Home buyers in Perth still face a higher income requirement to afford a typical mortgage, even after a rate pause on Tuesday. Multiple outlets report that while the pause may ease pressure on borrowing costs, the amount needed to qualify for a standard home loan has risen compared with January. The coverage indicates that buyers must now earn thousands of dollars more than they did earlier in the year to keep mortgage repayments within acceptable affordability levels. The reports focus on the gap between current income estimates and those from January, tying the change to movements in interest-rate expectations and mortgage servicing requirements. Although details such as the exact income figures vary by analysis, the overall message is consistent across sources: the rate pause does not reverse the affordability deterioration already captured since January. The articles frame the situation as ongoing affordability stress for prospective purchasers in Perth, with income thresholds still moving upward despite the short-term reprieve from the latest rate decision.