vanessadave

Hi, we've just stumbled onto this great site!! and was hoping we could tap into some of the knowledge and experience on it.

We are going to Oz this summer to do a recce and are torn between moving to Sydney and Brisbane/Gold Coast.

We are both early 30's and like going out, nice meals, gigs, watching sport etc.. (Sydney?)
We also like the outdoors and go hiking/camping and have 3 dogs so would like a good size yard (with a pool obviously!!) and a house near some trails - preferably not too far from the beach. Does this mean Qld would be better?? (we should have about A$250k to put down on a house and don't mind having a mortgage for the same amount)
Job wise Vanessa is a Vet and I am in Marketing.

Can anyone recommend any suitable areas to look at rather than spend 2 weeks driving round and round and round and round.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Dave

suzimc

Hi Dave,

My husband and I went through the same dilemma - in the end we have opted for Sydney partly due to the fact that my husband's company can actually keep him on if we do that.

I am in marketing too, and I'm glad to see from all the research I have done that there appears to be quite a demand for marketing professionals at the moment, although I did notice somewhere that employment for the marketing industry is lower than the national average in Brisbane and higher in Sydney.

I would have a think about how long a commute you want because i think around Sydney for those sort of prices and with a yard for the dogs (and a pool!!) you might have to look quite far out of the city. Purely because the house prices are lower around Brisbane that might end up being a better choice for you.

As for areas, my brother in law has lived around the Upper Kedron/The Gap area about half an hour outside of Brisbane for the last few years and whenever we have visited it seems very nice to me. I only really know inner city areas of Sydney - Balmain, where we hope to settle, would fit in well with the lifestyle you describe, but you probably won't find a house with a yard big enough for 3 dogs for those sort of prices!

Have you looked on domain.com.au or realestate.com.au?

Good luck with it!
Suzi

chels

What field of marketing? If you're in the finance / investment sector or IT, Sydney is the place to be, if you're in FMCG Melbourne, and Brisbane's good for construction, engineering, property development. All IMHO of course.

In my situation, Sydney is pretty crap for jobs because I don't have a background in finance or investment, whereas Brisbane is looking a better option as there's a lot of development going on up there that people need to be won over about.

Housing - $250k plus the equivalent in mortgage isn't going to get you much in a decent part of Sydney, esp. as you'll be wanting a fair amount of space. To afford a house in Balmain with a big backyard and space for a swimming pool, for example, you'd probably have to double your budget. You could live out in the western suburbs and get a bigger house on a bigger plot, but then you're trading good infrastructure, easy access to the major cbds and decent shops and bars, cafes etc for that. You'll be further from the beaches too, if they're something you're keen on, about a 40mins to an hour drive. Temperatures are a lot higher there too. All in all, there are good reasons why houses are cheaper in those suburbs.

Gigs - overseas bands tend to go to Sydney and Melbourne and forget all the other cities...

If your other half is a vet, I imagine she'll be able to find work easily. And you might find work in the Sydney CBD, North Sydney, one of the business parks in the Hills district or over in Ryde, or out in Parramatta. Sydney is HUGE. If you decide to live in the Eastern Suburbs but your job is over in Baulkam Hills, you'll have a hard time commuting...

On a recce there's a limit to how much you can find out. Nice suburbs in Sydney, in my opinion, tend to be in the Eastern, inner city, lower north shore suburbs. Can't comment on the upper north shore, but those suburbs are popular with many. All these suburbs are fairly pricey, but they all have 'up and coming areas' where you may be able to find in your price range an unrenovated property with a decent sized back yard, if it's on a busy road, a bit isolated, or under the flight path etc. Places like Ashfield, Marrickville, Croydon, Matraville, Botany, North Ryde have houses in your price range. I wouldn't want to live there myself, but plenty of people do.

Sorry about long post, hope it helps.

kevinbloomfield

Check with the local council about having 3 dogs. Where we live (Maroochy council) your only allowed 1 dog if you live on less than 1000 Sq metres, if you want 2 dogs you have to apply to the council and they ask neighbours etc. No idea what happens if you want 3 though

louise4

they send you back

chels

What if they're 3 chihuauas (god forbid!)?