emelems

hmmmmmmmmm

The only way I can describe it is "it is a hole"... but it IS cheap... no doubt because it is a hole..

So... think I shall go back and have another look.. the way I think is that I might as well do a few (minor) repairs and give it the TLC it needs and then save on rent in the future (will only accept if I can lock in to a 1 year contract)..

The real estate agent was a "character"... she came across a total @rsehole (and I don't usually use that word in relation to females) and after about 5-10 minutes of us arriving she told us that she had to go to see someone else! I mean, WTF? So we couldnt have a proper look at everything ... hasten to add that we phoned the office and told them to book another slot with atleast half an hour for us to make a decision!

She phoned back within 30 minutes when she was back in the office... (stupid mare obviously doesnt spend a lot of her time showing people around places, does she!)... she was quite chatty on the phone this time.. told her I was definately interested! (am not DEFINATELY interested... just thought it might gee her up a bit?! LOL!)..

Pluses:
Within 2 min walk of beach and shops
Huge living space
Has character

Minuses:
The kitchen is tiny and doesnt have much space
One bedroom is downstairs, 2 upstairs
Is full of bugs so need to get the termite man in
Has a broken window & no fence.. will need to repair that
The downstairs kitchen (dont ask!) has an ensuite that basically needs condemning!

Em x

asprilla

hello there, what street is it in, if you don't mind me asking? There are several "beach shacks" in that area that are pretty badly run down, so don't be surprised to come across a couple more like that.

you will find that the real estate agents over here are primarily interested in making sales! that's where they make the $$$. The market is pretty bad at the moment so maybe you can forgive this lady for being desperate not to miss out on a sale at the expense of the rental walkthrough. Her manner does seem a bit unprofessional though, eh?!

Anyway, forget about all that. If you do view the place, then make a good impression on her... be friendly and courteous. If you want to buy eventually in the area, then let her know and she'll soon be your best mate. If you can maintain a good relationship with all the agents in the area, chances are it will help you when it comes to the time for you to buy...either in terms of price or merely getting a phone call first ahead of another potential buyer.

good luck ! I love it around there.

emelems

I am always the picture of politeness and cheerfulness when it comes to dealing with people like this! LOL! My mother instilled it in me! hehe! A smile and cheery disposition often unhinges the miserable!

I seriously won't be buying for a good few years so they way I see it, I might as well make an effort with the rental I take on.. I don't want to keep moving and this place is sooo near everything and everywhere..

Em x

benlast

"Character"... within a few hours of starting to look at rentals online, we'd learned what that word actually means. If I were publishing an Australian thesaurus, it'd contain:

character: old, ramshackle, dated, crumbling

Mind you, it's better than those properties that are advertised with a picture of the beach. No pictures of the house, just the beach. You wonder what they're hiding...

Cheers
b

margy

Hi All,

Some have a "unique" take on decorating too, especially some of the tiling. But I believe 70's retro style in coming back in, I just think that if you were there to witness the 70's the first time then you should have more sense than to do it again!

I remember taking a chisel to some 70's burnt orange bathroom tiles one Sunday morning in our old house, unfortunately the tiles had developed a strong relationship with the plaster. Result - ended up having the bathroom replastered.

Anything with "character" is to be avoided like the plague, also anything with ideal for renovation, in other words a money pit.

Good luck.

M

jazzys

Don't get me started on real estate people. There is one near me that is run by the nearest thing to a female hitler that you'll ever find.

Oh and by the way its in forest lake and its callled Ray white.

Jazzy

Pollyana

Be warned if you are planning to fix the place up yourself and make sure the lease allows you to do that. Some leases insist that EVERYTHING go through the agent - our landlord is so annoying that he even insists the agent then gets three quotes, even for fixing a washer on a tap.

irishbloo

I would really think carefully before you take on a rental thats run down.Its not like buying a house thats a mess knowing that you can do it up to make it homely.You will have to run everything by the landlord.When we moved in to our first rental here in Perth the house seemed ok.We got broken in to in the first week because the windows were so easy to break in to.The landlord trying to help then put security screens alround the house which looked awful.Then the garage door came down on top of our brand new car while I was reversing it out.Perhaps we were naive.Good luck.

asprilla

As far as I can tell, emelems wants to fix things up at her own expense? I could be wrong...

This still needs to be approved by the landlord, but I don't think there will be many out there that will say "no" to free improvements to their property.

emelems

Yep, that is exactly what I would want to do.. spoke to the property managers again today.. told them about the broken window and falling down fence and she says that the landlord has no intention of fixing anything and it is rented as seen..

Old bloke has spoken to her today and told her that we have to secure the property (anybody can get into the property thru the window at the moment).. and that would cost us so a small adjustment in rent would suit that..

I don't intend to do anything major, just a lick of paint and a good clean (oh, and the bug man to fumigate)..

If the landlord won't let us do that then we won't rent it..

Em x

hoofie2002

Please, please walk away from this place. Why should you have to paint, clean and fumigate a rental for goodness sake ? That's the landlords job to organise [or the previous tenants].

If the landlord doesn't care about his property, what happens when your hot water heater breaks down or the AC [if it has it] dies ? I doubt he will fix it then [or it will take weeks]. If he/she won't fix a broken window that speaks volumes about their attitude.

You mention at the bottom if the landlord won't let you do it, you won't take it. Believe me, DON'T take it - you will end up regretting it bitterly.

emelems

You are probably right here... what you have just written IS the other side to our coin...

We're still thinking on it... thanks for pointing it out tho.. its good to hear it!

Em x

kiwinow

I agree that upkeep and fumigation should be the landlord's expense so if he isn't going to pay or reimburse you I would think again. Why should you pour your money into his place. It also sounds like if anything else breaks you'll have no joy getting it fixed or replaced. Unless you really want to live there I'd give it a miss. I have friends who have asked their landlord if they can paint the rooms in their rental and he's agreed, but he bought the paint for them and gave them a week rent free for doing the work themselves.

Other words apart from "character" to avoid are "cosy" meaning you can't swing a kitten and "galley kitchen" meaning there's no room for two people to pass without flattening themselves against a wall.

Cheetah7

As others have said, I would walk away from this one and not look back.

Imagine if the landlord is refusing to make this property into a basic standard of living, warm/dry/secure, if he is refusing to do this now quite openly as it appears to be, now imagine further down the line when your hot water is broken or there is a major fault and he refuses to get it fixed.

He shouldnt be scrimping about this now, he should make it liveable and at the least, secure.

'Rented as seen' smacks of "I will do as little as possible in order to get my rent money"

This one could bite your bum, I would walk away.

emelems

ah! but it is sooo near the beach and the shops!

Seriously - the rent is low.. very cheap.. the next rental up will cost us about $5k more per year and is in a bit of a rubbish location..

So, to us, it all comes down to a question of money spent on rent per year versus money spent on rent plus odd jobs per year.. ie, what is cheaper and better for us?

However, me and old bloke were just discussing the problems of being locked into a rental agreement with a broken hotwater boiler and a crap landlord (as a for instance)

hmmmm.... watch this space.. I shall report when we have made the decisions!

Em x