Making an offer on a house

[Parley]

In the unlikely event that a rogue Estate Agent does steal your money you will get compensated via a state body.

This is actually happening at the moment with LJ Hooker in Melbourne where a franchisee seems to have misplaced a lot of money from her clients.

 

They are being reimbursed through Consumer Affairs.

 

Obviously people need to have confidence in the system or the whole system can collapse.

 

There are always some crooks in every industry in every country. Whether Australia has more than the UK, who would know ?

[Zack]

It's the biggest problem Australian Courts have to deal with 79% of cases are involving.Nieghborhood Disputes.The Rule of thumb i go by.Is don't buy next to Aussies that don't look after there gardens,barking dogs,another clue,look out for broken windows,lots of seating table on the deck,and beer bottles In the Long Grass.Another Tip Watch Out For Dirt Bikes,And Heavy oil stains on the drive. It's the hardest thing to find in Australia Nice Quiet Neighbours. Good Luck,If u are on the sunshine coast i have just the house for you! Quiet Peaceful in a rural setting 5 min. drive to town.

[Wa7]

So now we've found a house that we like, is in budget and we're the only offer. However, of course things aren't that simple. Are my concerns below warranted or am a being an outrageous snob?

 

We went over to the house today, and had more of a look round. There were 2 dogs that sounded pretty large almost constantly barking next door. At first I put it down to the fact we are new voices and they probably feel threatened. It continued for 20 minutes or so as we were at the house so I peered into the back yard of the house next door. The yard is pretty messy, with quite long grass and bare patches all over it. The front yard is also quite messy. One of the dogs seems to be a PitBull or something similar.

 

On the previous inspection, I noticed the somewhat messy yard but didn't hear any dogs.

 

As we left the house, there was a young bloke jump starting his truck. Maybe in his early twenties. I went over to ask about the internet (he lived next door) and he seemed a bit of a bogan. I'm now worried that we might end up living next door to a bit of a nightmare family. The area is known for being fairly middle class but still that bogan element.

 

Am I being very judgmental here? I really don't care if they are a bit bogan, it's the image you see of neighbours suffering all night parties and dealing with noise all day long that bothers me. It'll be our first house with a baby on the way in September so maybe this is making me being overly cautious. Would be interested to know others experience with this and whether it's normal when looking to purchase your first home in a new country.

 

It wouldn't be something I would be looking at ideally but if you are going to go for it atleast give a VERY VERY cheeky offer and stick to your guns. All the negatives you have pointed out probably mean they won't have a lot of interest and if it goes pear shaped atleast you may get a bit of a bargain.

[Gbye grey sky]

I would also be concerned about where dogs like this are kept at night. If left outside any animal movement such as a cane toad or possum could set them off barking. Given what you have described I would run a mile.

[Parley]

You could try tactfully trying to talk to other neighbours in the street and see what they say.

Maybe if the bogans are renters rather than owners it could be a short term problem anyway.

 

If in doubt I would probably walk away as having bad neighbours would have a huge impact on your quality of life as a home owner.

[Skippy1]

+1............If in doubt...........walk away.....always go with your gut...........there will always be another House

[Paul2412]

Well, we went to speak with both neighbours which I'd recommend doing if you are in doubt. On one side they seemed very friendly and on the other (the side we were worried about) appear to be an older couple who are perfectly friendly. Having been round to the house several times, the dogs are no noisier than anywhere else and when the owners are home do not make a sound.

 

When we are in the house for a few months I'll provide an update on whether it was the right choice or not :-)