Ok.. so have been just told I am to move to the Sydney office in 6 weeks! ...eeeeek.... ! so much to do.

Anyway, am freaking out a bit about accommodation. I will have support from the company for a couple of weeks, and then I need to find my own place. AM looking for a sharehouse for about 6 months in North Sydney

I have been scouring domain and a few other sites, however, from the replies I am receiving there doesn't seem to be too many that are still available (seems that most people don't take down their ads after they've chosen a flatmate).

Can anyone offer any other advice about where else to look? Have also looked on gumtree however, again there doesn't seem to be a lot of current adverts.

I'm really worried that my salary, which won't be humungous, will be eaten up if I have to stay in a hotel/serviced apartment longer than the two weeks.

Please help if you can offer advice!!

Desperate OSM

Hiya

We are in the same boat - 457 pending, I start my new job in Sydney on November 14 and like you am struggling to find somewhere short term. We're planning to go out a week before, staying in a hotel or something, pick up a car and start looking at rental properties before I start work, then hopefully move in after the second week.

Just out of interest has your 457 all gone through, and how long is it taking at the moment in Sydney?

Cheers

Hi, it's really worrying! I have an Australian passport so don't need a visa (I'm not from Sydney tho). really stressing out just now!

Lol I think we just have to accept it that its only going to happen this way, take every day as it comes. I can't hand in my notice until the visa comes through, which may only be a week or so before I leave!

Have a look on realestate.com.au for rental properties, although they don't have shared properties on there - Gumtree seems to be the only one I've found at least. Have also found localvoices.realestate.com.au to be a very good site - has some nice reviews of different areas, so you can get an idea of what the areas are like. There's also stayz.com.au which has holiday apartments, cabins etc on, which look pretty reasonable, if not filling up quick!

My company also sent me wotif.com, which has things like serviced apartments and things on. The cheapest we found is about $90-100 per night, so a max of 2 weeks really.

Are you going to be working those first two weeks the company will put you up for? If so this really is very stingy and I would suggest you go back to them and say you are concerned about finding somewhere in two weeks and think you need a month. I think you have little chance of finding somewhere before you get here and you are only stressing your self out by looking now.

Ask for a month, then forget it and wait until you are here. If I were advertising for a flatmate and somebody said I'm in the UK but I will be there in six weeks I probably would overlook them too. Don't worry you will find something, everyone does.

Thanks... I feel nervous but I'll just keep positive in the hope that something turns up. Dotspot I am using domain.com.au (you shoudl have a look there too for rentals). I'll check out stayz.com.au

Take your point Bermudashorts, I did ask for longer, however, apparently they don't usually give much time at all and if I was in a place longer I woudl have to foot the bill - thus my panic to get out! I'll just have to cross fingers that someone likes the sound of me and I them and the place looks ok in photographs. I do have a friend in Syd who has said he could maybe pop around if I and the other flatmate were agreeable to each other - so at least that is something.

So much to do in 6 weeks!!

Hiya not to worry Im in the same boat (only slightly worse as my company haven't offered me any help with accommodation) and I move out in 2 weeks! Everyone who I ask all say the same thing - it'll be fine. Not the most helpful. My plan is to head to a hostel for a week and check the notice boards etc. A friend of mine just came back form Sydney and she said the lamp-posts and stuff like that often have adverts stuck to them which I guess means its very much a 'when you're there' job

i just found out about this website..

http://www.airbnb.com/

you can give it a try..i just book with one of them for my year end trip..

btw, im not associated with them at all..just wanna share..

I find myself in the same situation as OneSmallVoice. I head to Sydney on October 11th and have been looking for somewhere to stay for the last few weeks.
The problem is not just price, it's communications. When I email people I get replies some of the time and when I do it's as if they haven't read the email fully so just ask questions that have already been answered. Often there is no name on the email so I know that I am dealing with a company but no idea who within the company to talk to.
Time is running out and the nerves are really building up

You will have to get used to that, I'm afraid.

Australians don't in general give you the courtesy of answering emails or phoning back. And as for including details if they do reply, you'll be lucky.

I can't believe the number of ads and flyers for example that spruik an event - yet fail to say when or where it is. Brain dead....

Yikes! it's now FOUR weeks... dang it

i stayed in a pub - The Orange Grove Hotel at Lilyfield - for a couple of weeks, no private facilities but it was a nice place.

Hostels are OK too. I stayed for 3 nights at YHA @ Central and enjoyed it.

Third option is a private hotel - there are still a few of them around (I think?)

Accommodation
The Grove has 11 rooms which have recently been refurbished in early June 2009.

For enquiries call us on (02) 9810 2835

AVAILABLE FOR SHORT OR LONG TERM STAYS

RATES Weekday
Nightly Weekend
Nightly Normal Weekly Long Term Weekly
Standard Room $70 $90 $250 $220
Deluxe
Room $80 $100 $280 $250

http://au.easyroommate.com/