gtdave

I'm a First Time Buyer, so Stamp Duty won't be applicable. Also, I won't have to pay the lenders mortgage insurance as I'm going with Keystart who are government-backed. Still don't see where the Broker is ccoming up with $7-8k.

Im house-hunting in Perth at the moment and was wondering if anyone could advise on the cost of fees when buying a house? My broker says to allow approx, 7-8k but I dont know how he's come up with this figure and it seems a bit high. I know I will have to pay for termite and structural surveys which will cost $500-600 each. Ive no idea how much a conveyancing solicitor will cost but im guessing somewhere in the region of $2k-$3k. My lender is Keystart so I wont have to pay LMI. Does anyone know of any other costs?

I could be open to correction, but as far as I know, the 'sold' prices listed by domain and realestate.com are actually the asking prices at time of sale?

House-hunting in Perth at the moment and I'd really like to find out what houses are actually selling for. Does anyone know where I can obtain this info. I know RP data sell reports on but I suspect they might be a bit generic and only really list average prices etc. Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks Pixie, thats great. I tried to use the e-tax thing but its telling me Im not eligible to use it (because its my first tax return), so it looks like I'll have to complete my return on paper.

Hi, I became resident in October 2012 and worked as a PAYG employee from December through to March of this year. Then from March to end of June I worked as a sole trader on an ABN basis. Does this mean I have to do two seperate tax returns, or can I just include all my earnings on my TFN tax return? It looks like the rate of tax is the same for both categories? Obviously tax was witheld from my salary when I worked as a PAYG employee, and by my calculations I have been overtaxed by approx $2.5k. However, I havent paid any tax while working on the ABN and I will owe approx the same amount, so one should cancel out the other. Also, when is the deadline for completing tax returns? Thanks, Dave

Seems I have very little options then. Think I'll just accept the refund and book the more expensive flight. It would definitely make me think twice about booking with them again though.

Jetstar have cancelled my Sunday evening Sydney-Perth flight in Aughust and booked me a seat on another flight on the same day only 12 hours earlier (at 7am). The earlier flight really wont suit me and I need to leave Sydney that evening. I've done a search for similar flights with other airlines and coincidentally Qantas have the cheapest flight to Perth that evening. So seeing as though they are sister airlines, I called Jetstar to ask if they would transfer me onto the Qantas flight. I thought this wouldnt be a problem but they cant do it (apparently you can transfer from Qantas to a Jetstar flight, but not the other way round!). So the only option this leaves me with is to get a refund from Jetstar and book a seat on the Qantas flight. This will mean that I am going to be out of pocket to the tune of approx $100 as its been four months since I booked my original flight with Jetstar. It's really annoying me as I dont see why I should have to shell out extra money to what is essentially the same airline just because they've decided to cancel my flight! Does anyone know what my rights/entitlements are or got any ideas?

Most of the furniture & homeware shops are located in Osborne Park. Scarborough Beach Road runs up through the centre of OP and if you start at one end and work your way up, you should find everything you need.

Just as a matter of interest, can anyone tell me how Landlords/Estate Agents determine affordability on the tenants behalf? I presume they look at the rent as a percentage of your net income e.g. if the rent is more than say, 35% of your net income thenh they deem you as not being able to afford it?

Thanks Eera, that pretty much answers my question. I think I'll go back to plan A and try find someone to share with. Dave

Hi there, I've been looking at rental properties in Perth and have come to the conclusion that I'd be much better off sharing a house with someone as opposed to renting a 1-bed apartment. For instance 1-beds are generally priced from minimum $300/wk upwards, whereas there are plenty of 3/4-bed houses available in the $500-$650/wk price-range. Obviously a house would offer more in terms of space and comfort, and I'd probably be better off financially if I got someone to split the rent with me. I initially thought that the way to go about this would be to find a suitable flatmate first and then go look for a place together. But then someone pointed out to me that this might pose difficulties as agents tend to favour couples/families over shared tenancies because the contracts are more straight-forward and they are seen as being more stable. So now im thinking,what if I were to lease a house by myself and then rent a room to a tenant. What are the pro's and con's of doing this? For instance, how do agents feel about this type of arrangement? Will they look at my salary and refuse me on the grounds that I dont earn enough to pay $600/wk, or will they allow for the fact that I will have a paying tenant to help with the rent? Also, what are the implications for prospective tenants? Are there any disadvantages of not being on a lease that may cause soemone reluctancy to sublet from me? I would be interested to hear from anyone who has done this in the past or from anyone who has tried and failed for whatever reason. thanks, Dave

Sorry to hijack this thread with a slightly off-topic question. Can anyone tell me if the DVS centre will give you a licence without proof of WA address. When I arrive I will be staying in temp accommodation for the first couple of weeks and wont have proof of address until such time as I find more permanent accommodation. Is it better to wait?

Thanks Cal.

Hi there, I will be arriving in Perth early October and have booked short-term accommodation for the first 4 weeks of my arrival. I dont have employment pre-arranged and I'm allowing 3-4weeks for me to find myself a job. I understand that most estate agents and property owners prefer proof of employment and I'm just a little concerned about the possibility of not having a job sorted by the time I have to leave the short-term rental. Has anyone else managed to secure a lease without proof of employment? I will be looking for a 1-bed apartment and am prepared to pay 3 months rent in advance. Will this be enough? Also, in terms of the documentation required, I will have the following: written references from my two most recent Landlords in Ireland, a Police clearance certificate, bank statement, ID. Do I need more than this? Any advice appreciated, Dave

Yes, you can. I know this because my when I was applying for my 176, my agent recommended that I should also apply for jobs with sponsorship in case my visa didnt come through. I'm not sure how your 189 application would be affected if you were offered sponsorship while your application was being processed though. Maybe someone else will be able to advise.

Hi there, I will be arriving in Perth in a few weeks time and will be looking to rent a 1-bed apartment. As I wont be shipping anything over, I will have to buy everything from scratch, and on a shoe-string budget! :biggrin: Any advice in relation to shopping for the following household items would be much appreciated:- Furniture: I'll only be renting a 1-bed so I only really need bedroom and lounge furniture. Ive already done a bit of research and it looks like Furniture Bazaar, Super A-mart, Fantastic Furniture, Freedom Furniture, and of course IKEA are my best bet. As all of these stores are located in the Osborne Park area, I reckon its just a matter of heading up there for a couple of hours some day and picking out what I need. I would also consider second-hand furniture. I know theres loads of stuff on Gumtree but does anytone know of any decent second-hand furniture stores around Perth? Appliances: Cheapest place to buy a Fridge, Microwave, TV and Hi-Fi? Someone recommended The Good Guys, which are conveniently located on the same strip in Osborne Park. Any other suggestions? Homewares & Household: OK, this is the part where I really dont have a clue. Wheres the best place to pick up bedclothes, bathroom towels, cooking utensils, delph, cutlery etc.? TV, Internet, phone-package: Again, dont really have a clue about this either. Best all-round package that possibly includes international calls (to Ireland),although will probably use skype most of the time. So I think thats it - should be enough to get me started at least, but if you spot anything I've missed, feel free to enlighten me. Thanks, Dave

The one thing I've noticed is that an awful lot of companies advertise and recruit by themselves without the help of an agency, which is in contrast to the recruitment process this side of the pond where companies almost always use an agency. This is good to know, as it cuts out the middle-man so to speak. And youre right sarab, I always find that recruitment agents have a very 'tick-the-box' type approach when vetting suitable candidates and dont always consider transferrable skills, which in my view doesnt necessarily guarantee finding the best candidate. I suppose I've nothing to lose by sending out my CV anyway, even if it's a little early. Another thing I've noticed is that a lot of positions seem to stay open for a considerably long period of time, so you never know, maybe there will be some companies out there who are prepared to make a job offer in advance.

9 weeks left til my arrvial in Oz and I would like to have a job, or at least some interviews, pre-arranged before I arrive. I have a 176 visa and will be looking for work in Construction management (residential). Is it too early to start sending out my CV at this stage? Am interested to hear peoples experiences or it would be great to hear from anyone working in recruitment.

Hi all, Ive just found a short-term rental advertised on Gumtree. Whats the best way to pay a deposit to a property-owner in Oz? Is Paypal a safe, scam-proof method of payment?

Cheers Stevie.

Hi, I arrive in Perth on Oct 10th (alone) and I had intended to rent a 1-bed/studio on a short-term basis for approx the first 6-12 weeks of my arrival. However, Im finding it difficult to source this type of accommodation at anything less than extortionate prices. What I am finding is that 2- and 3-bed properties are in more plentiful supply and are much better value. I was just wondering if anyone else was in the same boat, and if so, would you be prepared to share short-term accommodation during this period? Please feel free to PM me your details. Particularly interested to hear from other singles/couples. Dave

you can sing it!!

Just checked visa status. Granted. Strange feeling. Think it's going to take a couple of hours to register with me! Biggest relief is that I'll be able to sleep next week without waking up at 2-hourly intervals to check my e-mails!

Theres a PIO member who has a business importing ex-pats cars from UK to OZ. He has a very good sticky thread set up in the transport and shipping section and you can give him your car details and he will determine whether its worth bringing or not. Thread located here: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transport-shipping/138727-worth-bringing-my-car-iron-ladys-trusty-new-calculator-reveals-all.html Dave