pocketdynamo125

Hi all,

as export date is nearing we are constantly keeping an eye on house prices, areas etc.
Being on a tight budget all the supposedly nicer areas are out of bounds and we are looking at the southern suburbs such as Inala, Acacia Ridge, Doolandella, etc etc. We've seen lots of big nice looking houses for what seems surprisingly reasonable prices.
What's the catch?

Opinions, experiences welcome, help!

pocketdynamo

pocketdynamo125

errr, should have probably mentioned that this is Brisbane I'm talking about.................doh!

shecha

Hi Pocketdynamo,

I went to Brisbane for a holiday in June to decide on whether to live North or South of the river.

The South appears to be cheaper, but I was advised by rellies who live in both North and South Brisbane, that the roads/congestion problems are much worse in the South .

The areas you mentioned are in the South and my rellies told me not to consider Inala at all, it has a very bad reputation and big crime problem. Not too sure about the reputation of the other areas you mentioned either, but someone who lives there may be able to give you a better idea.

Hope this helps a bit.

Shell

Alan101

[QUOTE=shecha]Hi Pocketdynamo,

I went to Brisbane for a holiday in June to decide on whether to live North or South of the river.

The South appears to be cheaper, but I was advised by rellies who live in both North and South Brisbane, that the roads/congestion problems are much worse in the South .

The areas you mentioned are in the South and my rellies told me not to consider Inala at all, it has a very bad reputation and big crime problem. Not too sure about the reputation of the other areas you mentioned either, but someone who lives there may be able to give you a better idea.

Hope this helps a bit.




Hi pocket dynamo,
we to are hoping to settle in the brisbane area and have relatives in the south, we visted in Dec 2003 and found it difficult to try and purchase land in the Forest lakes area,it seemed as soon as we saw any land it was sold and gave up trying .
we then went back to the same area in june/july this year and have found new land area,s sprining up around browns plains and Sunnybank hills, I dont Know how much your planning on spending but on both sites land prices started around $180.000, (trinity Green inbetween,pacific highway ,gateway motorwayand the logan motorway.Ido noknow what your budget is but if you want any more information drop me a line and I could perhaps email you the information I have on new land release.My sister keeps me up dated almost weekly.
We have not really encounted traffic problems whilst we have been in the south, only sort of problems we had are much the same as anyone else the gateway bridge in rush hour but even then compared to 3-4 hour jams on the M.25 it did not seem a problem.
have you also noted that some area,s house prices are starting to drop, not great amounts ,but just enough to make you notice.
when in Australia in June we were advised to look near Caboolture as the Bruce High way is bieng made wider(sorry might have the wrong name for the Highway I always leave my U.B.D in brisbane) hope you get sorted let me know
regards dawn

MrsDagboy

Pocket dynamo, I would give Inala as wide a berth as possible unless you want to live in whats been always known as one of the worst suburbs in Brisbane. Doonandella is tainted just by being close to it, ditto Darra. The population in those areas has a high percentage of dole bludgers. Thats putting it nicely. Theres also a very large percentagge of Vietnamese in the area, especially in Darra, lots of gang culture & youth violence. Acacia Ridge is better but only slightly, it has a large amount of industry & also an airfield for light aircraft, just for a bit of added fun .

Hopefully those houses being surprisingly cheap wont be so surprising now .

No offence, but if I were moving half way around the world & all I could afford was Inala, I think I'd stay in the UK :scared:.

There are quite a few suburbs a bit further out that are still reasonable, but would be alot better than living in the area you suggested. Im not sure what your definition of a "tight budget" is, but if you give us an idea of price perhaps we can make some better suggestions for you.

Also let us know what sort of infrastructure you need in the way of school/transport etc .

Peter

Doolandella is also semi-rural. Most of the places there were acreages and hobby farms. Probably still are. Pallara and Ellen Grove are similar areas.

Like others have said; give Inala a miss. It's not quite a Brazilian favela, but the two words "council estate" come to mind.

Ditto for Woodridge, Kingston and to a lesser extent, Marsden.

paddythepilot

Mate,

We used to live in a place called 'Forest Lake' which is next to Inala.

Forest Lake was quite nice, and reasonable prices, a nice modern area with a lake (of course) small shopping centre and a few schools etc.......take a look at some prices on the web.

Avoid Inala at all costs!

I made the mistake of going into the Inala Pitza Hut one Saturday night, (I didn't know I had just got off the plane), it was obvious to me after a few minutes that I should not have been there........quick exit stage right and headed back to Forest lake before things got nasty.

Cheers.

pocketdynamo125

"No offence, but if I were moving half way around the world & all I could afford was Inala, I think I'd stay in the UK"

Maybe you should keep these sort of comments to yourself, you have no idea of my personal situation.

jayr

Try out Forest Lake. It's next door to Inala but new and cheap. Still relatively remote from Brisbane CBD but not too bad. Of course you don't HAVE to buy a house, why not rent first buy later, give some time to find out more about what's what.

pocketdynamo125

I think I overreacted a bit, really got my back up though at the time.
Must be all the rain - SAD!
Anyway, we are looking at a budget of up to $300,000 AUD
Can anyone recommend good areas where we may be able to get something ok for this.

pocketdynamo

jayr

How many kids do you have? How many bedrooms do you need? Does it have to be a house or will a unit do?

Try this in Deception Bay. I beleive the area will get mixed views, but must be better than Inala:

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

and here's a whole bunch at Forest lake:

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin...s=1&p=10&o=def

Pollyana

You asked for opinions, you're getting them. My Bloke, an Aussie like Mrs D, says if you go and look at a house in Inala take a baseball bat for protection, and don't leave your car in the area if you want to keep the wheels.......

Peter

Your personal situation must suck if Inala is seriously on your shortlist. When you get to Brisbane, drive around Inala and make up your own mind. It won't take long to make up.

From another Australian.

pocketdynamo125

I know that now, that was the point of the thread!
As advised I have a budget of $300,000 AUD and wanted some advice on areas in Brisbane. Not personal comments about my motives for emigration and my personal situation.
Is it too much too ask for a little advice?

Peter

Is it too much to ask for you to take stuff at face value and not get so touchy-feely? Nobody is getting personal with you. Nobody cares enough to or wants to.

For $300K I'd recommend something out toward the Bay. Some of those links Jayr gave may help a little.