Vash the Stampede

Thanks mate, I couldn't agree with you more.

Let's look at some examples from South Australia:

• 3x1 with double garage, 10 km from Adelaide as the crow flies: $230,000
  
  
• 4x1 with dual garage, 18km from Adelaide ATCF: $250,000+
  
  
• 3x1 with two living areas, 21km from Adelaide ATCF: $240-260,000
  
  
• 3x2 with reverse cycle aircon, 21km from Adelaide ATCF: $260,000
  
  
• 4x2 with double garage, 31km from Adelaide ATCF: $250,000+
  
  
• 3x2 with A/C and outside spa, 31km from Adelaide ATCF: $275,000-295,000

Now, these places might not be everyone's cup of tea, and living 31km from Adelaide ATCF will obviously have its drawbacks (depending on your situation) but it seems clear to me that there are plenty of bargains around if you don't mind going the extra mile to work.

I just hope I haven't sparked a mass exodus to South Australia; the last thing I want to see is a WA-style property boom over there!

BTW, in the local community newspaper the other day, I saw a very nice 4x1 detached two-storey house in Willenhall (West Midlands) on a microscopic block which could easily be covered by a pocket handkerchief.

Willenhall (classified as "vulnerable to decline" by the local government) is a working class suburb with the usual traffic congestion, acres of concrete and tarmac, and bog-standard high street; nothing fancy about it at all. It also has a crime rate which even the Walsall Council describes as "noticeably high", ranking 6th in the borough for violent crime.

But the price of this house? £290,000 - that's $724,843 at the current exchange rate! :scared:

Now tell me - why the bloody hell would I want to pay $724,843 (£290,000) for a 4x1 detached in bloody boring Willenhall when I could pay around $260,000 (£104,011) for a 3x2 or 4x1 detached in a beautifully green and family-friendly suburb like Blackwood or Happy Valley?

IMHO, there's just no competition.

The Corderys

So basically what everyone is saying is that as long as you are coming here from one of the higher priced areas in the UK(the south or a capital city) then you're in for a treat, but for all of us that come over here from elsewhere, be prepared.

Mostly Mums do have to go back out to work nowadays, but hey I don't think it's wrong to want to stay at home with their kids, not a terrible dream to have, and not hard to see why it's expected, as not so long ago it was acheivable. For all the money in the world I would not swap my modest house for a better one if it meant less time with my child. (And I do work part-time) I suppose it depends on what is important in your life.

It is possible to get houses in perth cheap areas like ours(which is in no way crimeridden or scary to live in, just CURRENTLY a little under facilitated) for around 300K but they rarely come on the market and are unfortunately snatched up by investors before the first time buyers can get a look in.

Amazulu

Just had a quick san on Reiwa & found these:


AUD245k
http://www.reiwa.com.au/Lst/Lst-ResS...625&Id=2116675

AUD260k
http://www.reiwa.com.au/Lst/Lst-ResS...796&Id=2117287

AUD260-280k
http://www.reiwa.com.au/Lst/Lst-ResS...796&Id=2116420

AUD270k
http://www.reiwa.com.au/Lst/Lst-ResS...796&Id=2116118

AUD275-295k
http://www.reiwa.com.au/Lst/Lst-ResS...796&Id=2116063

AUD275-295k
http://www.reiwa.com.au/Lst/Lst-ResS...796&Id=2117095

AUD280-300k
http://www.reiwa.com.au/Lst/Lst-ResS...796&Id=2116510

Some are probably dog boxes or in crap areas but some are in pommyville (aka northern suburbs).

Gotta start somewhere.

Vash the Stampede

Well, the West Midlands isn't one of the "higher priced areas in the UK", but you'd still be in for a treat if you're coming to Australia from somewhere like Birmingham or Walsall.

Luma

Have you seen how much child care cost for 2 or more children? Mum's have to earn a lot of money to be able to work and put their children in child care. I think it is fine if you are a lawyer, banker, account etc on a high salary.

Clippy

You know it's ridiculous, there's a house around the corner from me that's gone up for sale at £259,000 - it's a 4 bed, can't remember if it's detached - lovely house, had a nice big extension. But it's still in Great Barr - no WAY would I pay over quarter of a million pound to live in Great Barr!

I just can't see it selling

Clippy

Well, I've only recently gone back to work part time (only 6 hours a week!) and my boy is 4 and a half. I made huge sacrifices in order to stay at home and bring him up - it's worth it 100 times over imo, I didn't have children for someone else to raise them. I think, however, you have to be earning very good money in order to 'go back' to work as a mother - I don't know about Perth, but I have a friend here and she's gone back to work 3 days a week because she doesn't actually want to stay at home. Is this helping to contribute financially? No - the money she earns is equal to what she has to pay in childcare - but she doesn't care, because she's happier working. I don't know what childcare costs are in Perth, but here they are bloody expensive - mind you so they should be, it's no easy job.

steve99

No, As I said I have no kids, so im totally out of touch with what Child Care costs and what Government benefits there are in relation to this and having a child in general.
I know you get something like $4K tax free as a one of payment for each one when there born but beyond that I have no idea, I would be interested to know what a family get in terms of benefits, tax offsets, rebates etc though.
As I guess one day I might need to know!

Vash the Stampede

Exactly!

And yet, these sorts of properties do get sold - even if it takes six months or more and a couple of price deductions before they are finally shifted.

So the buyers are definitely out there... somewhere.

But I have to say - I look at property in the local newspaper these days, and I seriously wonder what some of these people are smoking. In the West Midlands particularly, people seem to have an alarmingly high tolerance for low-quality real estate at exorbitant prices.

BTW, I heard on Radio 1 yesterday that a recent study identifies Walsall as the most dangerous/violent town in the West Midlands; apparently it has the highest rate of violent crime, or something. Go Walsall!

Clippy

I imagine that house will sell, but I seriously don't beleive it will for that price - you'd have to be insane! It's double the price of my house and it's a one minute walk.

I think Walsall was identified as the most crime ridden in the West Mids, Sutton Coldfield came very high too, second worst I think:

See here

Hutch

It's that city-life conundrum again.

Why do so many expats hurtle lemming-like to the large cities when most of them have spent all their lives living in a town in the UK? Cities are expensive wherever they are on the planet. And don't tell me it's about work prospects - towns still need electricians, plumbers, nurses and teachers...

Amazulu

There's something in this. A lot of poms want to 'escape' from high density housing estates for high density (& overpriced) legoland housing 'developments' like Secret Harbour or Brighton (Butler).

Clippy

Ugh not me, I want a bit of space! Just hope we can afford it when we get there, I don't want to be right next to my neighbours like I am here.

The Corderys

As a stay at home mum I think that if you have an income of less than 4K a year you get family benefit B (irrespective of your partner's income), which is about $100 a fortnight, and then there's Benefit A that's based on joint income and i think is means tested up to about 90K and then you don't get any, so it goes from between 40-100 per child.

Childcare is supplemented on a means basis up to I think about 90K, But top end, is 50 dollars a day. So if you have two kids in childcare, thats up to 100 dollars a day for childcare, the more you earn the less supplement you get. You wouldn't get the family benefit B(which i'm unsure is per child or per family, someone else might know), and your other benefit would be reduced to the minimum. PLUS, you spend a lot less time with your kids. What with the cost of getting to and from work, if you have to use childcare as most of us with no family here do, on the whole it can work out cheaper to stay at home.

jad n rich

Everyone always goes on about australia being 36 times (whatever) bigger than the UK, WA's not just perth, look at this gem character, history, just 140klm from perth. $75,000

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin...a&fmt=&header=


Cheaper still, at geralton, and a traditional aussie back yard to boot.

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin...a&fmt=&header=

The problem is everyone in aus wants to cram into the same handful of tiny coastal bits and they cost a bomb. About three quarters of the population lives in what 6 small cities and surrounds no wonder its expensive.


House and Land for $6000, for the pom wanting a bit of adventure

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin...a&fmt=&header=