Places to live in Sydney

[JRM]

I'm planning on moving to Sydney in the next couple of years and wondered if anyone could give me some advise on decent Sydney suburbs to look at living it.

Criteria are the usual, easy commute into the City, decent local facilities as we're heading out with our young son and close enough to the beach

We love Mosman, Manyly and Balmoral Village, as I suppose everyone does, but they are priced accordingly, are there any cheaper suburbs that are really nice for a family to move to?

[PomBstard]

If you like the Northern Beaches area - look at moving a bit further up or just inland - Allambie Heights, Cromer, Narraweena, North Manly, Brookvale. Or further north again would be Warriewood, Mona Vale, North Narrabeen. All have direct bus services to the city for commuting, and all are about 5-10min drive to the beach.

Usual story - how much could you afford? Have a look at www.domain.com.au for prices. Don't forget, interest rates for mortgages here are around 7.5-8.0% at the moment and look to go up a bit more.

[Colonial]

How much in AU$$ as a rough guide?

How long a commute?

Smaller yard or bigger yard?

Newer suburb or established area

As an aside, I'm currently also moving to Syd from my place which is about an hour up the Coast. Looking at Mosman/Kiribili/Neutral Bay. Very nice areas.

[JRM]

Rough guide I'd like to be able to commute in within about 30-40mins, small yard is fine, guide price, I expect we'll rent to begin with, so somewhere about $600-$700 per week, but we'll need 3 or 4 bedrooms and would prefer somewhere established, as you say Mosman and Neutral Bay are lovely

[PomBstard]

That sort of rent should get you something close'ish to the beach. But don't expect that to translate into a mortgage equivalent. A 3-4 bed semi in Manly, about 10min walk from the beach, will set you back $800k-$1.1M, depending on standing, view, decor, etc, which translates into a mortgate of about $6k-$9k a month.

[Colonial]

Could probably get somewhere around Cammeray/Chatswood or further up the north shore in Roseville/Wahroonga for that much. Or up the northern beaches around Bilgola or Collaroy.

Bear in mind that the north shore has much better access to the city than the northern beaches though

[JRM]

Thanks for the advice guys, I realised interest rates were high out there, but that's a serious mortgage - hence the need to look for somewhere decent that's slightly cheaper - I'll have a browse of that website

[suthol]

You could also have a look at The Shire, easy drive to the city & airport and an excellent rail service.

Median price probably around $800K, my daughter just picked up a 2 bed unit in Sutherland for $315K about 5 mins walk from the station & shops.

Edited by suthol on Wednesday 21st November 20:57

[7805]

Sutherland Shire is okay to be honest, I like it, close to the water, good places to eat and drink and a good transport network... worthy of a consideration for sure... although beware.. property prices are on the up, check out this place, a cool $1.1million for a relatively small town house!

http://www.mcgrath.com.au/index.cfm?fuseaction=buy...

And without residency, you'll need at least 25% deposit for the Mortgage..

Im in Caringbah - look out for the white Citroen C4 coupe with the PH sticker on the back... if you see me,

[JRM]

Cheers, I'll have a quick look. Fortunately all the residency is arranged - it's been a while in the planning, so hopefulyl that'll make things a bit easier when we eventually get out there

[TheArb]

JRM are you coming in as a permanent resident? There are some very significant tax advantages to coming as a temp on a business visa. If you have the option, you should investigate.

[JRM]

TheArb said:

JRM are you coming in as a permanent resident? There are some very significant tax advantages to coming as a temp on a business visa. If you have the option, you should investigate.

Yes I heard about all that, but it's just a lot easier to sort out a job from this end if I have all the visas arrange, rather than having to get sponsorship, at least that is what the recruitment guys advised and it's certainly been easier to meet prospective companies with that taken care of. I guess it shows a commitment to going.

Besides, this way I can get Citizenship quicker too

[custardtart]

I love Glebe, got a slightly alternative feel to it with loads of still independent traders plus the light rail goes straight into the city and stops at the super casino if you fancy some early hours entertainment and darling harbour for eats!

[Hotwheels.]

Hi,
I'll be moving to Oz around April, but like others on this thread, i havn't got a clue where to rent. Work base is in Rydalmere, so any suggestions of a nice area, but not too far from there would be appreciated please.
Thanks,
Mart.

[suthol]

Hotwheels. said:

Hi,
I'll be moving to Oz around April, but like others on this thread, I haven't got a clue where to rent. Work base is in Rydalmere, so any suggestions of a nice area, but not too far from there would be appreciated please.
Thanks,
Mart.

I would recommend that you look for something close by or at the very least on the same rail line.

We not have all that many people but Sydney is a city that sprawls hugely and the rail system is basically hub and spoke, it is not meshed very well.

My company just moved 6.5K staff into a new office in an adjacent suburb, so I guess it's fair to say we haven't done the road congestion much good.

Edited by suthol on Friday 30th November 14:42