The houses in Aus are not so great

[Doug]

Hi

We did a LSD trip in October to Sydney and Melbourne and we were quite taken back at how plain and dissapointing the houses are in Australia. We looked at Sydney in the area of Davidson , Frenchs Forest , Forestville and Saint Africa ( Saint Ives) and we were blown away at the very average houses that were around. Off course 1 in every about 10 houses was OK but the other 9 were really dissapointing.

Additionally I think 90% of Australians don't know what gardening is ! the 10 % who had some sort of garden were probably Ex South africans. Having said that I know there are big water shortages which is adding to the problem. Also there are no garden boys there.

Having said all the above I am definately not looking for a fancy place but what we did see was all in the 750 to 1M price range. Saint Africa was better but still not as great as I had percieved it to be.

Have most other people felt this way and once you arrived you settle in and adapt to the surroundings , could it be that I drove up all the wrong streets ? Could some people comment maybe October is the dryest month . Over all I really got to see that you need to really have very deep pockets to try and get something with a nice feel and to get something with a nice feel will not be available under 800K

Please enlighten me

PS ( I am sorting out a highly skilled visa for my garden boy )

Thanks

Doug

[Mara]

Hi Doug

I had to have a chuckle at the highly skilled visa for your gardener, I just hope you decide on Melbourne, perhaps we could share him then?

Just to put you in the picture about houses, you are quite right, if you travel around the older established parts of the cities, the houses are quite old and non-descript, however, there are many gorgeous ones, just not ones that most of us can afford to pay for. I have found that if you go to the more recently established suburbs that you certainly have a far greater choice of styles and often for far cheaper prices. Of course a lot is going to depend exactly where in Australia you are looking. The other problem is that mostly the newer suburbs are of course further out of town, so you would have to be happy with that.\

We live about 35klms from Melbourne central, in a small village called Sunbury. There are probably six new suburbs that have been established in the past 10 years and you would be pleasantly surprised at the selection of homes and the prices, $300,000 to around $650,000.

Go and check out www.realestate.com.au where you select Sunbury and then specifically look for homes where they state that they are in Jacksons Hill, Canterbury Hills or Rolling Meadows. I would be interested to know what your thoughts are.

We have lived in our new home for three years, still very little garden, there is no point in trying to establish a garden if you are not allowed to water it! Plastic grass is looking more and more viable each day!

[Nilo]

Hi Doug

I'm trying to fathom out what you conceive as a nice house. Not getting it? I suppose it depends on where you live at the moment in SA as to what you are expecting to find in Australia.

I have no problem with the houses I have seen and lived in in the past 10 months. But then we decided when in Rome, and left all (previously programmed) expectations behind.

When we arived we lived in a lovely highset Queenslander for 6 months, they have a charm of their own, very oldy worldy. It only had 2 bedrooms so when the lease was up we moved into a modern 4 bed 2 bath house with double garage. It's lovely and spacious and was lovely and clean when we moved in.

My only gripe would be the "thin" walls and the very small yard/garden but then I've also got used to that.

My suggestion is that you go to realestate.com.au and have a look at the properties available, maybe you did drive down the wrong roads?

N

Edited November 15, 2007 by Nilo

[Sam]

Doug, it is because you don't understand the dynamics here and your point of view is clouded from what you know in South Africa. We don't have cheap (slave) labor here. Here everyone gets a good wage wether they are cleaning the street, the toilets or the windows. Aussies also couldn't care less about unholding their image and climbing the social ladder by what possesions they accumilate. Plus have you ever been inside an Aussie home? Because they really like to decorate the interiors.

It will take a while to get an attitude adjustment and develop appreciation for the dynamics that shaped Australia into this lovely country.

Cheers

[stevee]

I agree Doug. You have to manage expectations. In my opinion the areas you looked in around Sydney are good ones, that's just the way the houses are. Don't be under any illusions that you will replicate what you have in SA, it's not economic reality. Consider that you'll generally do your own garden and clean your own house..........small is actually a bit of a bonus then

[sa2auz]

Hi Doug

I know how you feel and it really takes time to adjust. Specially if you are converting and you think this house is worth "R6 million" etc in SA you would get.

You need to get over that very quickly housing in Australia is expensive especially Sydney. Most of the time you are paying of your land size and the house is worth very little. Also don't judge a book by its cover a lot of the houses are miss leading and inside are actually very nice. You should also be aware that the Aussies I know tend not to spend money on new furniture etc they rather spend money on entertainment and sports etc.

Things are different here they don't have the money or time to spend in the gardens, its mostly the older people who might potter around a bit.

Also there are some really amazing houses if you are keen but be prepared to pay. Take a drive down Burns Road, Wahroonga etc.

I really do hope you have some luck but it takes time to understand, life is different here.

Also the value of houses very much depends on the proximity to the railways etc and the area. All the areas you mentioned are on the north shore, the equivalent to Sandton. You need to decide if you are prepared to move further out and if you would prefer a project home with smaller land.

Good Luck, we all went through the same feelings you will be loving those "little shacks" very soon.

[Polyanna]

Hi Doug

Personally, I would rather live in a tin-shack in Aus where my family is safe and all together, than live in a mansion in SA...

When in Aus, your priorities change...

Good Luck!

[Pippa]

Hi Doug,

We never came to Australia with the idea to live in a beautiful/pretty house, but we love spending time at home and therefore the interior and the outlay of a house is somewhat important to me .

I know exactly how you feel . The exterior of a house has never been important to me, but I just cannot stand these Queenslander homes in Brisbane and I am still trying to find a suburb without them !!!

When we were on our LSD in March/April 2007, we drove around several suburbs in Adelaide, Melbourne and Gold Coast and I saw some nice houses!!! Adelaide specifically have lovely houses with lots of charm and character . Our time in Brisbane was very limited and never got the time to drive through suburbs in Brisbane . When we arrived in Brisbane in August 2007, I was shocked to discover Queenlanders one after another. Like Mara said, you tend to find more modern homes in the newer suburbs, but then it is probably far from the CBD. We’ve always focussed on location instead of the actual house, but at the moment I can’t see myself living in a Queenslander one day...

I guess I will have to change my mindset... !!!

Bye, Pippa! X

[HansaPlease]

Wealth in Australia is not really measured in possessions like it is in middle class South Africa.

You have to put it in perspective - In South Africa - if both husband and wife worked full time and you didn't have a domestic worker or garden boy - would your house be as clean and well maintained?

The best way I can sum this up is -

People over here live their lives, not the life they want everybody else to think they live.

Hey Doug, just curious - where in Melbourne did you look? There are some eyesores around - I notice that on the train every day.

But that being said - around our neighbourhood there are some really nice houses starting to pop up. (mostly the newer suburbs)

PS: have a look at some of these - in my area - all for less than $500,000...

Edited November 15, 2007 by HansaPlease

[Retha_hhr]

I understand what you are saying. I was very shocked when we came to Canada and I saw that the people here don't really have creativity when it comes to architecture and they are very into cookie-cutter houses because it is cheaper to build. I was used to in Namibia that not 2 houses look the same in a street, except if it were government or military houses. The moment these were sold, people placed there stamp on it, by just painting it a beautiful bright colour. That's another thing, Canadians are afraid of colour. The colours on the outside are really dull.

But I got used to it and now I like my little back yard and I have put some orange on my house as an accent colour just to brighten it up. I even got used to the vinyl siding which I called plastic houses when we moved here. I just sometimes wish when they build new shopping centres, that they just change the architecture a bit, but no, they stick to the boxy-form and all are the same dull colour.

You will get used to the lack of individualism in house styles. If you live in a neighborhood where there is architectural guidelines, then you will not be able to put your stamp on the house very much after buying it, but you can play with the inside and your back yard. When buying in an older area where there isn't architectural guidelines, you can change it inside and out.

Australia might be the same as Canada in this and you will get used to it and you will be able to change your house where it is possible and when you can afford it. Individual styles in houses are extremely expensive in Canada and I assume in Australia as well.

regards,

Retha

[HansaPlease]

Individual styles in houses are extremely expensive in Canada and I assume in Australia as well.

Not at all - if you're building a new home in Australia, the range of houses, designs and companies you can choose from is huge.

There's also a style and budget to suit every pocket.

Edited November 16, 2007 by HansaPlease

[audz_oz]

Hi

Saying that houses in Australia are not that good is a huge generalization and not entirely true, Perth in it's own is still a fairly new city and state so the majority of the houses are new and the gardens have been landscaped as part of their housing packages and look pretty good.

Yes there are older suburbs and houses here that wont look so grand but u will find that anywhere in the world, but what you have to remember here, is Australians are about the good life and not the status symbol that everyone in south Africa is soo driven to have and they really couldn't care less if you are a millionaire or a poor as a church mouse they just want to be good mates with you so you will often find and average size (4bedrooms) next door to a mansion and they are good friends.

I agree with polyanna if i had to live in a tin shack here i would, just have all the advantages of living in a fantastic place:)

Cheers

[Guest mrs mupersan]

I think Scott & I will fit right in!! Sure, we like nice things (who doesn't?), but NEVER to impress others - only for our own comfort.

We moved from renting in cushy Southern Suburbs Pinelands to buying in (horrors!!!) Parow West. We weren't really hassled with the area - but we got our dream house for less than half of what we would have paid in Pinelands - AND it's more central.

Bring on our tin shack in Oz!!!

[Doug]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

All very helpful and useful input. In summary its a whole new world out there.

cheers

Doug

[Duane W]

Hi Doug,

We never came to Australia with the idea to live in a beautiful/pretty house, but we love spending time at home and therefore the interior and the outlay of a house is somewhat important to me .

I know exactly how you feel . The exterior of a house has never been important to me, but I just cannot stand these Queenslander homes in Brisbane and I am still trying to find a suburb without them !!!

When we were on our LSD in March/April 2007, we drove around several suburbs in Adelaide, Melbourne and Gold Coast and I saw some nice houses!!! Adelaide specifically have lovely houses with lots of charm and character . Our time in Brisbane was very limited and never got the time to drive through suburbs in Brisbane . When we arrived in Brisbane in August 2007, I was shocked to discover Queenlanders one after another. Like Mara said, you tend to find more modern homes in the newer suburbs, but then it is probably far from the CBD. We’ve always focussed on location instead of the actual house, but at the moment I can’t see myself living in a Queenslander one day...

I guess I will have to change my mindset... !!!

Bye, Pippa! X

Different strokes

Brisbane apparently has rules about all the houses in a suburb having a similar look therefore lots of similar looking houses.

I love the look of the Queenslanders in general. But to me a house is just a roof over my head I have never been hung up on having the biggest or best house.

Some of the houses in the suburb I am staying in.

Where I live

Edited November 16, 2007 by Duane W

[Heymanse]

Hubby and I just spoke about this this morning. We currently live in a house of about 250sqm on land about 1270sqm. We renovated the bathroom, kitchen (well, actually almost every room in the house). We "wasted" about R15 000 (if not more) in planting trees, etc. etc. etc., because there wasn't much of a garden when we moved in about 2 years ago. We don't have sparetime, because all the sparetime is spend in the garden (in making it beautiful for the person who will be buying it from us when we immigrate).

Hubby said that when he is in Oz, he would like to have the smallest garden, just plant grass or even better, put everything under paving with just a tree or two so that we can spend our sparetime on things we never got a chance to do - like taking walks in the evening, actually spending quality time with the kids, etc.

At the end of the day, if I can have a decend roof over my head and a small patch of grass with maybe a nice big tree to sit and read a book under, I'll be in 7th Heaven.

[Duane W]

You wont have yard space for a tree in OZZ the way they are building now.

The latest now is to take a lot split it legthwise and turn it into 2 lots and build long narrow houses.

[Heymanse]

Ouch, not even 1 tree! Where am I suppose to read my book? Oh, wait a minute, I'll be in Oz, I can go to the nearest park with the kids and a nice picknick basket and settle myself down on soft green grass under a nice big tree - please tell me that that is a bit more realistic.

[sue845]

Gardening in Aus

I suppose without Philemon and Precious around nothing much you can do but to diy.

South Africans are very very spoilt. On the other hand employing any kind of worker gives them a salary. That is why people afraid to get out of their comfort zone, etc, must rather stay in the RSA. They will never survive.

[customeyes]

I have to say that, although there are suburbs of all different economic means in Australia as anywhere in the world, I love the houses in Perth. The house we have now is ever so slightly smaller than what we had in SA, but much more modern and better designed. And, by the way, I do have the most delightful gardener as I am extremely busy and love my garden to look good. He is a delightful youngster, about 25, who has just completed his horticultural trade. I get him in when I am struggling to maintain things and he does the work that my SA gardener took all day to do, in about three hours. I kid you not!

[pino]

Just reading all the posts and we also found the houses in Perth, then 2nd Adelaide to be very neat and somewhat modern.

But.... For all those ( In RSA) who have not been to Aus as yet on a LSD. You would have noticed by some of the pics posted, NO walls/electric fences/barbed wire etc.. Now that's appealing.

Cheers

Pino

[Colling-vrou]

Just an observation... my husband and I spoke about this, and he asked me if I'm willing to settle for "less" in Oz than here (and believe me, we don't have much!). I told him that I think that the average person comes home from work (can't wait to come home, is more exact), and then enters his/her bubble of safety.... that is the place you work your but off to afford and make as comfortable as possible for you and your family... WHY? Cause there's nowhere else to go...!!!! So, you build an indoor braai with a pool next to it and a jungle gym for the kids.... and if there's a tree, so much better! You have your bigscreen T.V. with surround sound and a great lapa somewhere in the yard... nice garden with lights at night would be great.... WHY? Cause where else can we go?

When I was growing up, my parents' house didn't look all that great from the outside or didn't even have great entertainment to keep us busy with.... WHY? Cause Sundays we could go and braai on the beach, park or anywhere where it's allowed. Summer, we kids took a walk up to the public swimming pool (something you don't see anymore in S.A.) Parks were the place I made friends, and that's where we learnt about things like climbing trees, playing hopscotch (spelling?).

I told my husband, I would rather spend my money going on camping trips with the kids, going for walks and teaching them stuff they learn in their textbooks at school (types of trees, animals, etc.) than sitting at home, watching Discovery channel and letting them play Playstation as a hobby....

I think it's a different mindset altogether. You spend less time "at home', cause you figure your whole neigbourhood "home"..... I hope I'm making sense to anybody.

My still-in-S.A.-2c-worth.

[Amaozzie]

Just reading all the posts and we also found the houses in Perth, then 2nd Adelaide to be very neat and somewhat modern.

But.... For all those ( In RSA) who have not been to Aus as yet on a LSD. You would have noticed by some of the pics posted, NO walls/electric fences/barbed wire etc.. Now that's appealing.

Cheers

Pino

And wasn't it fantastic.

My sister stays in Mona Vale Sydney and her street has a ruling that fences can only be natural wood, max 3ft in the front and max 6ft at the back.

[Nilo]

Thanks Duane! Now guys you can not say that these houses aren't gorgeous.

Pippa, jy moet my kontak ek weet presies waar jy moet gaan kyk waar daar nie Queenslanders is nie!

Moet bylas dat van hierdie Queenslanders so pragtig gerestoureer word dat mens nie eers agter kom dit was eens 'n Queenslander as jy binne is nie.

[Duane W]

Across the road from me is a park with a Tennis court and a Gazebo and a barbeque for the public.

I often see families using the facilities on a weekend there are also lots of public areas all around Brisbane with barbeques etc.