Lois1

Has anyone arranged to rent/buy a property before arriving in Oz? Whats the usual spec for when you land. Hotel? then search to rent or buy?

With rental what sort of length of lease is normal and how long does it take generally to purchase a property from beggining to end?

Is it easier to terminate a lease prior to the agreed term?

Lenmil

I have only rented in Oz and NZ. And i am glad i did this as it gave me good idea on how cold a house can be in winter. You will have to put up front a bond and maybe 2 weeks rent or more. Now when you rent you will have to have house inspections every few months or so to make sure you are not trashing the place. But being in a rental does mean they can ask you to leave or in my case sell the house. Maybe you can rent a fully furnished place or an empty place in wich case you will have to buy stuff to put in.

For my own experiences i would rent first in an area to see if it suites you. But its up to you how you do it. Good luck with what you decide.

shafanm

Best would be to stay in hotel for few days in a location close to where you intened to settle and first rent a house may be for six months, the first six month will give you information of the area so you can make a wise decision whether to buy from that area or not,

Lois1

Thanks, how long does it take roughly to purchase a property? Do you have to you throw things like surveys and searches??

Pomster

Not sure if it is the same in all states, but here in Vic, when you sign the contract to agree to buy, the settlement date is fixed.
If you buy via private sale (not at auction) you can add a clause to the contract to say it is only binding if you get a satisfactory survey- usually has to be arranged by you within 10 days, Then you pay 10pct deposit.
Settlement dates are 30 days min and 120 max.

If you buy at auction, you check property before auction- and if not, and you are successful bidder, you have to buy anyway.
Conveyancers work very swiftly!

sj oldfield

Renting a fully furnished place upon arrival will be much much cheaper than a hotel!

hantsfamily1

I second this comment, plenty of furnished rentals about.

Its a lot quicker to buy here than in the UK, usually contracts to exchange within 30 days of foffer being accepted.

I would rent for a while and suss it out first, there a lot to learn but good luck anyway.

Lois1

Would you do this in from the UK beforehand? What documents/deposit would be needed to arrange this from here? Or if you had to stay in hotel initially how quick can you rent and move into a property, can it be done in a matter of days?

pompeyblonde

Rent, give yourself time to have a look around and see where you want to be. many people have been caught out this way!

Good luck!

Lois1

Yeah think we will rent first, as you say that way get to know the areas and schools etc beforehand.

Have looked at "holiday rentals" for the short term but these seem particularly expensive !?

Can anyone help with regard to how long it takes to move in once we see a place to rent? Dont want to waste all our money on hotels! are we talking days or weeks before we are able to move in to rented accommodation?

pompeyblonde

I was in in two days! so long as its empty and the place is ready they are happy for asap.

hantsfamily1

some holiday rentals are around the $500-$600 per week but this is an all in cost. No bills, all you need to book a holiday rental is the money, long term rentals is when you require references etc, these could be people that you know in Oz not former landlords or employers if you have only just arrived.

As the previous poster said, if its empty you could move in next day.

calNgary

i would rent furnished place from uk then get 6mths rental, you can rent unfurnished place by the mth but will cost more, we bought a house in 4 weeks, lot less hassle than uk but check areas out first, good luck

the plumber

Definitely rent for the first 6/12 mths,that way you get to know if the areas right for you also wether you can find work there....

Lois1

Thanks, yes of course wasnt thinking that it would be "all inclusive". We know no one in oz, OH has own building co so cant get a reference there and we own property here and have neve rented - so how do we stand when it comes to getting references??