoreLogic and AIHW reporting. Rent vs buy compares that repayment with the suburb's median advertised rent; it excludes rates, insurance, maintenance and deposit opportunity cost.

Stronger alternatives nearby

Higher yield

similar price · cross-LGA

Stronger 5-yr growth

similar price · cross-LGA

More affordable

lower price-to-income

Alternatives are similar-priced suburbs (0.7–1.4x this suburb's median) in other council areas that exceed it on the named metric. Indicative — not financial advice.

Affordability

Buying
2.2x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Affordable
Renting
20%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Manageable

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $986/mo, while renters pay about $975/mo — owning runs $11/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$130K
Household income · yr
$59K
Median rent · wk
$225
Owner mortgage · mo
$986
Gross yield
9.0%

Household income

$59K household · yr-31.6% vs WA suburb median
Personal
$28K
Family
$72K
Household
$59K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)75% could service the median house
Under $300
4
$300-649
14
$650-999
6
$1,000-1,499
7
$1,500-1,999
3
$2,000-2,999
4
$3,000-3,999
3
$4,000+
4

Serviceability line: a household needs about $490/wk to hold a new loan on the median house at 30% of income (20% deposit, 30-year P&I, current RBA rate).

At the median asking rent, about 44% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $750/wk income).

Housing stock and tenure

Tenure (64 households)
Owned outright
45%
Owned with mortgage
42%
Rented
22%
Dwelling structure14.3% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
105%
Townhouse / semi
0%
Flat / apartment
0%

Getting to work: 95% drive, 0% public transport, 9% walk or cycle, 5% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.

Known here

SUBURB CONTEXT

No local compliance layer is staged.

This is missing evidence, not evidence that the property has no constraints.

Check the property

ADDRESS + DESIGN

NCC climate zone

Check the property

Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.

May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation

Wind class and BAL

Site assessment required

A suburb layer cannot determine the site wind classification or Bushfire Attack Level.

May affect: Structure and tie-downs · Cladding and fixings · Openings and bushfire detailing

Corrosion and termite exposure

Check the property

Confirm marine or corrosive exposure and the applicable termite-management requirements.

May affect: Fasteners and connectors · Roofing and coatings · Termite management

This screen identifies investigation triggers, not building quality or property compliance. Confirm the address, design and current jurisdiction rules with the council, building surveyor or certifier, designer and engineer.

NCC 2022 Housing Provisions: how to use · NCC 2022 Volume Two and Housing Provisions

Population outlook

11,934 people · 202213,347 by 2032 (+11.8%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Northam SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Grass Valley WA — Property Data and Demographics

Located in Western Australia within the Northam local government area, Grass Valley is a quiet locality (postcode 6403). It is home to about 158 residents, with a mature demographic and a median age of 52. Households earn a median income of $59K per year, with an average household size of 2.2 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement into the broader catchment, with population growth running at +2.5% year-on-year at the LGA level. WA employment has moved +1.9% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. WA also had 24 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 12 underway, and 12 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are sales, community & personal service, labourers. Employment in the area leans toward retail trade and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Scottish.

The median house price in Grass Valley is $130,000, having dropped significantly by 53.2% over the past year. The median weekly rent is $225 (Census 2021). This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 9.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $986.

Looking at the investment signals, Grass Valley shows a gross rental yield of approximately 9.0%, rated as high yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($130K/$1.0M), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 2.2x is considered affordable. House prices have moved -53.2% year-on-year. Population growth of +2.5% year-on-year points to strong growth demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield9.0% High Yield
Price vs State$130K/$1.0M Below Median
Affordability2.2x Affordable
Price Momentum-53.2% Falling
Pop. Growth+2.5% Strong Growth
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentWA
Mortgage · mth$986
Rent · wk(Census)$225
Gross yield9.0%
Price / income2.2x
Population growth · Northam LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)12,758
5-year growth+1.9% CAGR
YoY change+2.5%
20012025
Development · Northam LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)94
Houses 97%Units 3%
YoY change+0%
Employment · Northam LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)4%
YoY change+0pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 6403ATO
Negatively geared8.3%
11 of filers
Avg rental loss$4,106/yr
Landlords (rental income)24
Reported capital gains17
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population158
Median age52
Household size2.2
HH income · wk$1,125
Personal income · wk$547
Persons / bedroom0.7
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)5/10
Education (IEO)1/10
Economic (IER)3/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)3/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$1,166 → $1,125
Change-3.5%
vs WA median-17.2 pp
Median rent-6.2%
softeningvs WA 2016–21
Area & amenity
Hospitals · Northam LGAAIHW
Public1
Private0
Northam Hospitalpublic
Aged care · Northam LGAGEN
Facilities2
Residential places78
Juniper The Residency45 places
Juniper Bethavon33 places
Childcare · Northam LGAACECQA
Services3
Approved places148
Exceeding NQS0
Northam Early Learning Centre68 places
Sparrow Early Learning Northam52 places
Regional Early Education & Development Inc - Wundowie28 places
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Verify-heavy evidence

Much of Grass Valley rests on evidence that should be verified before a decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Prices come from release-based suburb series.

REIWA public suburb pages (annual median series) scraped monthly; unmatched suburbs fall back to annual ABS SA2 series

RENT POSTURE
Rent is falling back to Census, not a market feed.

This gives you directional coverage, but it is weaker than a current rent release.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
REIWA · 2026 · REIWA public suburb pages (annual median series) scraped monthly; unmatched suburbs fall back to annual ABS SA2 series
medium stability · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Market rent
ABS Census 2021 · Using Census rent fallback
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Verify
Crime
State crime dataset · No linked local crime series
Missing
Schools
ACARA 2025 · No local school matches exposed
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Missing
Hospitals
AIHW · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
GTFS feeds · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Grass Valley is a real locality with enough context to be directionally useful. The tradeoff is that coverage is lighter than a stronger suburb profile, so the read should stay cautious.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
This is a real locality, but it has a very small Census footprint.

Small-population localities can still be worth checking, but rankings, comparisons, and broad suburb assumptions become noisier faster.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across school matches, hospital coverage, transport stops, and crime coverage.

The main gaps on this page are school matches, hospital coverage, transport stops, and crime coverage. That narrows how much confidence you should place on a single-page read.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to understand the locality shape, then compare outward.

Begin here, but pressure-test the read in compare, against the state hub, or a bigger nearby suburb before deciding.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

This page remains visible, but it should be read as a locality brief rather than a full-confidence suburb profile.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

This page is useful for direction-setting, not closure. Use it to frame the locality, then confirm the story with compare, stronger nearby suburbs, and the state hub.

Stronger nearby reads

If Grass Valley feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before making a shortlist decision.

Muluckine most similar
similar rent profile similar suburb scale

pop +100 · house +$335K · rent +$25/wk

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Mokine most similar
similar rent profile similar suburb scale

pop +100 · rent same $

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Spencers Brook most similar
similar rent profile

pop -100 · house +$505K · rent -$25/wk

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Grass Valley FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Grass Valley in?

    Grass Valley is in the Northam Local Government Area, WA, postcode 6403. Council-level context for Northam LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Grass Valley?

    The current median house price in Grass Valley, WA is $130K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Grass Valley?

    The median weekly rent in Grass Valley is $225/wk, based on ABS Census 2021 rent fallback.

  4. Is Grass Valley a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Grass Valley show: High Yield, Below Median, Affordable. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  5. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Grass Valley?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  6. How often is the Grass Valley data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.