Data released by the Real Estate Institute of WA shows the median price for the three months to December was $480,000, a rise of 14.3 per cent on the beginning of 2009.

The median is $5000 more than the previous record, set in December 2007.

The median price of units also reached a new high, with the figure of $400,000 up $8000 on the previous record, also set two years ago.

About 10,400 properties were on the market at the end of December, down 2400 on three months previously.

REIWA president Alan Bourke said the rise in the median price was due to upgrade buyers buying more expensive property, while the number of first home buyers seeking more affordable homes had diminished.

The data follows similar but different analysis from Australian Property Monitors and RP Data last week, where the median prices were calculated at $512,000 and $490,000 respectively for houses in Perth.

Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha and Port Hedland also broke previous records.

Karratha prices surged to $822,000, up $52,000 from the previous record set in June last year.

Port Hedland's median price was $685,000, up $70,000 on the record set in March last year.

Geraldton-Greenhough's median was $375,000, up $5000 on the previous best in March 2008, while Kalgoorlie-Boulder recorded $350,000, also up $5000 on the previous record in March 2008.

Perth's median weekly rent remained steady at $360 in the quarter, with the vacancy rate 4.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Real Estate Institute of Australia today called on the federal government to more than double the first home owners grant, from $7000 to $15,000.

President David Airey said the amount of the grant had not kept pace with rising house prices since it was introduced in 2000. The national median had increased from $220,000 to $481,000 in that time.