lynnbrooks

Hi everyone,

Just doing a little research,

what's best then?

buying a house,already established,teething problems over but maybe a little more expensive ?
or the road of buying land and building your house having to wait for the finished result,cleaning the mess but maybe getting what you want more cheaply?
Or is it neither?

Please advise to someone who may clearly not have a clue!
We are thinking about the poss of settling the north suburbs of Perth,i.e. Joondalup area etc,
Lynn

hutchy

We bought our house and after talking to work colleagues we think we have done the right thing. From people I've talked to it can be a long and frustrating time building your own home and all the little extras in the build add up ie extra plugs, door frames etc etc. I think you have also to add in the cost of renting whilst you are building. This could be expensive since the build could take anything up to 2 years!
We arrived in WA 24 Jan and moved into our house in Rockingham 23 Feb. Added the swimming pool in March and have really settled in well.
Hope this helps.
Regards

ABCDiamond

I agree with Hutchy, building or having it built, is more often than not VERY frustrating. This is from a few that we know of.

If you feel like going through hell for about a year, then Yes, it is financially worth while.

It is cheaper, and if you buy the land first, then you save on stamp duty on the cost of the house, aswell.
eg:
House and Land together at say $330,000 you pay duty on $330k

Buy seperately for say:
Land $150k
House $150k
Then you pay duty only on $150k

owieb

One of the main factors you have to consider is that the majority of land is a substantial distance away from the CBD. Any land that is close to a main centre is going to be very expensive.

But if you don't have a need to be near a CBD then it probably won't have too much impact.

Certainly in Perth most new land is at least 30 mins away from the CBD, might not sound much but it's it does make a big difference.

We looked into building, but decided against it in the end for the following reasons:

1. The length of time it was going to take to build, over 12 months (and this was before the brick shortage that is now hitting Perth).

2. The distance away from the CBD would have been too far.

3. The lack of facilities, such as supermarkets, buses, trains, shops, restaurants etc.

4. The cost of land in the Northern Suburbs (such as Iluka) is over $300K!

5. The blocks are getting smaller and the estates are more crowded.

6. The majority of new houses have tin roofs because people can't afford to put tiles on them, and IMO they look cr*p, so didn't want to live in an area surrounded by them

7. Most of the areas are packed full of English.

Still I'm sure there are some great areas to build in, guess it's just down to personal choice, but I certainly wouldn't consider it now.

PHIZA

Hi hutchy, we hope to move to the Rockingham area when we come over in August.

Can I ask who put in your pool for you and if you don't mind could you give an idea of cost for build, as it's one of the bribes I've had to use on the kids to help the idea of the whole move go smoother!

thebarkers

Hi
i have been told that sapphire pools are good
and i think your looking at about $15,000 or so

just from what i hear mind.

thier website is under construction at the moment but
the can send you a brochure
Hope it helps
if im wrong pls let me know as we will also be NEEDING a pool
as you do!!!!!

ABCDiamond

I looked into getting a pool recently; saw the adverts at about $12,000 etc, got the salesman round, and with all the required extras, the final figure was...... a tad over $30,000 !

Make sure you work on final quotes. Or recommendations from those that have had them built and got the final bill !

Megalania

Steel roofing has many advantages over tiles but costs are about the same.

Ceri

Depends if you want a house now or later.
I can't speak for WA, I'm in Brisbane, but we built our house.

It took less than a year to build when the slab went down. (before slab was another matter with us.. it took us over a year designing the home.. but that is just us being fussy b*ggers). I'm trying to think how long exactly ( I could tell you the exact time if I had my papers on me) .

I had problem after problem.. mostly with sloppy builders.. but we were lucky, we had a key at lock up stage ( which a lot of builders won't give you.. not in their policy. so again if you're building choose a company who allows you in at lock up stage). We were always pulling the builders up on things, because we saw the problems before they could cover them up. We even made them rip out one wall of the house and start again .. they were only going to put a wall up over some leaking connections in the laundry room! We would have never known about it if we we were not allowed in at "lock up stage".. we even had them pulling all the tiles off in one of the bathrooms and to start again... he was a cr*p tiler.. oh they loved us..lol bet they called us all the g*ts going behind our backs

There are problems with both:
but I'll list the good points for building.. you can choose exactly how you want to build a house..
you can design your own house, the way you want it.
you know exactly what your getting, ie no hidden problems which some older houses can be covering up ( even with an inspection) , like termites, electrical faults.. etc etc
Tile roofs - cost only $1000 more than a tin roof ( it does here anyway, I can remember this figure as I hate tin roofs too.. and we went for tile... it cost us $1000 extra) .

I'd say at least add around 40 thou to the advertised cost... depending on what company. A lot of these homes advertised are base price only, they don't include a lot of things.. from anything to the sewage connection.. to landscaping, to floor coverings. Some of them normally include all fittings.( mostly cheap cr*p, from a cheap range.. but you can delete theirs and choose your own). and tiles to the wet areas.

Yes house building is very frustrating, but it's worth it in the long run.
The best bet for building is ask people who have built there in WA, and what the company was like .. go on recommendations. There are a lot of home builders are cr*p.. people having problem after problem. You get what you pay for in other words.... do your homework. Don't take sales talk, go by recommendations. Ask around the people who have built.

.................................................. ............

I don't know if anyone saw today tonight ( or it may have been current affair) a few weeks back.. where one house company was featured.. "Tamawood".. they are one of the major builders of contract homes here, they always advertise for being cheap etc (don't think they build in WA., just QLD and NSW) where a few of their customers were having major problems with them.. ie to things like broken sewage , to the houses not being complete... looked like a nightmare. I think they have been reported to the building authority.... just thought I'd add this for any new migrant who is looking to build with that company. But the people who they featured on this programme .. where not happy with them at all. Mind you what do you expect.. I do honestly think you get what you pay for.

.........................................

good and bad points to both buying an existing home or building your own.. It really is down to the individual and what you want.

If you want a home now.. buy an existing home, if you are prepared to wait, and have endless patience.. build. Building you can get exactly what you want.

Depends on you.. but personally if I was looking for another house.. I'd again build.. with frustrations and all. As I do think it's worth it in the end.. if you do it right. I'm quite happy with my home.. but my oh my.. you need a lot of patience sometimes .. yes it's frustrating the building process.

walla

Hi

We looked at new build when we were in Perth last year and found a beautiful show house we fell in love with. but.... the add ons are expensive ie air con, tiled floors and fittings, the list goes on and on. It was our dream home thou.

Plus the fact that land that's being built on now as another member rightly says, is moving further away from the coast and the city equalling extra travel time.

The cost of land in established suburbs is so expensive. We have decided to buy a used home but my kids insist we have a pool and that's fine by me

So, we have had to comprimise but at least this way we will be closer to family and friends we have out there. And of course closer to the surf.

I think it will be hard enough settling without the hassle of building new but if I didn't have kids perhaps it might be a different matter.

The other option is to buy one of the show houses...............

Walla

DianeOZ

Building times in Perth are currently 18 months. Personally I don't think I could do it, we bought. It would be a bottomless pitt and the lure of all the luxury items would just be too much for me to resist - hence we would be bankrupt and I don't think I could stand the stress, hassles and waiting.

We have been in our house 18 months and are only just starting to think about DIY.

A dream home would be nice though

Go Banana's !!

We were planning to build in Perth, but on reflection, not sure I could do without all our 'stuff' for the length it takes to build.
We will be living in a house given to us by Mr B's Aunty in Ballajura, which is furnished so all our gear will be in storage until we get a house. Plus the fact we prefere the more established areas and it would be likely land would be well away from Aunty's house which would mean daughter moving schools agian!!!!

If you are in our situation, don't forget to add in the cost of storage to the build cost.

Good luck with what you decide.

Now I really must get to work as I tell Mr B what a rush I have in the mornings

Jill :scared:

lynnbrooks

Hi everyone,
thanx for your replies.
It has been very helpful to hear the 2 sides of it.
Your right about the 'lure' of a dream home,we have some info on 'ventura homes',they seem to include just abiut everything in the prices, even down to tiles and paint but it seems to good to be true and wonder what the catch is.
The thing i liked about their plans, is their layouts, they are really nice.My ideal situation would be to buy a house that has already been built by them.
Are the plans done by companies like 'ventura homes',common?
Has anyone heard of them and their reputation?
Lynn

juri

We have just bought land near Kingsley (Madeley) in the northern suburbs. 10 k from the beach and 15- 20 mins from CBD (town centre).
Went with Dale Alcock, builder who is mid range and, allegedly, reliable with a good reputation.
We have heard nothing but good things. We have been assured that building will take 8-10 months from 'slab down'.
It will take 6-8 weeks for council (shire) approval from now as the 'covenants' have been released (the land has been registered, basically).
In my experience driving round lots of land sale areas I have not seen many tin (colourbond) roofs and the houses being build are very varied in size, style and cost.
To give you an idea of add ons, here are some of the figures we had.
Basic cost A$138000 (4 bed 2 bathroom, 'The Amberley' if you look up the web-site).
This is the deluxe model eg solar heating, better finish all round (taps,gutters, cookers, paving etc,). So you get sucked into paying extra already.
Other expenses include, Air conditioning $4858
Laminate floors $4482, Carpets $2392, Fancy lights $ 2358, house being built slightly higher so as to have a front door step thus enhancing street appeal ( I kid you not) $1378 and site costs (earthwork sewage connection, etc) $1380.
All these prices are Dale Alcocks but you can get your own materials and tradesmen to do it (apart from site costs).
The front landscaping and fencing usually gets done for free as part of the land sale deal but you will have to do the side and rear.
We have paid out fully on the land and a $1500 deposit on the house and it looks like they will want around $8000 'slab down' money, then another 2 or 3 installments as the building work progresses.
So far it has been totally stress free, but we have been budgeting for worst case scenario and in no great hurry. Well, I am anyway, the other half is chomping at the bit.
I think we are about 6/7 weeks from approval and slab down.
If anyone is interested I will keep you informed of our progression.
John