Guest GSXRDAVE Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Ive been emailing real estate agents to book viewings for when we get there and not one of them has replied. Has anyone else done this before arriving, ive been on the real estate.au website and it just seems to be a waste of time. Hope i can find an estate agent when i get there who will let me view propertys.:arghh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taffy 62 Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 The only thing I can suggest is focus on the area that you will be moving too, look on web in yellow pages for real estate agents in that area. Then phone them ( I know it could be expensive) or E-mail their office direct, as real estate is abit slow. Tell them the date you will be arriving and tell them to organise viewings for when you are there. It will be hard as if there are tennants in they have to give them 24 hours notice and most properties go early as they get advertised up to 1 month before coming on market. In Brisbane theres www.seqrents.com.au We used these and secured a house before we came as at least that way we had an address for our furniture to go to. Maybe Sydney has something like this, that way youve got somewhere to go and then you can look for something else. Another option would be check out www.wotif.com.au and stay in a furnished apartment whilst you give yourself a few weeks to get something. or www.big4.com.au have good caravan parks where you could get a nice 3 bed cabin or something. That way you wont have to double up on kettle toaster plates beds etc whilst waiting for your stuff. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhug Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 There really is no need to book viewings in advance. Most agents do open viewings a couple of times a week, so just call them when you get here. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minlady Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Ive been emailing real estate agents to book viewings for when we get there and not one of them has replied. Has anyone else done this before arriving, ive been on the real estate.au website and it just seems to be a waste of time. Hope i can find an estate agent when i get there who will let me view propertys. I did this when we were moving out and like you got no responce at all..... when we arrived in perth i realised why.... here in perth most real estate agents like you to do a 'drive by' first... with this in mind you are expected to drive by and view from the outside... if you do this and realise the area is not to your liking then you are not 'waisting their time' by arranging a viewing. also most agents do open house viewing.... ie only open the house up on certain days/for an hour... where anyone who has done the 'drive by' can then go and have a look inside... they know this as once you have done the 'drive by' you then have to register your intentions with them ..... :arghh: in perth rental is getting hard to get hold of so the properties go quickly and therefore the ones you like the look of will have been taken by the time you arrive! its very annoying and totally over the top in my opinion.... the agents i have met here have a real 'air of importance' about them...and even when you try and talk to them..you have to get past their receptionist first!!! lol.... they certainly feel they hold the upper hand!!! once you like the property you have to fill out forms...get references etc etc... once you get the property you have to have to allow them to inspect it within the first 6 weeks of you getting the keys and then every 3 months thereafter... needless to say we broke our rentle lease asap and now own our own house!!! lol it may be different where you are heading... but just thought i'd share our experiences GOOD LUCK! min x:wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MarcSkinner Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 I've just gone through the rental process in Sydney. The best websites to use are realesate.com.au or domain.com.au. They will show all available rentals including private adverts. I would wait until you are here and phone the agents directly to arrange a viewing. They will usually do this at short notice and so there is no rush to organise this before you leave. I would also recommend doing a 'drive-by' viewing first as some aspects, like being on a main road are not always obvious from the details on the web site. The rental market is currently very strong and there is a paucity of good properties available at all ends of the market. This may be why you are getting no response from agents as they may have far more prospective tenants than properties. It has even been in the news recently with tenants showing up on the Open Day and literally fighting over properties that are at the bottom end of the market. As you can predict, this has meant that rentals have been going up at significantly more than inflation in recent months. So unless you are coming from London, prepare yourself for how expensive Sydney is. I found that the properties which are currently listed are either over priced or have not been well maintained and so are sticking. The good properties, which are fairly priced seemed to be rented very quickly, so you will have to keep your eye out for new listings and also be patient. Having said that, we managed to find a fantastic house (after viewing 30+ houses in various suburbs)which was within our price range. The application process was straightforward. You place a deposit (one week’s rent) with your application and once the landlord banks this, he cannot accept an application from someone else (so there is no gazumping in rentals). Once references have been checked, the tenancy agreement is signed along with 4 weeks rent as deposit, which MUST be lodged with the Bond board, rather than being kept by the landlord or agent. We moved in last Friday and are currently camping in the lounge with borrowed camping gear whilst our container clears quarrantine (a painful 2 week wait!). Hope all of this helps and good luck in the house hunting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Silol Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 We were very fortunate to have friends we were moving nearby to. However, they did a viewing for us and we did not like the property! That motivated us smartly and we then got searching the net for the rentals in the area, came up with 3 or 4, which we e-mailed to them telling them what we did and didn't like about each one and specifiying that the first one met our criteria (4 bed, double gge, 2 loos on reasonable size). We also checked out on maps.google.com and you can click steet view and it's as though you're walking down the street - can view from the outside, check the neighbouring properties, go down the road, etc. It's really good. They did the viewing for us and although there were a lot of people viewing, we just had favour and were first on that list. We scanned and e-mailed documents and faxed others for our application from the UK. It was approved using all the criteria they asked for ( a lot of documentation and a lovley UK reference from our wonderful landlords there). We collected the keys on the day we arrived, but were so jetlagged we collapsed at our friends anyway for the first night and moved in second day. We are thrilled. It's more than we hoped for. Hopefully our stuff will be released next week as I'm longing for my kitchen stuff, bedding and something to sit on in the lounge! But we're LOVING it here! All the best and I hope you find a solution soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Hi One thing to realise is that the rental market is so tight (well in Melbourne it is) that the agents don't need to come chasing you or replying to emails, and like you have found out by sending an email you don't get anywhere. Like one of the other posters has said, look for the OFI (Open for inspection days) if they are for when you have arrived then go and view the property then, if they are prior to your arrival then I probably wouldn't bother because they will have probably gone. If you have set your heart on a specific house then you need to call the agents direct, don't leave a voicemail or a message as they will not get back to you. Agents don't like to deal with anyone overseas so this is another reason why they probably won't get back to you. Good luck with your search and I am sure once your here things will be different, just remember to chase them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lj walker Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Hi, Can anyone tell me how you go about getting references?. We are selling our house in uk and hope to rent for a year or so in redcliffe area. Lisa x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Hi,Can anyone tell me how you go about getting references?. We are selling our house in uk and hope to rent for a year or so in redcliffe area. Lisa x We had short term furnished lets for 2 months while our stuff came over ad got ref s from the landlords we had uk ones as we sold our house and rented for a bit but the uks were as much use as a chocolate fireguard Mally from Kally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 9, 2008 Share Posted October 9, 2008 Hi Lisa Most people take out a short term furnished let when they arrive, usually for around 4 weeks from a relocation/ meet and greet company. These people then provide you with a reference and help in getting a long term rental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard and carole Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Hi THere, It's really hard to get a good one and when you do the only way for us keeping it secure was to pay upfront 6 months in advance and this is why we got it!! There were loads of applications and i thought, Money Talks and it did, the people who let it to us where really happy we did this too. All round win. Good Luck Carole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Hi THere, It's really hard to get a good one and when you do the only way for us keeping it secure was to pay upfront 6 months in advance and this is why we got it!! There were loads of applications and i thought, Money Talks and it did, the people who let it to us where really happy we did this too. All round win. Good Luck Carole. Hi Carole Was this in Victoria? As by law they are not allowed to accept 6 moths payment in advance? Some do unfortunately:err: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard and carole Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Hiya, No Brisbane. Didn't realise they had different Laws in different states! But we were told to offer this way and it worked for us. Carole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lj walker Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Many thanks yorkshirepom & movingtomelbourne. Still a little while yet before we go but so many questions... Lisax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Hiya, No Brisbane. Didn't realise they had different Laws in different states! But we were told to offer this way and it worked for us. Carole Hi, yes different states have different rules. It's great that it worked for you and I know of people in Melbourne who have been succesful by offering the money up front, tut tut to the agents but hey if it helps get expats a house thats fine by me:jiggy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 10, 2008 Share Posted October 10, 2008 Rule of thumb is if youve no job offer 3 or 6 months upfront ,I advise clients to offer 3 months upfront rather than 6 ,its worked every time so far. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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