Tracey we are almost the end of the line so your OH will get a seat.

And its our duty to advise them as best we can of the "other" opportunity of renting, which they might otherwise not consider if "housebuying blinkers" are on or all they here is "property purchase", "property purchase".

Either way its up to the individual but balanced, other view points give them so much more to consider.

I couldn't agree more on this one.

By renting, you have the complete range of areas available to you as a choice of where to live.
By opting to buy, depending on your budget, you are immediately locked out of a huge range of areas.

To move to Oz without having lived here can be a bit of a gamble (we did it and it worked out for sure), but to BUY in Oz without having lived here is certainly a far greater gamble. That's my advice for what it is worth anyway.

Cheers folks


Thanks for all the replies.


We have just been appointed a case officer , so were hopeful for a positive outcome soon (fingers crosses)


Laura and i have decided to rent for a year, which gives us time to settle and buy in an area thats right for us.


I was hoping to rent somewhere love the area then buy there, as Ella (our eldest ) being 8 years old i dont want her changing Schools too often



Thanks


Mike and Laura

Thanks to all for your advice we really appreciate it . We will be renting initially as we wan't to be sure the area we choose is suitable for us. We do hope to buy eventually once we find a nice area.

Really good point that you've raised though, I was thinking that if we could afford to rent in a particular area, then we would afford to buy in that area, so thanks for opening my eyes!!

We have two young girls aged 22 months and 8, and it's really important for us to not rush into buying somewhere, as we need to ensure we choose great schools etc.

Apologies for the horrendous spelling mistakes....hubby posted the initial thread

Berwick is the jewel in the crown of the outer SE as are the nearby villages to the N that start the spine of the Dandenongs up to Mt Dandy proper but the rest of the SE is in danger of becoming a bit of a dump and I sort of hesitate to recommend it now as it is all too easy to get the wrong location.

It's a place for ''cashed-up Bogans''. Exhibit A - Wayne Corey who lives in Narre Warren. Get on the Pakenham line and see where people get off. Bit of an eye opener!

For the new migrant, I recommend any suburb due E(ish) from the city, going down in price on average as you go out (like for like). You get more for your money the further out you go unless you buy a 5/3 on 10 acres.

So that's an approximate line through the inner burbs, Tooraks, Camberwells, the middle suburbs, Vermont, Forest Hill, Mitcham, Ringwood, and into some of the outer burbs, Ferntree Gulley, Upper Ferntree Gulley, Boronia, The Basin, the Dandenong ''mountain'' villages and into the Yarra Valley.....(!)

NE has some real gems in the likes of a line through Viewbank, Eltham (very popular) , and out into corresponding semi-rural life in Diamond Creek, Yarambat and Hurstbridge. Infact, looks like the answer to your dreams as it is half the distance to Berwick - however - there is no highway and the winding train and roads get congested in peak hour.
Bayside is good, N and S extremeties, oddly enough the middle bit seems lacking in character.

As I've said immediate SE following the highway and Pakenham line very industrial and nasty - I can't recommend any suburb on this line between say Oakleigh and Berwick.

W is all very new. Mix of brand new estates - Caroline Springs, Hoppers Crossing, at least they are closer than Narre Warren etc; do-uppers in up and coming gentrified suburbs - think Footscray; and the semi-rural lifestyle out towards Woodend, Gisbourne, Mt Macedon favoured by professionals who can manage the commute by V-lining it (train) or getting inthe car early.

There are some very nice cafe inner suburbs like Malvern, Fitszroy, Kew, Carlton, St Kilda which all have different characters but they cost.

I am in Point Cook and would recommend the area!!!

Also try www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au as there are other real estate agents in the area other than Point Cook Real Estate - although they are very good!

If you want additional info PM me!


Laura x

Hi yah Badge, you could have added Brunswick, Northcote and Fairfield, , under inner burbs. Brunswick is really flying up through the ranks, its really rocking these days. Opps and a big up for my burb... Coburg is now definitely doing a Footscray... Opps and forgot the otherside... Prahan and Windsor (although they are costly) Brunswick is now possibly better than St Kilda for night life.

is it, that's good to know. I'm trying to convince my hubby that brunswick should be on our list of possible places but he keeps inisting it's 'too far out'

I will add it anyway and make him visit when we finally get out there!