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Melbourne housing questions

Melbourne housing questions

Old Mar 26th 2006, 10:43 am
  #1  
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Default Melbourne housing questions

I have spent a good deal of time perusing this site and still have several questions, some of which may seem a bit odd, but keep in mind that I'm relocating from Tokyo where things are quite different.

Firstly, we have 2 children (5 & 7), and we are looking for a 2 bedroom apartment. Is this in itself too strange for Australia? Is two kids sharing a room until the age of 10 out of the ordinary? Or is this quite normal in the city?

Which brings me to my next question. In general how big are these 2 bedroom apartments that are on domain.com.au? We're looking at the Brighton area for now. 80m? 100m? 120m? What is considered the "norm"? To put things in perspective, right now the four of us are living in 50m in Tokyo, and I am really hoping that moving to Melbourne is going to be a big step up in terms of living space. Our max budget is 400pw, although ideally we would like to find something for around 350pw. By the way, the rents listed on sites like domain.com.au, are they negotiable? Or do they pretty much go for what they are listed at? And if they are negotiable, how much in general can you bargain them down? 5%? 10%? Anyone have any real-life experiences?

Next question is in regards to sound-proofing in these apartments. I understand that each apartment is different, but in general, if you have kids, is it safe to live on the second floor, or would the kids jumping up and down all day be a problem for the people living below? To top things off, both my kids play the violin....

And finally, supposing you find a place you like, provided it's empty already, how long before you can actually move in? Is what's showing on the real estate websites pretty much everything that is available, or is there a whole other market of apartments that is not listed on the Internet?

I realize it's an eclectic collection of questions. Any and all information would be greatly appreciated!
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Old Mar 26th 2006, 11:16 am
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Default Re: Melbourne housing questions

As you say Tokyo is completely different to Melbourne so I wouldn't try to apply the same logic for the two cities. All apartments are different quality and sizes.

What happens with rental properties is that they have open days when all the interested people can view. You ask for an application form and put your offered rent on it along with details of your current standing. The owner will then make a selection from all the applications. If you plan to offer below asking price I would think that puts you down the list of preferred applicants. I would think the only way that an offer of 5-10% below asking price would be accepted is for a property that nobody else wants and has been on the market for some time. I would think this unlikely in Brighton. Brighton is one of the most exclusive suburbs in Melbourne.

Why would you want to cram a family into a 2 bed flat? This is not Tokyo. With 2 children and a budget of $350-$400 a week I would personally look at adjacent suburbs where you can get a 3 bed house and garden for that sort of money.

You can move in on an date agreed with the agent.

Another thing I personally experienced with domain.com.au, I found they don't update their site as frequently as realestate.com.au so you find properties listed that had gone weeks/months ago.
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Old Mar 26th 2006, 11:40 am
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Default Re: Melbourne housing questions

Originally Posted by ossigeno
.

Why would you want to cram a family into a 2 bed flat? This is not Tokyo. With 2 children and a budget of $350-$400 a week I would personally look at adjacent suburbs where you can get a 3 bed house and garden for that sort of money.
Thanks for the information. I had no idea regarding the "auction" system for renting apartments. Given this system, I would agree that putting in a lower bid would probably immediately eliminate you from the competition. On the other hand, do people actually offer to pay more than the stated rent?

As to why we are interested in Brighton, presently my children do not speak any English, and the primary schools in Brighton appear to teach LOTE Japanese, which we thought would make the transition for the kids easier as the other kids would have a natural interest in Japanese. There is also a Japanese Saturday school in Brighton that we plan to enroll the kids in and my company is in St. Kilda, so I was hoping that I might actually be able to bicycle to work.

But having said all that, we don't necessarily have to live in Brighton itself. Are there any other suburbs nearby that you would recommend?
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Old Mar 26th 2006, 11:58 am
  #4  
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Default Re: Melbourne housing questions

Originally Posted by tokyo
Thanks for the information. I had no idea regarding the "auction" system for renting apartments. Given this system, I would agree that putting in a lower bid would probably immediately eliminate you from the competition. On the other hand, do people actually offer to pay more than the stated rent?

As to why we are interested in Brighton, presently my children do not speak any English, and the primary schools in Brighton appear to teach LOTE Japanese, which we thought would make the transition for the kids easier as the other kids would have a natural interest in Japanese. There is also a Japanese Saturday school in Brighton that we plan to enroll the kids in and my company is in St. Kilda, so I was hoping that I might actually be able to bicycle to work.

But having said all that, we don't necessarily have to live in Brighton itself. Are there any other suburbs nearby that you would recommend?
Hi Tokyo,

Strathmore North Primary School in Strathmore offers Japanese as LOTE, too. Its about 10 km or so northwest of Melbourne. Strathmore is a lovely residential suburb and we're eyeing of settling there when we return to Melbourne this July. I wish you all the best in your move.

Cheers,
Hannah
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Old Mar 26th 2006, 12:17 pm
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Default Re: Melbourne housing questions

I would think most people would offer the asking rental or may try just under if there appears to be little interest in the property. Letting agents here do not return phone calls or contact you unless your application is accepted. If you find a property you like you have to move quick.

We arrived Oct 2004, for the first week we stayed in a hotel then in a short-term furnished apartment from Darling Apartments in South Yarra ($80/day for one bedroom apartment). It took us about 8 weeks to find our first rental. Probably applied for about 6 rentals before finally being accepted.

Do you intend your children go to state or private schools? If you have't already got a copy, I recommend getting hold of the Good Schools guide book.

I believe quite a few Japanese stay in Toorak (another very expensive suburb). Toorak is close to St Kilda but not near the beach like Brighton.

Around Brighton you could consider Gardenvale, Brighton East (cheaper than Brighton itself), Elwood, Caulfield, Carnegie, Bentleigh, Mckinnon. These would all be cheaper.
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