paisneil

Hi Guys

We are moving to Perth in August along with two kids (3years and 8 month year old)
I am going to be based at the airport and hence looking to rent temporarily somewhere close, meanwhile saving to buy a place either in Riverton, Rossmoyne, Bull creek or Willetton (because of the schools)
Our budget being 500-550k… looking at either

1.A run down three-bed strata unit/duplex
2.Maybe a house if are lucky
3.Buy a subdivided land in Riverton and build later

Also any other good primary schools in reasonably affordable suburbs??? Our main criteria are good state schooling for our kids and I don’t mind the commute to work. Our current choice of schools is entirely based on academic results and Im sure that they may not accurately reflect suitability

Am open to any other suggestions or ideas

Thanks in advance

EvannTel

Rossmoyne and Bul Creek are the pick of those by far. Both are well regarded and so the prices reflect it. I don't think you will have a hope at that budget but look on real-estate.com.au

Prudi

Hey paisneil, have you looked at Perth hills? We bought a nice old 4x2 in Greenmount for under $500k and I don't think the schools are too bad here (wouldn't know, don't have kids, just going off neighbours and family). The airport is less than a half hour away from here. My brother-in-law lives in Swan View and that seems okay as well. Wishing you all the best for the move.

paisneil

Thanks Guys
Wil check Perth Hills

Kim67

Some hills suburbs are pretty good, but I'd avoid areas like Swan View, especially if you're intending to send your kids to school locally. I go to Swan View whenever I visit Perth to go to the cemetery there and it just gets worse every time I go. I'd go for less house in a better suburb if I were you.

Weebie

The hillls???? ffs. IF academic is an issue the buy in the Rossmyne or Churchlands catchment area as they are the only decent public schools imo.

paisneil

Guys

Do you think its possible to get an unit for around 550k (min 3 bedder) in the rossmoyne school district

I have seen some adverts on realestate.com for 450 ish but dont know what the catch is there. I dont mind doing some work to bring it up to scratch.......

Also are prices coming off the boil?

Cheers

HelenTD

Looking at www.realestate.com.au, searching for 3 bedrooms, max $500,000, in Brentwood, Bateman, Bullcreek, Riverton, Rossmoyne and Shelley, it came up with 44 properties. Several of these are already under contract (generally means that sale is highly likely to go ahead, it's not like having a chain of buyers in the UK). Not all of these properties necessarily within the SHS zone you want. Comments on some of these below - you will get the general idea of what to look out for.

• 23 Stuart Court, Bateman - too close to Leach Highway, 520m² block
• 52 Tudor Avenue South, Riverton - bit further away from Leach Highway than Stuart Court, 356m² block, looks like house will be built behind, bit difficult to match up photo of paved courtyard and grassed area with satellite photo
• 2/57 Corbel St, Shelley - middle one of 3 properties on the block, common driveway, fairly close to Leach Highway but north side (closer to river), 343m²
• 126 Modillion Avenue South, Riverton - under contract
• 121 Riverton Drive West, Rossmoyne - for auction - have you won lotto?
• 20 Hybanthus Rd, Riverton - suspiciously cheap, no obvious reason why, no block size given, bush at end of block, other houses very close
• 4/104 Barbican Street East, Shelley - one of 8 homes on block, very close to Leach Highway
• 11 Opal Place, Riverton - looks like rear one of 3 properties on block, 505m²
• 4/68-70 Selway Road, Brentwood - very close to Leach Highway and Kwinana Freeway (train line running down middle), one of at least 4 properties on block, common driveway
• 7 Hybanthus Road, Riverton - under contract
• 7/1 Tricia Court, Shelley - close to Leach Highway, looks like common wall properties, at least 7 on the block, VERY convenient for Baptist Church services - note huge car parks
• 4/41 Adamson Road, Brentwood - one of 4 villas on block, common driveway, bit further away from Leach Highway
• Bull Creek - no address given, you need to contact them, but says "Other convenient attributes of this home include walking distance from public transport and sports reserve and within close proximity to O’Berthur Primary School and Parry Avenue Shops." Oberthur PS has a good reputation. Looks as if it would be fairly close to Kwinana Freeway and several other busy roads, but also 2 large parks, one of 3 properties on block.
• b/48 Hassell Crescent, Bull Creek - original (and classic) 70s decor, Perth-style, close to Kwinana Freeway and South St entry/exit, looks like one of two properties on large block (redevelopment potential)
• 31b Weeks Way, Bull Creek - similar comments to Hassell Crescent, but further away from Kwinana Freeway

Note:

• There might be another busy road (or 2) nearby as well as Leach Highway, eg Vahland Avenue
• School boundaries can change
• Some properties are advertised as being within zone for XX school, but you need to check directly with school
• Some properties are advertised as being in zone for 2 SHS, again you need to check
• Willetton SHS also has good reputation
• Older style duplex properties certainly not pretty, but can be renovated or even demolished and new house built. Often on larger pieces of land, so still plenty of room outdoors - very different to newer villa/townhouse developments which often have only a small paved courtyard - low maintenance but very hot in summer and not so good for kids. Would need a park nearby.
• Properties that are cheaper to buy because of their location, eg close to a highway, would be less attractive to buyers if you wanted to sell later. Even if you didn't mind living close to a highway very busy with trucks as well as cars, on route to a port and/or airport, others might not be so tolerant.

Most newspaper reports seem to think that prices have a little way to drop yet, but looking at the number of properties in the search above that are "under contract", it looks like reasonably priced properties are selling. People might be buying in these areas to rent out, waiting until their child needs a high school place.

Amazulu

I'm so glad I don't live in weebieworld

paisneil

Helen
Thanks a lot for that detailed analysis....
In a nutshell it is posssible to get something under 550..
Some great suggestions especially about buying close to the
highway and attractiveness later on
I will also check the Willetton area

Do the school zones change often????

Thanks once again

HelenTD

As far as I know, school zones don't change too often, but if the residential density codes change, allowing more dwellings and people to live in a particular area, schools can suddenly find that they don't physically have the room to take all the students in their zone, so one mechanism is to reduce the zone. It doesn't seem to cross anyone's mind that if you increase the people in an area, then you need to increase rooms and resources at the local schools, or even to build a new school. Usually new schools are built in the new developments on Perth's fringes, but little is done to improve facilities at older suburbs closer in. Hopefully some of Julia's Building the Education Revolution cash got splashed at high schools.

A few high schools have been closed down in recent years, but doubt if they'd ever manage to do that to Rossmoyne or Willetton.

Leach Highway is a seriously busy road, 3 lanes in each direction, sometimes 4, loads of trucks and long vehicles. I try to avoid driving on it if at all possible. Buying near there would seriously affect your re-sale ability and it would affect quality of life, but some people aren't bothered by traffic noise and pollution. Another point to bear in mind, is that local authorities here, or the State Govt, often don't bother too much with public consultation, so if they decide to put through some major planning change, you don't get a lot of say in it.

EvannTel

Hi again, I hate to be pessimistic but I know the areas you are looking at well (Parents lived in Booragoon, Shelley, Mt Pleasant). I have also been looking and thinking of Bullcreek and Rossmoyne.
While it may be possible to get a property in your price range, there will be issues, some of which Helen has pointed out. By all means get here and look but please also consider a back up plan whether that be area or schools.

Airport is easy from wide variety of places - especially international terminal. It gives you a lot of scope.

paisneil

Yep Bull creek is going to be expy.....

The job offer is at approx 118k, wifey will be looking at working but with two kids (a three year old and an 8 months) its going to be difficult.

we have around 150k savings which takes us to the 350k-400k mark as a mortgage.(pretty huge in my opinion)

Which means coughing up roughly 550 per week

Im just wondering if we should rent somewhere cheap and save a bit more or just take the plunge now and eat at the mortgage as hard as we can

Once again thank you guys for all the input

HelenTD

Probably never a good idea to dive into buying until you have lived here for a while, eg rental for 6-12 months. As your kids are so young, you have a bit of time up your sleeve to sort out schools, it might be next year until your oldest can go to kindy, which is only 2-3 days a week anyway. At that income, you might be at/past the cut-off for getting any Family Tax Benefit payments, and you would receive little in the way of Centrelink rebate on child care costs, although you can claim some back as employment costs. Child care places can be hard to find, same goes for true part-time work (you see 30 hrs/week classed as part-time in some job ads), so wouldn't bank on income from your OH. There look to be plenty of rentals with 3 beds in the $320-350 price range - there might not seem to be much difference between that and a mortgage, but council rates, water rates, water usage and the ever-increasing power bills on top of that can whack you about the head.

discobay

HelenTD, you have way too much spare time ... but very helpful all the same
Paisneil, I've been renting in Bull Creek for the last year for the same reasons - primary schools. I'm biding my time 'til I buy but am torn as to where to live. Bull Creek has everything we need but the Rossmoyne catchment zone gives us entry to the high school. Willeton is a very close second which you may already have considered. Renting would be a good option to 'ride out the flat market' until you buy and also gives you breathing room to find an area that suits you.