cer

Hi

When people post asking about accommodation many people say try realestate.com. I have been looking at accommodation on there for a number of weeks and have contacted the agents on a few properties and have never yet had a reply. i have even phoned and left msgs but still no reply.

I arrive from UK on 31st march on my own and still have knowhere to stay. i have found my ideal property but i am not being acknowledged.

Any suggestions please

Claire

Sherro

Its not Real Estate.com.au's fault. They are just a conduit of information. It is the Estate Agents themselves, they receive the communication and decide to get back to you or not.

If you are looking to rent, dont bother applying for anything until you get here, you wont get any joy.

The property market is tough in Australia and renters can be queueing for places. They wont bother to get back to you if you are overseas. it is standard policy in Australia that you cant apply for a property unlesss you have viewed it or your partner has.

One thing you will need to get very used to when you arrive in Australia is people dont return calls if they are not interested in you, tradies, real estate agents, recruitment consultants. There is not even acknowledgement half the time, so dont take it personally, it is just the way things work out here.

Good luck

Sherro

you can also try

www.domain.com.au

You are better off staying at a hostel when you arrive and going round the estate agents on saturday morning for the open for inspection lists.

What state are you going too?

Centurion

Please understand that you are not in the country and therefore most agents wont even acknowledge you. Somebody ready to sign on the dotted line who is in the country they are insterested in.

Don't take it personally or anything its just that competition for rentals can be quite fierce so they want to speak to people wanting to view now and ready to sign.

It goes without saying that real estate agents are all crap/liars/shifty/sharks/insert your favorite feeling about them here.

Consider a hotel for a few nights whilst you get your bearing and look around.

DrWho

Unfortunately competition for rentals can be so great that many (most?) agents can't be bothered to even think about someone that isn't ready to go straight away... Book yourself into some temporary accommodation first and then go looking when you're here...

jayr

Be persistent for one. But do recognise that most properties currently listed will have gone by time you get here. Unless you can say transfer six months rent right now there is no reason why an agent should prefer you to someone else who is already here and who can sign docs face to face.

Pommie Aussie

My daughter has been looking weeks for a unit. I have lived here for over 40 years.Its the worse ive ever seen the rental market. there are 20 or 30 people going up for each unit & lodging applications.

Only ther other day she was going to lodge an application & they wanted a weeks rent just to lodge an Application along with 30 others to me thats a rip off. I got on to consumers about that Apparently there is only about 3 real estate doing that in Brisbane. Its her first time moving out & its a nightmare trying to find some where:curse::curse:

My daughter & her friends had a unit even put bond down. we were told at the time it was being decorated only it had dampness & white ants.

She had gone out & bought furniture lounge & dinning table. that weekend. then a few days later we find out the owners were going to sell as the work was going to cost too much. Now we have the new lounge sitting in my lounge. her other friend left her flat & is now travelling from the coast to Brisbane.

cer

hi,
Thanx for everyones replies.

I am going to brisbane to work at the RBWH. I am actually looking at shared accommodation. I have joined easyrooms, shared accommodation and posted ads on gumtree but with no success.

People either get back to me but dont seem to have read my ad properly or there is nothing suitable.

I want somewhere close to the hospital (kelvin Grove, Bowen Hills, Newstead etc) and also fully furnished (including the bedroom as many ads say fully furnished but not the room. Pay up to $250 max

I will just have to be patient and wait

worzel

Defo. 18 months ago in Perth you had to submit the paperwork at the same time you looked round the property to stand a chance - ie you and 10 others details were given to the owner to choose one from (professionals, no pets, no kids, with a job, willing to pay 6 months up front and of course being in the country are all advantages). I think it is a little better now but not much.

jayr

You may be aware that there is very limited FF accom in Brisbane or Australia, not nearly as common in UK.

While a cheap double Bed may cost about $800 you could arrange to rent one. Furniture rental is more common here. In Brisabne try Radio Rentals (mostly white and brown goods but I think furniture too) or PABS. I belive you can rent a bed for one month from PABS for example.

s1mon321

We have just heard today that we have secured a beautiful apartment we saw at the weekend - are so happy!!! Here's some info for you.......

When you arrive, stay in a cheap hotel with internet access - a must.

Log on to domain.com.au every day to see what is available.

Most properties on the site have the viewing day and time (almost always a 15 min) slot. You just turn up - no need to contact the agent.

Accept that a number of properties you like will have viewings at the same time, only go to see the ones you really like.

There will be some/loads of other people looking at the same property, ignore them as some will try and wind you up. Not everyone that loudly takes an application form will complete it!

If you like a property then dive off to the Real Estate Agents as soon as you've seen enough and put a reservation down on it if you can (this stops anyone else from diving in before you). It shows you're very keen and does give you the very slightest of edge.

Have copies all of the supporting docs ready - passport, driv licence, copy of job offer letter, recent bank statement, visa, a reference (saves them time phoning the UK) and the thing that really seems to work.....a statement about yourself, why you're here, what your salary is, career prospects -basically a character ref about yourself. You won't need all of these docs, but it pays to have them ready to submit!

Good Luck

Simon

bridie

Absolutely, unless you are here they wont want to know...

Pommie Aussie

well my daughter just got the nice unit they were after today finally they have put in about 7 Applications in.

Wait till you are here & just keep seaching & dont give up

Good luck

pumpkin blossom

When we got here in Adelaide we e-mailed loads of agents and hardly any of them got back to us (we gave an ozzie phone number too). Most of them if you go into the estate agent it is just a receptionist (not like in the UK) who just hands you a list of properties, won't take any of your details to let you know if one comes up, and why would they? There are loads of people going to the opens, so why bother working?
Anyway, we found somewhere, after 4 weeks of looking.
Good luck

Timber Floor Au

Claire, thats not the fault of realestate.com.au thats the agents you have contacted !!

They can be bloody shocking at times.

I recently contacted an agent about a business for sale, 3rd email to both office and actual agent, I said, if you do not reply now, I will GO direct to the business and cut you morons out of the deal, for down right incompetence.

I got a reply within 20 mins !