Go for character, every time, the appeal lasts longer!

Not a huge amount of character in homes around Perth, not without spending big bucks anyway.

That's a pity.

Oh boy - what is it with that bloody apartment? Are they making the bricks on site?
That is one gorgeous house. Not surprised it got snapped up.
The fact that you don't much like your rental might make it easier to leave, so there's that.
Wishing you a smooth transition back to Oz. Your family there must be jumping for joy.
Looking forward to hearing what comes next xx

So, how's tricks? Church treating you well I hope, did you crack the stash of hidden wine?

By my reckoning you have about 2 weeks before 'getting on de big silver bird', tell me please that you'll be travelling with a reputable airline such as Queensland and Northern Territoriies not Plummet Airlines, or one of those that gets you to buy handbags and Maseratis and stuff during the 7 hour hang in some desert?

QANTAS are the only way to go to Oz, knock BA to shreds, never thought I'd be saying that, but it's true..

Prefer Singapore myself. Not a fan of QANTAS or BE and will avoid where possible.

It not only has a pointy roof, it's made out of plastic - fancy, hey?

Oh. It's in storage with the removal mob, and I forgot to take the tags off. Hope Customs don't think it's new.

I agree but as MP says the character ones, even those that need a complete renovation, are pricey. For the price of a very ordinary 2 bedroom 1 bathroom, you can get a brand new 3 bedroom 2 bathroom in the same area.

That bloody apartment - as you know now Perth, the developer was placed into administration by one of its lenders. We've engaged a solicitor but it's not looking good and we've had to resign ourselves to the thought that we may not get back any of the funds we've put into it. £113,000 - gone.

Tricks are going pretty well thanks BB. We've sold the car, I've sorted out the bank saga, not much more to do now. No hidden wine unfortunately, but the Airbnb hosts left us a nice bottle of Shiraz and a half empty carton of orange juice - winning

Exactly 2 weeks till we fly out. We're going with Emirates, we swing between them, Qatar and Etihad depending on which has the best business class deal at the time. Going via the Middle East is the quickest way to Perth and Emirates timetables suit us best, about 20 hours from go to whoa and that includes 2 - 3 hours to stretch our legs in Dubai.

I'd have to agree, out of the 3 I'd choose Singapore every time.

Admittedly it's been more than 20 years since I last went down under, maybe the tables have turned a bit in that time in air travel terms?

My Melbourne based mate who has developed the ridiculous habit of 'popping over to Europe' 3 or 4 times a year flips between Emirates and Etihad, I'll ask for her latest take.

Something that blew my socks off, the other evening OH said that she wanted to go see said mate and the rest of the family - we've seen all of them bar hubby - the real Oz guy - over the last 19 years, both my mate and her daughter have been separately over here, and I caught up with the eighteen year old son in the UK last September.

I had honestly thought that OH's big trip days were over... this is really going to bugger up my Canadian train adventure.

What wankers

See now, there's something better about the USA (and there's not generally much). Said monies would have been placed in escrow. The whole real estate system here seems barmy. Whenever I get the urge to buy I think about all the stories I've heard from buyers and sellers alike.

Neighbour upstairs just told me a similar tale about the building we are in. They had not hardly started building and "ran out of money." So they stopped building. Neighbour said:"right then, you can keep the deposit but I won't be paying you any more money and I'll be off to find somewhere else." Their answer was: "We will drive you into bankruptcy." Long story short, she did hang in there, and three years later she had a flat to move into.

I will continue to hope that there is justice in the world and that you will see your money again (although Trump is still around so I may be deluding myself about justice.) HOWEVER, have faith

Agree completely. This is something that the US definitely gets right and England gets very wrong. Every time I think about buying a small apartment to use in England I cringe at the thought of having to deal with its home buying system.