threlly

hi there,
i am hoping to move to sydney early next year. at first i plan to live in manly(north shore area) but only for about 6 months. i then hope to buy somewhere-i am a first time buyer so money will be short. does anyone out there have any suggestions/ideas of good places to live within easy access to centre and a good beach?
cheers

bondipom

Probably somewhere along the Cronulla line will fit your requirments. Whether it fits into your budget is another question. Northern Beaches are further from the city and dependant on buses. If you want a city beach maybe you could get a large apartment instead of a house.

new horizons

It depends entirely upon your budget, your work location if known and your needs. The previous reply about the Cronulla line is pretty good. This line services the Sutherland Shire that has houses from about $500 K to multi millions for palatial waterfronts. It is a very family and stable area with all the recreational and service facilities. I see you are a teacher - I can tell you from dealings with teachers who live in the Shire that they get non stop casual work if they want. Permanent postings there are a lot harder as it is a settled popular family area so very keenly sought by teachers.
Lots of brit expats in the Shire. Having said that there are many nice places in Sydney - a bit like going into a lolly shop and not wanting to make a decision as they are too many choices.
Look up www.realestate.com.au - it will give you rental and sales options throughout Aussie - just put in the post codes or suburbs and your price range and it will give you a great choice. The post codes for the Shire are 2228 to 2232 from what i can gather from the phone book.

threlly

Hi there,
thanks for your advice, i remember visiting the area and may look into it more now. thanks for your help
cheers

joho

Hi Threlly

We are also hoping to move to Sydney March/April time. We will be going to the Central Coast as we have rels there and it is really nice. Prices are quite steep though.

Cheers Jo

Banksia

And train travel can be a bit tedious if you are working in the Sydney CBD every day. Timetables at http://www.cityrail.nsw.gov.au/timet...dir=up&page=03

sackofspuds

Maybe it's just me, but I'd have to love somewhere to bits to be prepared to spend $500k plus on a house when my job prospects were confined to being a supply teacher for years to come (there being little chance of getting a teaching job in the metro area). With no permie job you'd be looking at having to get a "low doc" or self-cert mortgage, surely?

bondipom

Best thing to do is look on the teachers credit union website. 500,000 is very cheap for a house in Sydney. Mediocre units go for that much around Bondi although the prices being asked seem to be dropping from anecdotal experience at the weekend. 500,000 will get you a place out west where the mullets roam free.

Working as a supply teacher will get you enough points over the years to get into a permanent position at a public school. Private schools have their own priority system.

sackofspuds

Dunno what the likes of Tempe, Marrickville or places like Leichardt go for these days.

Seems to me that Sydney has a worse house price bubble than London.

I can't personally think of much worse than doing supply teaching for years (guess that's why I got out of teaching asap). Talk about soul destroying!

There was a period when house prices went up here but hadn't gone up there. We realised one weekend looking at an Oz property web site that we could have bought in Balmain for the same price as our Victorian semi in the Berkshire commuter belt! Then again, we'd just had a baby and the circumstances just weren't right. That's a lesson, though, in grabbing your chances straight away because soon after Oz house price inflation went through the roof.

As a teacher, you can stay in the UK and visit Oz for 6 weeks per year and you won't have to do supply for years.

Siren & Brian

Perth

bondipom

The inner west suburbs have had a price explosion. You may get a "renovators delight" for 500,000 in those suburbs. Becareful there as parts of them are under Sydney airports flight path.