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Thread: Aussies Help needed

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    Default Aussies Help needed

    Ladies,

    Im looking at spending a bit of time in Australia ( 4-5 months at minimum to a year maximum) come the new year and am wondering how best to go about finding a good place to live in a a nice neighborhood.

    Ill be staying in Brisbane and dont really know the city and it's neighborhoods well. We're interested in places close to the water and in nicer neighborhoods where there are ameneties as well.

    Hoping some of our fellow Aussie ladies can give me some advice on how best to find a place and what areas to focus on.

    Thnx!
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Anything "near water" in Brisbane are for the wealthy.

    You need to give us more information: are you going to be renting or buying? what are you seeking in a rental if you are renting? how much are you prepared to pay?

    www.realestate.com.au is a great place to start



    good luck with brisbane. i hope to never have to live there as i love the gold coast. brisbane .. well.. i always get so easily lost.. and frustrated with how that bloody city is laid out.. the town planners didn't think when they made that city!

    yeah the GC (gold coast) isn't perfect however i'm never far from anything esp. water and i can get a rental near water (or with water views) for a hell of a lot less than i would pay for similar in brisbane....

    anyway.. yeah. give us more information.


    plus try google.


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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    thanks gold coast girl. we'd be renting for sure-prefer a house or a flat with at least 2 bedrooms. Based on your response we looked up both the sunshine coast and the gold coast.


    is there a big difference between the two and which one of them gets less rainfall ( from Feb- June). we need to be near a beach and want a hipper locale that isnt too invaded with schollies.

    thanks!
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    You want the Sunshine Coast then.


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    MsQwerty
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Just dont go to far west where ever you go and you should be ok ;-D

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    Veteran Member ellebelle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Rental prices in Brisbane are insane and on top of that competition is fierce. The last three times I've moved in Brisbane it has taken me between 1-3 months to find a place and get approved. I would be denied 9 out of 10 rentals, or they would be leased by the time I apply. This is with perfect rental histories and somewhat fake payslips claiming I earn $2500+/week in a legitimate office job.

    Most places are prejudiced against people who aren't permanent residents or on student visas. You'll have a hard time leasing anywhere outside of the city, where standards are more lax. You may have to pay 3-6 months rent upfront, plus bond (4 weeks rent) to obtain a place. If you're not working they will also want substantial proof of how you are going to pay your rent, and most probably a giant slab of your rent upfront.
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    Senior Member Miaowren's Avatar
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    I used to live on the Sunny Coast. Life is pretty sweet there. Brisbane has plenty of 'water' but no beaches! 'On the water' does not mean beaches... eww!! (Apart from Straddy - but it's an island so what does that tell you?) And it's not just for the rich, although the Redlands has changed a bit now, there's still Redcliffe. Not that I'm suggesting you move there. Too much ugg boots and flanelette shirts if you know that I mean?

    But Brisbane - Northside is better than Southside. Depends on what kind of neighborhood you want?? And then sometimes there's little pockets or oasis' within an area. A few streets that are good in a neighborhood that's otherwise a piece of shit. eg. I hate Carseldine. The whole suburb is like a cul-de-sac and it's full of wankers. Except for a few streets that are classed as Carseldine but feel like they're out in the sticks or something. Not that I particularly like being out in the sticks but I definitely hate wankers!

    So like I said, depends on what you want?

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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Quote Originally Posted by Miaowren View Post
    I used to live on the Sunny Coast. Life is pretty sweet there. Brisbane has plenty of 'water' but no beaches! 'On the water' does not mean beaches... eww!! (Apart from Straddy - but it's an island so what does that tell you?) And it's not just for the rich, although the Redlands has changed a bit now, there's still Redcliffe. Not that I'm suggesting you move there. Too much ugg boots and flanelette shirts if you know that I mean?

    But Brisbane - Northside is better than Southside. Depends on what kind of neighborhood you want?? And then sometimes there's little pockets or oasis' within an area. A few streets that are good in a neighborhood that's otherwise a piece of shit. eg. I hate Carseldine. The whole suburb is like a cul-de-sac and it's full of wankers. Except for a few streets that are classed as Carseldine but feel like they're out in the sticks or something. Not that I particularly like being out in the sticks but I definitely hate wankers!

    So like I said, depends on what you want?
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    Veteran Member ellebelle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Southside FTW
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Quote Originally Posted by Lysondra View Post
    You want the Sunshine Coast then.

    Stick to the "Brisbane end" of the Sunshine Coast if you don't want to be too far from civilization

    I agree with everyone else, give Brisbane a miss.


    Even the Gold Coast is a tight (competitive) rental market .... it's the reason why I'm being gouged $330 per week for a townhouse in a gated community (granted, it's no questions asked pet friendly and i can foster to my hearts content without fuss).... i'm scared i may not find a suitable rental within a 14 day period (late November - early December too!).


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  11. #11
    MsQwerty
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Quote Originally Posted by ellebelle View Post
    Southside FTW
    Agreed lol.
    Although I dont understand why anyone would want to go to Briscane anyway :-p

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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Quote Originally Posted by GoldCoastGirl View Post
    Stick to the "Brisbane end" of the Sunshine Coast if you don't want to be too far from civilization

    I agree with everyone else, give Brisbane a miss.


    Even the Gold Coast is a tight (competitive) rental market .... it's the reason why I'm being gouged $330 per week for a townhouse in a gated community (granted, it's no questions asked pet friendly and i can foster to my hearts content without fuss).... i'm scared i may not find a suitable rental within a 14 day period (late November - early December too!).
    $330 for a townhouse in a gated community is NOT gouging anymore.

    I saw a townhouse in a non gated community - $350. Most of them are around this price.

    Your rent is actually cheap.


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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Woha. .... and $10 of that is not rent it's garden maintenance (lawn mowing etc).


    Hmm... I wonder if rentals will decrease in price once the home loan (reserve bank) interest rates start to drop? thus the market won't be so 'tight' all the time?


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    Featured Member mild2wild's Avatar
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    Quote Originally Posted by GoldCoastGirl View Post
    Woha. .... and $10 of that is not rent it's garden maintenance (lawn mowing etc).


    Hmm... I wonder if rentals will decrease in price once the home loan (reserve bank) interest rates start to drop? thus the market won't be so 'tight' all the time?
    No, most likely not, as we are coming out of a long period of interest rate rises (12 I think in a row) most families who are owning are finding it very hard to make ends meet, which is why at present buying a house can be done at a very great price

    There was an instance in Melbourne where I visited an auction the reserve was $300k the highest bid was $250k and passed in, just a few weeks ago, the owners were desperate to sell and sold up for $225k mark, this was a 2 year old home in a good area and a wise future investment making it a bargain and shows just where our market is heading!

    The rental market will only get tougher, investment property owners are starting to buy up as house owners sell up to pay for their loans, meaning many house owners will become renters of the properties the investors are buying.

    The problem with Australians (and most countries like ours) is that we over spend on things that aren't needed. We like cars with all the bells and whistles, we like a new plasma tv, we love gismo's and gadgets, and with 10 years of constant over spending we are now living the effects of this. Interest rates are not going to change much, things like credit card rates aren't changing and in fact in some cases are going up

    Alot of Australian's who bought while interest rates were low to live the great Australian dream of owning their own house also are careless spenders, many drive cars that are worth 1 / 6th (and even up to 1 / 4th) of their house price, many rack up credit debts of thousands and they simply can not pay thus the only option is to sell the house and rent.

    Also, with Australians loosing jobs left right and centre will also lead to houses being sold to compensate for this as many don't have a buffer to get them through the end of a difficult time.
    Last edited by mild2wild; 09-03-2008 at 11:58 PM. Reason: updated figures

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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    $330 is really cheap - especially if you compare to Brisbane. My last apartment was $400 a week and there really wasn't even enough room for me to live there.
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    depends on what you mean by 'water'... brisbane is based around a meandering river of dubious quality. seaside areas of brisbane are a joke because moreton bay is truly hideous.

    you can live by the water pretty much anywhere along it, at varying prices.

    i agree on northside/central than anywhere else - once again, depends on what you're planning on doing and where you're going.

    the whole rental thing depends on your ability to get people to vouch for you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ellebelle View Post
    $330 is really cheap - especially if you compare to Brisbane. My last apartment was $400 a week and there really wasn't even enough room for me to live there.
    I know, I want a city riverside apartment so bad... $450 for a 1 bedroom is alright...right?

    :/


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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    We're in a 1 Bedroom apartment with no views of note @ $410/week. Gotta love Sydney rent prices for making Brisbane seem inexpensive
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    Yeaaaah Sydney can suck my cock.

    Melbourne FTW!

    City apartments - $300 two bedrooms, omg.


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  20. #20
    Yekhefah
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    Default Re: Aussies Help needed

    This was a few years ago and I don't know if anything has changed, but I used to have a lovely apartment in Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast. It was a 10-minute bicycle ride to a nice laid-back neighborhood beach with no tourists (definitely no schoolies), or a 10-minute drive to Burleigh Heads. (Also about a 20-30 minute drive into the rainforest.) My apartment was right on one of the many canals that runs all over the Gold Coast as well. It was gorgeous.

    We had a two-story townhouse with a huge balcony upstairs, underneath a jacaranda and a palm. A family of lorikeets lived in the jacaranda, just like this...



    We also had a little patio downstairs that was surrounded by gardenia bushes. In the spring our entire house smelled like gardenia. I used to love to sit outside drinking Mercury Dry Cider and doing my homework, listening to the magpies and enjoying the Queensland sun. I was the happiest student ever, LOL!

    So yeah. Mermaid Waters is gorgeous and it wasn't expensive at all back then.

  21. #21
    MsQwerty
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    Yek, when you were here you could rent a whole house for under $200 a week, things have changed! :-)

  22. #22
    Yekhefah
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    I just remembered, we paid $190 for that place. Two bedroom, two full bath, two stories, fully furnished. My ex thought it was insanely expensive, haha. But I loved that place. We would've moved in there around September 2002, so yeah, it was awhile ago.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mild2wild View Post
    No, most likely not, as we are coming out of a long period of interest rate rises (12 I think in a row) most families who are owning are finding it very hard to make ends meet, which is why at present buying a house can be done at a very great price

    There was an instance in Melbourne where I visited an auction the reserve was $300k the highest bid was $250k and passed in, just a few weeks ago, the owners were desperate to sell and sold up for $225k mark, this was a 2 year old home in a good area and a wise future investment making it a bargain and shows just where our market is heading!

    The rental market will only get tougher, investment property owners are starting to buy up as house owners sell up to pay for their loans, meaning many house owners will become renters of the properties the investors are buying.

    The problem with Australians (and most countries like ours) is that we over spend on things that aren't needed. We like cars with all the bells and whistles, we like a new plasma tv, we love gismo's and gadgets, and with 10 years of constant over spending we are now living the effects of this. Interest rates are not going to change much, things like credit card rates aren't changing and in fact in some cases are going up

    Alot of Australian's who bought while interest rates were low to live the great Australian dream of owning their own house also are careless spenders, many drive cars that are worth 1 / 6th (and even up to 1 / 4th) of their house price, many rack up credit debts of thousands and they simply can not pay thus the only option is to sell the house and rent.

    Also, with Australians loosing jobs left right and centre will also lead to houses being sold to compensate for this as many don't have a buffer to get them through the end of a difficult time.
    Yeah just wait until we have to start bidding for rental properties as well.

    I'm looking for a new place in Melbourne at the moment and finding it hard to find a two/three bedroom place in the inner suburbs that is not insanely expensive. There's no way I'm ever going to afford to own a house in Melbourne in an area I actually want to live in
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    I was bidding for rental properties when I was homeless. HOMELESS and I was offering 4 months UP FRONT -and- $10-$40 more per week and I STILL WOULDN'T GET THE PLACE.

    I was real pissed when I lost an apartment to, no joke, a family of smokers with 8 kids because I had a BIRD. omfg... g-damn those smoking fingerpainting children - a bird is fuckin' messy!


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    ^ That's ridiculous. Pretty sure I'd MUCH rather a girl w a bird over a smoking family w 8 kids living in a house I owned any day! Renting is so stressful though and sooo expensive if you want to live anywhere decent.
    Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

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