delia

I'll give a tip for any families moving to Perth, get at least a car each. The transport system is ok to a point but it won't work in with your life. If public transport takes you to work it's a bonus, otherwise you'll be driving there, you'll be driving to the shops, school, sports centre, beach, and just about everywhere else you decide to go. Therefore, take public transport out of any decision on choosing an area in which to live. As I said in my first post there is an abundance of work opportunity all over the south of Perth and not just in the city centre, the chances are you will find work relatively near your home. Look for somewhere you will enjoy coming home to after a hard days work, rent in that area, find work that suits, then buy a house.

I started the thread to try and offer a bigger picture of Perth and all its suburbs to those who are wary of the move here.

When we arrived we looked at houses from Kinross to Mandurah, put an offer in on a property in Willeton (it was in the Rossmoyne High School zone), becuase we were thinking too much about schools and being near the city and Freo etc. It wasn't accepted, which was a blessing because we then realised that all that matters is living somewhere that you feel at home. When you do, the transport isn't an issue, the schools are ok, shops are just shops, the beach is 5mins or 30 mins, it doesn't matter. Get off the plane and relax, all will work out for you eventually.

hooperhome

Hello Delia

You seem to have settled nicely in Perth hills, can I ask how long you have been there now?

Theresa

delia

Hi there Theresa,

We've lived here for 18 months and had a lot of luck in settling, I work as a book-keeper part time, and my partner is a self employed carpenter /cabinet maker. We have a few relatives nearby, who've introduced us to people, and Deans work allows him to meet plenty of people also. It all adds up to an easier ride than some the others who make the move to Perth.

Simone

And it is a good thread

I'm just offering an 'alternative' perspective/situation I guess.

We can not afford to get another car(or we could, but then we wouldn't be able to buy a house!).
Practically all design studios(the good ones!) are in and around the city, and Pascal loves his job and does it well, so that's where the work is for him.
We can't just buy a house in any suburb we like, it's too expensive. We're happy where we are now(Pascal can bike to work), and it's very cheap to rent, but we will never be able to buy here.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm whinging, we have it good compared to others, it's more of a 'for us it's not possible to live where we want' type of thing. At the moment anyway.
For others with more money, and other occupations the situation might/will be different.

movetoperth

Delia

Lovely to hear someone praising the hills area, i've always been a fan but it just doesnt tie in with our needs at the moment, but, i very much agree with your point on being comfortable with where you live and not too hung up on schools. The way some fixate on schools it can make you feel like you are a bad parent just because you cannot afford to live in the catchment area for a "good" school. Being happy with your choice is way the most important factor for me.

Simone

I guess you and Pascale have foubnd yourselves in the situation that most young Australians starting out do, how can we afford to live where we would like to? Things will work out, once you start to look seriously at areas you can afford you will find places you love in areas you'd never thought of. There are still plenty properties to suit a young couple to be had within your price range, good luck.

Lynn

Simone

Yep, as I said, it's not all a major disaster or something (it's not like I'm sitting here thinking, "oh no, we're going to end up in a crap suburb etc etc, argh")
There's still a few area's where we should be quite happy and that meet our 'needs and wants'. As I said, Thornlie is looking good at the moment.

(We have restricted our choice too by that we want to live south of river, because we spend quite a bit of time in the southwest, and also, my work (at the moment) is in the southeast)

owieb

We've lived here for over 2.5 years and we only have one car. Not because we can't afford one, but simply because we don't need one!

We chose a location where we could walk to the shops, walk to restaurants, walk to the beach and where the public transport is really good.

I worked in the city for the first 12 months and caught the bus and train everyday. Only twice in that whole period was there ever a delay or problem.

Simone

Just to add: Even if we could afford an extra one, I wouldn't really want one, I'd rather spend the money on other things! Like getting one good car, to take on weekends away, camping etc.
It's also not only about the cost of buying, but also the running costs, and the environment too really.

Like you, I'll always try and choose a location where at least one of us can get to work by bike or public transport.
Time will tell...

ohippy

Does anyone have any idea what Pinjarra is like to live there ? We briefly visited last year but wondered if there was enough to keep the kids occupied especially as they became teenagers. Or would they be bored ?

Anyone got any ideas ?

sackofspuds

My advice, therefore, is to stay put. IMO we're at the tail end of a big house price bubble which will go pop within the next couple of years. It's hard to imagine how different things can be when you're in the middle of a bubble.

http://www.dailyreckoning.com/Issues/2005/DR04-19-05

kiwichild

I think teenagers would be bored stupid. They need access to good amenities and opportunities to develop their social network and refine their social skills.
They want to be able to catch a concert, a movie, window shop, and hang out with peers. It's all a very important part of their development.

Kids in rural areas tend to grow up accepting a country lifestyle more easily but it's very hard to take a teenager from the vibe of the city and burbs and
successfully transplant them in a quieter "dead" area.

Infact there are ongoing problems with kids in some southern suburbs like Leda, Orelia, Medina, Parmelia, etc because they have nothing to do and sadly thesedays, they are so ruled by consumerism that the simple pleasures, like riding your bike or that no longer suffice.

Simone

The areas we're looking at haven't gone up that much. Perth hasn't gone up THAT much(except some parts).

Nobody has predicted prices are going to fall in Perth, they are even continueing to rise in some areas.

The area I'm looking at has a median sale price of about $200.000 (till dec 04).
I really don't think it's going to go down!
Of course you never know...
But even if it does, I'm looking for a long term investment, if it goes down, it will go up again. We(parts of Perth) are still so far behind the rest of Oz etc. It's still normal here(parts of it).



ABout Pinjarra, I agree. If the kids are used to living in the country, then fine. If they're coming from a large town, or even a big city, I don't think it'll be easy.
When they're teenagers you can except they'll get a car as soon asap(and they will have too!), and uni etc is all in the middle(sort of) of the city, though there are campusses in other places now too, but still, I guess it depends on exactly what they do.

bondipom

As long resources are doing OK Perth house prices won't fall.

Simone

Well, the mining industry here is blooming(if you mean that), where I work the work is coming in, from WA and all over the world!
They're investing in a 1.5 million dollar robotics sytem to do the sample preperation(to prepare the samples for the analytical stuff). And this is a privately owned company!


Fingers crossed the prices stay the same for a couple of months!!!

vandiemen

Hi Simone,

When we come over to Perth our budget will be around the $200,000 mark too. Have you considered Forrestfield at all, as I remember you saying that you used to live their years ago, and the house prices seem fairly reasonable.

Some of the houses I see on the net are 3-4 bed detached for under $200,000. I don't recall many people saying it was a 'bad' suburb either.
Im just curious as this is a suburb that we are considering so just wondered what your thoughts are on it.

It may be a bit far from Pascals workplace and your workplace too which is maybe why you havent mentioned it.

Van