I would appreciate some inputs on renting an apartment in Sydney. Should we contact the realestate agents before arrival to arrange the appointment, etc?
I've been surfing realestate.com.au and it's a pretty good site.

How long it normally takes to get the apartment? We would probably live in Hotel/Serviced Apartment before we can find a suitable one.

Thanks for all inputs.

Our experience of finding a place to rent is logged in the Renting / Leased accommodation in Aus therad

Personally, I don't think trying to contact agents before you arrive is worth the effort. By all means, make a list of those that seem to deal with the types of property and areas you're interested in, but the turnaround time is so quick and the procedures involved mean I don't think you'd get anywhere by looking before you arrived.

GG

I wouldn't bother. Wait until you get here and decide the area where you want to live. Find the nearest realestate agents and grab a few of the lists of available properties they have (or check their websites). Go and check them out on the viewing days, find one you like and then let the agent know you want the property. (Take Id/refs/deposit if necessary)- If you are accepted by the Landlord, then hey presto! you have somewhere to live.

In a nutshell thats exactly what we did. Found somewhere and moved in within 7 days.

Thanks to both of you.

It is better to sort out when you're here but in case you want to keep browsing to figure out areas etc you can also look at http://www.domain.com.au and http://www.justlisted.com.au
happy hunting