Clankaroo

Hi there, It seems rent in paid 2 weeks in advance in NSW. Does that mean that for the last 2 weeks at the end of my tenancy I am not paying rent ? Thanks

Thanks, and how would you describe affordability ? I think both wages and real estate cost are lower than in Sydney, so it's not easy to compare.

Hi, I have spent a year in Sydney and although I believe the city has a lot to offer, the quality and cost of housing is in my opinion quite bad. I believe there is a shortage of housing and landlords don't maintain their properties as they can find tenants at ridiculous prices. I'm thinking about moving. I assume the same situation applies to Melbourne but maybe this is not as bad in Brisbane. I know the wages in Brisbane are lower so I'm comparing rents taking that into account to make sense. How would you compare Sydney and Brisbane on the criteria of housing shortage and quality/size/cost ratio ? Thanks for your comments

Can I get some feedback on some internet providers you use or is this forbidden on this forum ?

Hi, I'm looking at which internet provider to choose and it seems most providers propose a 24 month contract.. Can you stop the contract with a 1 month notice as we can in some countries in Europe ? If not, do you know of any option to choose a contract for a shorter term ? I'm here initially for 6 months. Thanks

Hi, I have arrived in Sydney with a permanent visa and I am looking for a job (IT). It takes time as I need to go to multiple interviews and some people are still on holiday.. I'm staying at the moment in a temporary furnished accommodation which is quite expensive as I need to be close to the city for interviews, etc. I am thinking at my options to reduce my cost of housing.. Maybe AirBnb or renting for 3 or 6 months ? The advantage with AirBnb is that I don't have to buy any furniture. The disadvantage with renting is that I don't have any job contract and it could be challenging to secure an apartment rental, also I would need to buy furniture and probably would need to move to another accomodation at the end of the rental period.. I prefer to keep it simple as I have already a lot on my plate. What do you think is my best option ? Thanks all

Hi, Does it make sense for an immigrant to move to Sydney looking for a job just before the holiday season ? Are there still some job openings (in IT) ? Thanks for your opinion

Absolutely. What matters is numbers and not impressions and feelings. It's clear when you buy a house you always feel like you're paying too much. What matters is the ratio average house price / average salary. In Sydney this is now over 10, which is insane. I have zero empathy for the so called 'investors' that are riding this wave and make a lot of money (in theory as they keep their profits in real estate) without effort. They will get burned very badly when this party will come to an end. I feel bad however for those that acted reasonably by buying their own housing and secure their future by putting a roof over their heads, they will get burned too when their mortgage will go underwater. To add insult to injury, their tax-payers money will be used to bail out banks in the range of hundreds of billions of AUD, the same banks that benefited immensely by this bubble, with the complicity of the state, too happy to cash in stamp duty.

I've been recently reading the book "Australia boom to bust" and it's clear to me now that the property market is heading to a disaster. This will have a huge impact on the economy and the banks. And the sooner it happens, the better as the country can go back to normal and make a better and more productive use of the available money and debt. As far as I am concerned, I am not immigrating. Australia and particularly Sydney is a ticking bomb. I still have 1.5 years left on my visa, so never say never, but unless things change dramatically in the short term I'll stay put.

In my case, I have been sitting on a permanent visa that was granted to me 3 years ago because of this. I have seen the property market in Sydney go from unaffordable to outrageous levels. This is putting me off to make the move. Either there is no bubble and I am contemplating a life of tenancy, or there is one. If there is one, it will either pop or deflate and we have to think when it will happen. If it pops, the economy will be in big trouble like it happened in Ireland and the U.S. If it deflates, it will take a lot of time before purchasing becomes possible and again the prospect of being a tenant for a long time is not appealing to me as I am 40 and definitely want to buy some housing that would be paid when I retire. I think Australia will do whatever it takes to prevent the bubble, they can still lower interest rates, and use all kinds of measures to prevent / slow down a crash as this country has a low public debt/gdp so it can afford to transfer private debt to public debt. This is of course a rip-off of tax payers, most of them that did not participate in the casino that is the property market. But it will happen anyway, this is what happened in countries where there was a bubble. It's a pity this is happening to housing. I have no problem seeing bubbles and bursts in the stock market but housing is a basic need. I'm frustrated as it took me a lot of time and money to get this visa and I will probably not make the move because of this situation. Comments welcome.

Is income protection insurance tax-deductible ? How common is it in Australia/Sydney to take out such an insurance ? Do you still get sickness allowance paid if you have taken out such an insurance ? It seems to me it's nearly mandatory in Sydney if you're serious about personal risk management, particularly if you have to pay a rent/mortgage.

Hi all, This is a what-if question, not a real case. I checked what financial support you get if you get a long-term sickness and this looks quite scary : - 10 days paid by the employer, so clearly this applies to short-term sickness like colds, flu, etc. - sickness allowance paid by state : 520 aud fortnightly for a single person without children. They seem to check for assets before paying.. - waiting period for new immigrants : 2 years (!) Sydney being such an expensive city, I have no idea how someone could survive with 12.000 aud/year should this unlucky person have a sickness like cancer, need multiple surgery after an accident or get some other illness that would prevent him/her from working for a year or more. FYI the lifetime risk of getting a cancer is +- 40%. I come from a country in Europe where the protection in case of sickness is much better and the cost of living much lower. Is this really that bad or am I missing something here ? Thanks,

Hi all, I have secured a job in Sydney and plan to move in the next weeks. I first need to rent a temporary accommodation. How much time should I need for this temporary accommodation before I can find an apartment that I can move into ? (bondi junction area) I was thinking about 1 month. Any advice on this ? Also, can you negotiate the prices down ? Thanks in advance all

I'm in IT. I stayed in Sydney for 1 month thinking that it would be very easy to find a job but I was wrong. So I went back to my home country and I'm now thinking about the best option to go back to Sydney and reduce the time I'll be there without a job. This city is so expensive. Thanks for the comments btw.

Hi, For someone having a permanent visa, i know it's better to arrive first and then apply for jobs. But living in such an expensive city like Sydney without a job is quite stressful.. My idea would be to apply from abroad and secure a few interviews and then move to the city for a few weeks to attend these interviews and continue the job hunting.. Does that sound reasonable ? Or being abroad while I apply will have me immediately disqualified for these jobs ? Thanks

Just for your information there's a website called "numbeo" which can help compare cost of living, not only real estate. Comparing from the capital in my home country, salaries in Sydney are 50% higher and the cost for real estate is 100% higher... Quite depressing as there is talk about a real estate bubble in my home country too ... but I don't want to turn this thread into a "bubble or not bubble" discussion. The internet is full of articles about this topic, and not only about Sydney btw.. I've got the feeling prices could fall but that could never happen... I believe there must be many people in my situation who would like to stay but don't want it at the price of being tenants all their life...

Hi, I would like to know what you think about the impact the real estate cost has on your decision to immigrate to Australia (or to stay). It seems it's getting nearly impossible to buy a housing in Sydney unless you buy far from your job - with a long commute and decreased quality of life. Of course, prices could fall and make housing affordable again but that day may never come. It feels like those who are immigrating now are coming too late.. I am personally not sure to stay as I see no way to avoid renting all my life.. Thanks for your comments

Hi all, I plan to rent an apartment in the eastern suburbs (bondi junction or close). The cost of living is really high, particularly housing. It seems the rent for a decent 1 bedroom apartment would be 550-600 aud/week. Being alone, I am concerned about how much I would need to earn to live comfortably. I need to go back to Europe to see my family 1x/year, spend some time socializing here, save money. Nothing special, certainly not spending like crazy. What would you recommend ? would 100,000 aud not including super /yearly be enough ? Thanks

Thanks for the tips. I am thinking about becoming a freelance contractor as it's something I have been thinking for a while.. Any advice will be welcome.

I am working in IT. I guess work is concentrated in the CBD, macquarie park and possibly parramatta.

Hi, I am moving to Sydney in February with a skilled immigrant visa. What should I do first : look for a job or look for an accommodation ? I'm thinking about looking first for a job but if it takes too much time I will have not enough time to look for an apartment before the end of my stay in a serviced apartment. Moreover after having accepted a job I will have less time to look for an accommodation, visits, etc. and from what I have read here it's not easy.. What did you do if you came here without having first a job offer ? Thanks

Hi, How long does it take generally in Sydney to get access to a housing when you have agreed to rent it ? ( the time between the housing is made available for rent and when the current tenant leaves). It seems to be very short in Sydney, maybe because of high demand but where I live it can easily take more than a month. Thanks

Hi all, I plan to move to Sydney in february '15. I will need to find a job (IT) and some place to live. Do you think staying in a serviced appartment for 7 or 8 weeks would be enough ? I'm a bit scared to be "short" on the duration and maybe need more time to settle, or maybe I am a bit pessimistic ? What is your experience ? Can you extend your short-term stay if you need it ? Is it too early to book this short-term rental ? Any advice on how to negotiate on the costs ? Finally, I still wonder about how to get an internet connection when I have arrived. I really will need this for my research. Either I rent an appartment with an internet connection or I buy a usb dongle with some data plan. Which one is the best according to you and your experience ? Thanks

Hi all, I am looking into how to move my stuff to Sydney - I do not have that much, mainly clothes, computer, items expensive or difficult to replace, etc.. No furnitures, tv,... I am considering using 7seas as they seem to be reliable and not too expensive. The questions I have are : - What should I use for delivery address ? I will stay in an appartment when I arrive for a few weeks before I find something to rent on a long term basis. Should I use this temporary rental address or rather have my boxes stored and then move them myself after I have found somewhere to live ? - I have a wood sculpture that I will take with me. Will it be accepted ? I know Australia is very serious with the risk of importing objects from plants, trees, etc. Anyone did that before ? Thanks in advance !

Thanks for the answers. That will be beginning of February then. I'm a bit impatient and .. scared.