Perth developers under pressure from rising construction costs and easing prices in the established housing market are moving projects to Jones part way through their life cycle, looking for a change in pricing, marketing or sales strategy to get projects back on track and protect their bottom line.
Jones is currently selling and marketing 20 projects across 12 suburbs, from affordable apartments in Cockburn to high end residences at Manhattan in Applecross. In the past two months alone, six new developers have approached the consultancy, many with projects already under construction or partly sold.
Jones Managing Director Steve Jones said the nature of the enquiries had changed.
“Most of the calls we’re getting now aren’t about a new launch. They’re from developers who are already in the market and the numbers aren’t stacking up. Sales have slowed, the pricing was set a year ago against a different cost base, or the campaign isn’t reaching the right buyer. They want someone to look at the whole project again and tell them honestly what needs to change,” he said.
The shift comes as interest rates, cost of living, construction costs, fuel prices and federal policy put mounting financial pressure on WA developers, with that pressure escalating sharply over the past few months. Construction costs continue to push the price of new product up while established market prices soften, opening a widening gap between the two.
“A buyer can look at an established home down the road for less than a new apartment. If the project doesn’t give them a clear reason to pay that difference, they’ll walk away. That’s a product and pricing problem before it’s ever a marketing problem,” Mr Jones said.
“For a lot of developers right now, the goal isn’t a strong margin. It’s coming out positive instead of taking a loss. That changes how every project needs to be reviewed, marketed and sold.”
Mr Jones said the solutions varied from project to project. Some needed pricing reset against current demand, others a different target buyer or a campaign rebuilt from the ground up.
“There’s no single fix. What works for a first home buyer project in Cockburn is completely different to what works for a $10 million residence in Applecross. The value is in knowing which lever to pull, and pulling it early enough to make a difference,” he said.
Jones handles individual sales from $500,000 to $10 million across Perth’s established and developing suburbs, rather than specialising in a single area or project type. Mr Jones said that breadth was the main reason developers were choosing the consultancy.
“We currently represent 20 projects across Perth. From what we can see, that’s more than double any other project agency in WA. That volume means we see what buyers are doing at every price point, every week, and we bring that straight back into each developer’s project,” he said.
“Developers don’t need another agent to list their stock. They need someone who understands the whole market and can tell them how to make their project work, even when market conditions are working against them.”
About us:
Jones Realty & Projects is a Perth-based development consultancy specialising in off-the-plan residential sales, project marketing and strategic development advisory. They work with developers from project inception through to launch, campaign delivery and sales, helping shape residential projects for stronger market engagement and commercial outcomes.
