# house hunting melbourne experiences



## ozthedream (Dec 31, 2010)

we have just about commenced the house hunting saga ( rentals) and seems daunting considering had a look at sites domain.com.au & realestate.com.au 

the main issue is even if we have a particular rental range in mind , the whole of melbourne cant be pursued. And once we narrow down on a couple of suburbs ( we started off on the pakenham line cusp of zone 1 & 2) the options remain many .. 

and the biggest issue is the inspection times - 15 minutes and that too many agents advertise the same date and time and logistically impossible to see more than 2. 
its mostly just saturdays they keep these inspections so do we wait a week just for this one day to rush across options 

appreciate practical advise on this


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hi

first, try those properties that have inspection during the week, aim at one area, we are at box hill, comes in zone 2, so we end up spending $50 extra each month on travel but it is clean, rent is not as hish as those in zone 1, we pay 1434/month (330/wk). very close to eastlink flyway and public transport. basically falls between extreme east and the city. husband takes about 40 mins to city, including walking time and bus travel.

what we did, we narrowed on one area and suburbs around it, surrey hills, vermont, box hill etc. saw 5 houses one day (we have a child, it wasnt easy with her crying etc). good thing was, we had 2 hours free, saw 2 properties, went to box hill central for a break, freshened the lil one, ate something and back to viewing other properties. not sure if you have a car, we did which made it easier for us.

there are a few properties that have viewing during the week, usually tuesdays or fridays. we went for those as well but that did not materialise. luckily for us, the day we came to view the one wehre we are right now, it was extremely cold and just one person came to see the property other than us.

time it like this, see the property, number according to priority, if you are not able to view the one that you did not like much, you wont regret it.

if you need more info, lemme know


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## josh.machine (Aug 4, 2011)

Its a terrible and timing chore, especially if like us you are initially putting up in a hotel. The number of days that go by just to wait for the agents to schedule a appointment is just sheer wastage of time and money. But unfortunately thats the way around here.

We are put up in the heart of CBD in a studio for 1434$ a month. There are other empty units too for a lesser price. Let me know if interested.


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## Vinod2012 (Jul 11, 2012)

Hi Anji,

Could you PM me please? Need your advice on choosing a school etc for my son, basically the school decides the area we live in. 

Regards,


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

Hi Vinod, ask me here.. it might help others and my knowledge might be limited, someone might be able to help you more ..
Google best schools in Melbourne, I stay in Box Hill North and Box Hill high is amongst top 5 schools of Melbourne, the best schools are in the east but getting admission isn't that easy, there is a waiting in every school.. my reply can not get more general than this, ask me specific questions and I might help


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## Vinod2012 (Jul 11, 2012)

Ok, like every parent who wants to get their kids into the best schools, I looked up bettereducation.com.au which has a list of all the public schools along with ratings. I would also like to know why public over private or vice versa apart from the money that we all consider. 

I need to narrow this down so that I can choose a neighbourhood that is child friendly. My office will be around St Kildas.


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## Vinod2012 (Jul 11, 2012)

Anji, you had also suggested that you dont move any furniture due to qurantine etc. Can you advise which store / site do you suggest for me to look up online to see the approx rates and compare that to what the packers & movers are quoting? I looked up gumtree but did not find much, i guess its all about timing for second hand goods.


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## bangalg (Apr 22, 2009)

josh.machine said:


> Its a terrible and timing chore, especially if like us you are initially putting up in a hotel. The number of days that go by just to wait for the agents to schedule a appointment is just sheer wastage of time and money. But unfortunately thats the way around here.
> 
> We are put up in the heart of CBD in a studio for 1434$ a month. There are other empty units too for a lesser price. Let me know if interested.


Hi Josh.machine,
Just for me to get an idea- is this studio apartment good for a family with a 4 yr old kid? And can such apartments be taken on short-term contracts like monthly? I am looking at such apartments as a parking space before we get into a proper 2 bedroom apartment. Is that a good idea?


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## bangalg (Apr 22, 2009)

anj1976 said:


> the best schools are in the east but getting admission isn't that easy, there is a waiting in every school.. my reply can not get more general than this, ask me specific questions and I might help


Just a bit confused here, Anj... I thought the public schooling system in Melbourne is pretty much simple. There are schools in each area and there is no 'choice' as such. So how come there is a waiting list for schools in the east? Then what will kids on the waitlist do? What schoold do they go to?


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

There is waiting for the good schools, every are has other schools as well, their ranking isnt as good and neither do they have a waiting list.


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## woohoo (Apr 26, 2012)

I have somehow stumbled onto this site (while meaning to go to the Dubai site) and I thought I should clarify. There are many many many good public schools in Melbourne. I am a primary teacher in the south east and currently I am in the process of packing up my 4 bedroom house, renting it out, selling furniture on ebay and making a move to Dubai in 5 weeks time where my husband and I have teaching jobs. I'm trying to finish next semesters Masters unit as well before I go so I can get my Masters degree and not have to study while I'm over there! Back to schools: There are waiting lists for the private schools but I have not heard of waiting lists for the public schools. Many schools will only take students if they live within a certain 'zone' or proximity to the school as they are popular and it restricts people putting their children in that school if they don't live in the area. That being said, not all schools have a 'zone', so you can have a choice of schools in the surrounding areas. There are at least 6 schools in each area that you should be able to choose from. Contact the schools in the areas, make an appointment for a tour and make a choice based on how you feel. 

No student can be turned away from their nearest school, in particular if they are zoned for it. While there are website that may rank a school - it doesnt mean it is the best one for your child. In every school, you will find parents that love the school and think it is fantastic and others that are more critical. Due to government regulations, all schools are expected that the students reach certain outcomes. That being said, there are fantastic schools everywhere. In my personal opinion, I would send my children to a public school for primary and then depending on where I lived would consider private for secondary schooling. I say this as someone who was a student in a private school all my life and have taught at a public school for 10 years. If your child does not know English, ask what ESL programs there are. As far as I know, students who have very limited English are withdrawn for a year (an hour a day) for intensive English language sessions - these are fun but educational for the children. I'm not sure if this happens at every school or just at the schools that I have been to. Secondary schools are much harder to get into if you are not zoned for them. In my opinion, excellent public schools that you need to be in the zone for are mount waverley secondary, glen waverley secondary, brentwood, and others around there. I dont know all the school but i know that those have an excellent reputation but you need to be living within their zone.

If you are looking for second hand items, I dont think you can go past ebay. My inlaws just posted 2 beds on ebay a single bed with mattress which went for $18 and a double bed with mattress (quite old though) and this went for $1. In all honesty, they were just happy to have someone come and take it from them and not have to work out how to get rid of them. There are many bargains around if you look for them. 

Anyway, sorry for the long reply, hope I've helped some of you! As I said, I meant to go to the Dubai site and stumbled onto Australia!! Good luck with all your moves!


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## bangalg (Apr 22, 2009)

anj1976 said:


> hi
> 
> first, try those properties that have inspection during the week, aim at one area, we are at box hill, comes in zone 2, so we end up spending $50 extra each month on travel but it is clean, rent is not as hish as those in zone 1, we pay 1434/month (330/wk). very close to eastlink flyway and public transport. basically falls between extreme east and the city. husband takes about 40 mins to city, including walking time and bus travel.
> 
> ...


Hi Anjali,
How long does it normally take to hunt for and freeze in on a house?Assuming I have 10 days (including weekends) devoted to house-hunting, can I freeze on the house and move in at the end of 10 or maybe 15 days? Is that ambitious? Basically, I am looking at a plan where I get a job and then ask the employers for 15 days joining-time during which I will freeze on a final home.


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## oz_sg10 (Aug 31, 2010)

bangalg said:


> Hi Anjali,
> How long does it normally take to hunt for and freeze in on a house?Assuming I have 10 days (including weekends) devoted to house-hunting, can I freeze on the house and move in at the end of 10 or maybe 15 days? Is that ambitious? Basically, I am looking at a plan where I get a job and then ask the employers for 15 days joining-time during which I will freeze on a final home.


Your timeframe looks reasonable to me. I have been able to move in at the end of 10 days, but it depends if the property has been already vacated or if the old tenants are yet to move out and also, if there is any additional maintenance etc required before you move in. 


For anyone coming to Australia - there are 2 things you need to be really careful about :

1) Real estate agents
2) Car sales people


When you are looking for a rental home, make sure no agent takes advantage of your not having a rental history. Be sure to inspect as much as you can. Once you finalise on the house and enter the contract, they will give you a condition report of the house. You have to be careful to include every detail in the condition report during entry(inclusive of photos, and also take videos for your own reference). If you don't, you may be held responsible for any pre-existing issues with the property when you vacate and there will not be much you can do about it then. I have had a few issues with such agents .

Likewise, when you buy a car, try to buy it from a dealer as much as possible and not those cheapestcars people. My friend paid advance for a car which he later found from the car's history from Vicroads that it had a different engine number as the one stated in the car's history report and also a different body color. Be careful about all the finance people in general, as there is a chance of them taking advantage of you on grounds of you not having any credit history (especially if you are going for a car loan)


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## bangalg (Apr 22, 2009)

Good reply, Thanks ozsg10.
Are the chances of me getting a 'ready to occupy' property the same as a property which will take some time before it is ready for occupation- be it because of repairs or because there are current tenants?
Also, normally, are the employers considerate of the fact that you have just migrated and hence do they allow you 3-4 days time for shifting related activities after you join?


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## oz_sg10 (Aug 31, 2010)

bangalg said:


> Good reply, Thanks ozsg10.
> Are the chances of me getting a 'ready to occupy' property the same as a property which will take some time before it is ready for occupation- be it because of repairs or because there are current tenants?
> Also, normally, are the employers considerate of the fact that you have just migrated and hence do they allow you 3-4 days time for shifting related activities after you join?


I had inspected around 30 properties across several eastern suburbs and most of them were ready to occupy. 

Regarding getting time after you join, it really depends on the employer. With most companies here, you have to earn the leave (1.5 leaves per month approx) before you take any. While they may allow you to take leave, it will most likely be on LOP. The best thing to do is buy some time before joining and then get this done. But I would like to add that most employers are considerate and you will definitely be able to work out something with them.


Note that you need to furnish these properties from scratch. Also, considering that the inspections are strictly on 15 minute windows, I would strongly advise that you either need a car, or atleast a friend with a car to be at the inspections on time. Public transport in the suburbs is not that good.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

most houses have inspection time over the weekend, even if you work, everyone understands and they let you leave early if you have to go for a friday viewing, the houses that have inspection during the weekdays have a weekend inspection as well, so you wont have to ask for extra days off from the employer

check gumtree as well, easier to find properties in there as well.

the inspection timing is usually 10 to 2 pm on saturdays and with so many houses, it makes a person go crazy, what we did was, we wrote the addresses and then the priority, if we were late for one, we could skip the one that was not a priority.

Do you have friends or family here? and have you decided on suburb?


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## happ (Jul 22, 2011)

Hey, 

Can you provide some more info on theese units, I think i might be interested.. Looking to move in in september.

Many thanks!
Happ!



josh.machine said:


> Its a terrible and timing chore, especially if like us you are initially putting up in a hotel. The number of days that go by just to wait for the agents to schedule a appointment is just sheer wastage of time and money. But unfortunately thats the way around here.
> 
> We are put up in the heart of CBD in a studio for 1434$ a month. There are other empty units too for a lesser price. Let me know if interested.


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## sharemyhead (Mar 21, 2011)

happ said:


> Hey,
> 
> Can you provide some more info on theese units, I think i might be interested.. Looking to move in in september.
> 
> ...


Me too interested.

Cheers,
sharemyhead


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## woohoo (Apr 26, 2012)

I'm not sure if I can post websites here but if you are looking for the best place to look for rental properties then look at real estate.com.au or domain. That should give you an indication of properties!!


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## tu17 (Jul 17, 2012)

*Fully furnished apartment in CBD*

Hi,

I would be moving to Melbourne with mY wife on 19-Aug-12. Would appreciate if you can give pointer to some good reasonable service apartment near the CBD.


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