The Brand New PIO Parents Visa thread

[SusieRoo]

3 hours ago, Fisher1 said:

I think the correction is already beginning in Sydney - another reason we bought the smallest place we could live with. I've been watching Sydney prices since way before we left the UK and have noticed a slight but definite drop since we arrived eight months ago. 

Something else to beware of when buying is … the estate agents!   I don't know what they are like elsewhere but we had a bad experience with an agent who kept refusing our offers on a house until we reached our limit and gave up! He then waited a few days and rang us saying that the sellers were keen to sell and might just consider an offer just a couple of thousand higher than ours. It was quite satisfying to be able to tell him we had already exchanged contracts on another property. The house with the higher price tag then sat on the market for a further three weeks, had two more open days and then sold for thirteen thousand dollars less than we had offered … you have been warned!

I know in the uk now there is a legal requirement for all offers to be submitted to the seller. I guess it's different in Australia and sound like karma in your case. When you go to an open day, do you get to speak directly to the seller, or is it all handled by the estate agent? We always try and deal directly if we can (or by email with the seller/buyer) but it's not something everyone is comfortable with.

I know there has been talk of a property slow-down for a few years and it's interesting to read that you have noticed it in Sydney. Maybe the visa delay has a silver lining after all. 

[LindaH27]

Hmm Im not so sure about possible downturn in Sydney prices. I was there from December last year to March this year and spent quite a bit of time with my family looking at bigger houses or houses with big gardens for possible granny annexe. Maybe it depends on the area but prices near them were NOT going down.  We went to a few auctions to gauge the way things were and to be honest they were finally selling for more than the agents guide prices! I think I would have to stay in the car if they were going for one . The auctions scared me silly!! So much more civilised to deal with sellers direct or via agent but please no auctions!! 

[Zaki]

Ahem ahem Tomorrow F. R. I. Y. A.Y

[Merryweather]

Keep it real, Zaki!!

[ant111]

4 hours ago, LindaH27 said:

Hmm Im not so sure about possible downturn in Sydney prices. I was there from December last year to March this year and spent quite a bit of time with my family looking at bigger houses or houses with big gardens for possible granny annexe. Maybe it depends on the area but prices near them were NOT going down.  We went to a few auctions to gauge the way things were and to be honest they were finally selling for more than the agents guide prices! I think I would have to stay in the car if they were going for one . The auctions scared me silly!! So much more civilised to deal with sellers direct or via agent but please no auctions!! 

According to the news and Corelogic Sydney prices fell by 1% by the end of 2017 but this will be in general and it will depend on the burb and personal experiences.

Melbourne in general in 2017 seemed to increase by about $40000 a quarter generally but has stabilised to 3% per annum. It rippled to currently be at 8- 12% in the south west burbs an hour from the CBD- city centre.

All housing near the capital cities is expensive but half hour to an hour away it can be more affordable. It's us Northerners that will struggle but it's still doable for most of us.

[ant111]

20 hours ago, Ian Ireland said:

I agree wholeheartedly about exchange rate. It’s making the whole experience into an even worse nightmare. Goodness only knows where it’s all headed this time. Sterling seems to be the punch bag of the traders. 1.75 at time of writing after a real hammering yesterday. The cause was Italy with Brexit thrown in for good measure. The financial journals are predicting a rough June but it’s knowing what to do that’s the problem. If only we knew where it was headed and how low. I’m tempted to stick some more over at 1.75 or thereabouts.  

I would, but then I did a risk assessment last November and with the pressure mounting changed at $170.40. It soon went up to $185. Id say anything above $1.70 Is ok and relieves the stress. A Emu in the hand is better than two in the bush.

[ant111]

14 hours ago, VERYSTORMY said:

For those thinking of building.

A few tips, based on our build in WA:

There is no such thing as a house and land package. That is just a marketing ploy by the house builders who look at the plots available and compare what designs they have that would fit on it, then call it a package. In reality, you buy the land and appoint the builder separately.

Be careful with turn key packages and thinking it will include everything. Once you have signed the contract, you will start the "pre start" process. This is a lot of fun, where you have several weeks to chose everything that will by built from the kitchen to the brick colour. However, they will send you the details of your options and these can be fairly limited to what is in the inclusive price, then there will be a lot more options that will cost extra. You will then attend the "pre start" meeting which is basically an all day meeting to go through your choices. One of the big things is to decide where you want all your electrical points. This is important as in that "all inclusive" price, is only one electrical point per room. Obviously not practical, so the rest are extras you will pay for. We hadn't very good package, which the company abandoned shortly after we signed up because they realised it would send them bust, but even with that, expect to have $10 - 20k of extras. 

When choosing plots and developments, do make sure you consider things like surrounding infrastructure, ease of commutes, how nice surrounding areas are and the value of the houses there. Are the nearby areas "nice" or rough? Look at the tyre marks on the roads to see if hooning is an issue. 

From our perspective at least in VIC I will add that it can take up to two years to get the land title because of contract clauses. The earliest you can start building is about nine months . My nephew moved into his new house after three years. Wife's hairdresser after three and a half. 

My experience of inclusions and extras has been positive. Its best choosing builders that have good reviews or are recommended . There does seem good consumer protection laws here but better be safe than sorry

[ant111]

6 hours ago, SusieRoo said:

I know in the uk now there is a legal requirement for all offers to be submitted to the seller. I guess it's different in Australia and sound like karma in your case. When you go to an open day, do you get to speak directly to the seller, or is it all handled by the estate agent? We always try and deal directly if we can (or by email with the seller/buyer) but it's not something everyone is comfortable with.

I know there has been talk of a property slow-down for a few years and it's interesting to read that you have noticed it in Sydney. Maybe the visa delay has a silver lining after all. 

It could be a silver lining 're exchange rates too. 'Keep Calm and Carry On comes to mind . Lol

[LindaH27]

18 minutes ago, ant111 said:

I would, but then I did a risk assessment last November and with the pressure mounting changed at $170.40. It soon went up to $185. Id say anything above $1.70 Is ok and relieves the stress. A Emu in the hand is better than two in the bush.

I've been there when the Exchange rate a few years ago was $1.40 and again when I got nearly $2, so anything around or above $1.70 Im happy with. Although I did manage to send some over at $1.82 a couple of weeks or so ago. 

[SusieRoo]

I’ve been watching the exchange rate for a while. Brexit news is constantly the big driver, there always seems to be a slump before key deadlines, then a rise when a new agreement is reached.

The next major date is October and it is very likely the exchange rate will dip further before recovering back towards 1.85 after this event.

[nyorksgrannie]

Hi Susieroo,  having just gone through several months of going to open days (central coast NSW) you do not meet the owners. We looked before we had our residency to get an idea of areas and prices and have now bought, we have not met the owners so not had the opportunity to discuss anything. It is very much ‘buyer beware’ here in that people do extensions but having got planning permission don’t get it ‘signed off’ and council offices records are poor. When we said to our conveyancer we wouldn’t be able to get insurance in the UK in those circumstances we were told many people don’t have insurance in Australia!  We had seven days from signing reservation contract with small deposit to get surveyors, pest inspectors, round (which only give a little reassurance as they can not lift carpets/flooring etc and cover themselves for anything they might not have spotted). We then had to pay balance of deposit (non returnable) and completion is usually 42 days from then. We found the estate agent very helpful, we had met several times at other open house days (which incidentally are only open for 30 mins on a Saturday so it is often a mad charge round from one property to another). We had put in an offer for our house within the price guide given,  and had it accepted but before we got to conveyancer to sign the contract another offer came in which the agent had to inform the seller of. We then had a best offer by noon situation which we fortunately won but at quite a bit more money.  Sellers here do not have a document to complete like in the UK which discloses who owns boundaries, whether there have been disputes, whether anything has guarantees, has it been re-wired, etc etc - it is all done pretty quick but seems to us rather risky. I don’t know if it is different in other states.

I know you were also interested in buying land or a new build, we had thought of doing this but blocks that came on the market were either extremely steep, heavily wooded (which we would not have been allowed to remove) or very narrow. The ones with a new build package were not in areas we wanted to live and on huge housing estates with little space between the houses although some had nice interiors it depends what you want.  You may have much more luck where you are aiming for but here in central coast many Sydney-siders are moving to the area for better quality of life and more affordable housing which has pushed up demand and prices. Good luck with it all, you are right to research as much as you can. 

 

 

 

[Marisawright]

12 hours ago, SusieRoo said:

I know in the uk now there is a legal requirement for all offers to be submitted to the seller. I guess it's different in Australia and sound like karma in your case. When you go to an open day, do you get to speak directly to the seller,

In Australia you never, ever, ever get to speak directly to the seller.  

[Marisawright]

11 hours ago, LindaH27 said:

Hmm Im not so sure about possible downturn in Sydney prices We went to a few auctions to gauge the way things were and to be honest they were finally selling for more than the agents guide prices! 

Er - yes, they always do. The agent's guide price is always an under-estimate.  It's not supposed to be, and some state governments have legislated to try to stop the practice, but it's still rife.  In Sydney, if an agent tells you the guide price is $800,000, it's quite likely to sell for a million.  Melbourne is much the same.

The rationale is that the agent wants you to turn up at the auction, and he's banking on you getting caught up in the excitement and bidding way over your limit. He's not bothered whether you can afford it.  

That's at auction.  If it's for sale, then it's the opposite - you'd expect to offer less than the asking price.  

House prices are dipping by a few percent - but they've soared so much in recent years,  I don't think it would make much difference.

@ant111 - you'd have to travel much longer than half an hour to get cheap housing.  Half an hour from the city centre in Melbourne or Sydney is still in the middle of trendy suburbs.  Expect a commute of an hour or so to get something reasonable.  

Edited June 1, 2018 by Marisawright

[Rosiejaq]

·  OFFSHORE APPLICANTS (subclass 143/173)

When your application is allocated to an assessing officer, you or your authorised contact may be asked to provide more documents, including but not limited to, Assurance of Support (subclass 143 only), police certificates and health clearances to finalise your application. 

We are currently assessing applications lodged up to and including 5 May 2015.

 

i should think we are all breathing a sigh of relief that it’s moved for once!  Come on August

[SusieRoo]

12 hours ago, nyorksgrannie said:

Hi Susieroo,  having just gone through several months of going to open days (central coast NSW) you do not meet the owners. We looked before we had our residency to get an idea of areas and prices and have now bought, we have not met the owners so not had the opportunity to discuss anything. It is very much ‘buyer beware’ here in that people do extensions but having got planning permission don’t get it ‘signed off’ and council offices records are poor. When we said to our conveyancer we wouldn’t be able to get insurance in the UK in those circumstances we were told many people don’t have insurance in Australia!  We had seven days from signing reservation contract with small deposit to get surveyors, pest inspectors, round (which only give a little reassurance as they can not lift carpets/flooring etc and cover themselves for anything they might not have spotted). We then had to pay balance of deposit (non returnable) and completion is usually 42 days from then. We found the estate agent very helpful, we had met several times at other open house days (which incidentally are only open for 30 mins on a Saturday so it is often a mad charge round from one property to another). We had put in an offer for our house within the price guide given,  and had it accepted but before we got to conveyancer to sign the contract another offer came in which the agent had to inform the seller of. We then had a best offer by noon situation which we fortunately won but at quite a bit more money.  Sellers here do not have a document to complete like in the UK which discloses who owns boundaries, whether there have been disputes, whether anything has guarantees, has it been re-wired, etc etc - it is all done pretty quick but seems to us rather risky. I don’t know if it is different in other states.

I know you were also interested in buying land or a new build, we had thought of doing this but blocks that came on the market were either extremely steep, heavily wooded (which we would not have been allowed to remove) or very narrow. The ones with a new build package were not in areas we wanted to live and on huge housing estates with little space between the houses although some had nice interiors it depends what you want.  You may have much more luck where you are aiming for but here in central coast many Sydney-siders are moving to the area for better quality of life and more affordable housing which has pushed up demand and prices. Good luck with it all, you are right to research as much as you can. 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to help with this info.

We have been looking at property on new estates and although we like the style of the new open-plan homes, many seem too big for the block size. Also I worry about buying a new-development plot without knowing what size property is going to be built next door. Ideally we would like single story, but you see some smaller houses dwarfed by their neighbors on three sides.

It's a bit shocking to only get 30 mins to view when making such an important decision, not what we are used to here. Oh well, it's going to be an adventure!

[Zaki]

22 hours ago, Zaki said:

Ahem ahem Tomorrow F. R. I. Y. A.Y

We are currently assessing files lodged and including 05th May 2015  

[SusieRoo]

23 minutes ago, Rosiejaq said:

·  OFFSHORE APPLICANTS (subclass 143/173)

When your application is allocated to an assessing officer, you or your authorised contact may be asked to provide more documents, including but not limited to, Assurance of Support (subclass 143 only), police certificates and health clearances to finalise your application. 

We are currently assessing applications lodged up to and including 5 May 2015.

 

i should think we are all breathing a sigh of relief that it’s moved for once!  Come on August

Good jump forward also for temp to PR for 173 to 143 and 884 to 864, "We are currently assessing applications lodged up to 3 July 2017"

[MikenC]

40 minutes ago, Zaki said:

We are currently assessing files lodged and including 05th May 2015  

That’s good news but there is still a back log with the 2nd vac requests that don’t seem to be moving

[Kathss56]

On 31/05/2018 at 12:32, Merryweather said:

Well, I've taken Alan Collett's advice and emailed Peter Dutton - and his colleague Alan Tudge!!!!

 Also copied in Senator McKim

McKim’s office good at acknowledging and replying,lets see what the other 2 do!

[Kathss56]

Found this on an agents page

 

[Alan Collett]

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00683/Download

Here's the relevant Legislative Instrument.

Best regards.

[nyorksgrannie]

You can arrange a private viewing with an agent and the open to views on Saturdays usually run a few weeks as the early ones are often to assess what buyers think it is worth before they put a price on it, in fact if you are on an agents list they may invite you to an early viewing before on the market where only a couple of people view it and if a bid is offered that is acceptable it might be accepted it depends on the sellers circumstances. So don’t worry you will usually get more than 30 mins. I do know what you mean about houses too big for tbe block (plot) they seem to build almost up to the boundary fence even when it is a self build, which is partly why we went for an existing property that is on a decent sized block so we don’t feel so enclosed. Good luck.

 

[LindaH27]

10 minutes ago, Alan Collett said:

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018L00683/Download

Here's the relevant Legislative Instrument.

Best regards.

Unbelievable! 1500 fewer places!! Any idea how they are split between the different contributory visas? 

[Fisher1]

On 31 May 2018 at 23:09, SusieRoo said:

I know in the uk now there is a legal requirement for all offers to be submitted to the seller. I guess it's different in Australia and sound like karma in your case. When you go to an open day, do you get to speak directly to the seller, or is it all handled by the estate agent? We always try and deal directly if we can (or by email with the seller/buyer) but it's not something everyone is comfortable with.

I know there has been talk of a property slow-down for a few years and it's interesting to read that you have noticed it in Sydney. Maybe the visa delay has a silver lining after all. 

We found that all negotiations were through the agent and no contact was possible with the actual seller - i was very tempted to out a letter through the door of the house we missed commiserating with them over the loss of 13,000$ but thought better of it. some agents seem fairly straight but we guessed this particualr person was playing games - it was kind of obvious the claims of other buyers didnt ring true somehow - which is why we backed off. Incidentally, another trick we noticed in Sydney was photoshopping the details in the online ads. My daughter's flat was for sale complete with non-existant flowers and a patch of grass transformed into a smooth lawn!!!! Insane because as soon as you visit you see the reality ...

[Fisher1]

8 hours ago, SusieRoo said:

Thank you for taking the time to help with this info.

We have been looking at property on new estates and although we like the style of the new open-plan homes, many seem too big for the block size. Also I worry about buying a new-development plot without knowing what size property is going to be built next door. Ideally we would like single story, but you see some smaller houses dwarfed by their neighbors on three sides.

It's a bit shocking to only get 30 mins to view when making such an important decision, not what we are used to here. Oh well, it's going to be an adventure!

Yes we had to buy the house we ended up with in a hurry - there really was another offer on ours (we know because they shared the cost of the survey!) We viewed on Saturday, went back on our own on Sunday to look at the outside and met the owner by chance, had a chat. monday we surveyed and Tuesday exchanged contracts. Terrifying speed but it was a cheaper house so very desirable ... The others made a higher offer but our seller let our original accepted offer stand and sold to us ... Msybe the chat helped ... So some people are honest about it all and this particular agent was very good.