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Posted by Carrie
on 7/26/2008, 10:41 pm, in reply to "Re: where to live"
124.170.128.60
Unfortunately, conventional realtors don't work on behalf of renters or buyers in Australia - they work exclusively on behalf of the landlords/sellers. (There are some specialist home search businesses that charge large fees, but your normal real estate agents won't give you the time of day. Very different than the US in that respect.) We found it helpful when we showed up in Sydney to have a letter of recommendation from our previous landlords and lots of financial history documentation. The rental vacancy rate is below 1% here right now (typ. 3 - 5%) so there is a lot of competition for rentals and anything that will give you an edge will help.
In terms of neighborhoods, try not to go too suburban and far out of town. This is your chance to live within walking distance of a butcher, greengrocer, newsagent, especially cafes, etc - something special about Australia and rare in many parts of the U.S. Sydney really SPRAWLS out so watch out for getting buried too deeply somewhere where'd you'd be pretty car-dependent.
Traffic has gotten pretty challenging here so where you work will determine your options for where you can reasonably live without too much commute time (like any major city). We live in the Inner West (Balmain Rozelle Lilyfield) and LOVE it, also have 2 kids and really cherish the village atmosphere, all the other kids, and cute little houses. And, 15-20 mins quick bus ride or even drive into downtown where my husband and I work. We can see the harbour from our house but I suspect that when you say you'd like to be near water, you mean ocean. That is a whole new kettle of fish and becomes eastern suburbs/northern beaches then REALLY depends on where you work- some commutes would be difficult from various points. Man, I don't think I've even seen the ocean in a couple months even though it's maybe 10 kms away; you tend to hang out in the zone you choose to live in here and we all get provincial.
Geoff is right on about the web links and Google. But also good to negotiate a corporate or short-term furnished rental for your first month or really two months here so that you can physically walk the various neighbourhoods and get the feel for them (and manage to secure a rental in this insane market)
Good luck, it is worth it and a fabulous place to live.
--Previous Message--
:
: www.realestate.com.au
: www.domain.com.au
: Google maps is a great way of seeing where
: everything is in Sydney. Parents on this
: site can give you a good guide on schools
: for the respective age of your kids.
: It will be more expeinsive but it is a
: bloody good place to live
: Cheers
: Geoff
: --Previous Message--
: My husband, myself & our two kids will
: be
: moving to Sydney in November. Any
: recommnedations on nice neighborhoods? We
: want to be pretty close to the water. Also,
: do you recommend searching real estate
: websites or getting a realtor to find a
: place? I would prefer a house over an
: apartment building. We are aware that things
: are terribly expensive, but I am not sure
: where to start.
: Thanks,
: Cristina
:
:
:
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