FUTURE MOVERS


The future movers population, that is, people who expressed an intention to move within the next three years, indicates levels of optimism or pessimism relating to the current housing market. Examination of the intentions of those planning a future move provides a forward looking indicator and gives insight into future housing needs. Housing intentions data can also help inform housing policy, as well as assist those involved in land use and land development planning.

In 2012, an estimated 491,000 adults living in Western Australia (WA) were future movers (27%). Just under half of all future movers (46%) had lived in their current dwelling for less than two years. A further 24% had lived in their current dwelling for two to less than five years (Tables 1 and 16).

The majority of future movers planned to stay within WA (87%). A small proportion (9%) planned to move interstate or overseas, while the remainder (4%) were unsure where their next dwelling would be located (Table 17).

Moving within WA

Of the 429,000 adults who planned to move within WA, 47% indicated they planned to move within the next 12 months. Sixty one per cent of future movers within WA intended to move within the Greater Perth area, while 4% intended to move from elsewhere in WA to Greater Perth. Of those future movers currently living in the Greater Perth area, 9% intended to move interstate or overseas, while 3% intended to move elsewhere in WA (Tables 17 and 18).

Housing transitions

Just over half of all future movers within WA (52%) were renters. For 88% of renters who plan to move within WA in the next three years and purchase their future dwelling, home ownership was the main reason for moving (Tables 20 and 25).

Choice of future dwelling

While most future movers within WA indicated they would prefer their next dwelling to be a separate house (73%), 15% were unsure what type of dwelling they would choose next (Table 20).

When choosing their future dwelling, just under half of future movers within WA (49%) indicated appearance and layout were factors that would influence their decision, while a better quality residence was important to 44%. For 37%, the suitability of the dwelling for children was a consideration and 36% indicated they wanted a low maintenance dwelling (Table 23).

People's priorities when choosing their next dwelling reflected their different stages of life. People in senior households were more likely to be planning a move to a smaller residence (34%) or a smaller block (27%) than those in non-senior households (11% and 10% respectively) (Table 23 and Graph 4).



Choice of future location

When choosing the location of their future dwelling, 42% of future movers indicated familiarity with an area would influence their decision. Being close to family or friends was important to 38%, access to facilities and services such as shops or schools mattered to 38% and central location was important to 33% (Table 24).

People in senior households were more likely than those in non-senior households to indicate being close to family or friends would be an important factor when choosing their future location (56% compared with 36%). They were also more likely to indicate that the geographical features of the location such as beach, hills or river would be taken into consideration than non-senior households (46% and 29% respectively) (Table 24 and Graph 5).