richselina Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Hi, we're soon to be coming to ACT and all we seem to do is keep looking at the internet at houses and areas to live in and really would appreciate some inside information. We're quite keen on some houses in Forde, Amaroo and the general Belconnen area, but get more confused each time my fingers hit the keyboard and that website is turned opened We would appreciate any guidance on these areas in general and other suburbs, both North and South that we should consider. Commuting time isn't a major issue as anything is going to be better than the daily commute into London each day that we endure at the moment. While our preferences are the more modern home, we want some space around us, so ideally want a slightly older property on a decent sized plot. We ideally are looking for a 4 bed property for ourselves and our six year old daughter. Schooling will be an important issue in finalising on an area. Our budget keeps changing depending on the house we see, but tops I don't want it to be more than $650-700K. Please help or my PC screen will be permanently have a shadow of realestateaustralia:) Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SandP Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Hi, we're soon to be coming to ACT and all we seem to do is keep looking at the internet at houses and areas to live in and really would appreciate some inside information. We're quite keen on some houses in Forde, Amaroo and the general Belconnen area, but get more confused each time my fingers hit the keyboard and that website is turned opened We would appreciate any guidance on these areas in general and other suburbs, both North and South that we should consider. Commuting time isn't a major issue as anything is going to be better than the daily commute into London each day that we endure at the moment. While our preferences are the more modern home, we want some space around us, so ideally want a slightly older property on a decent sized plot. We ideally are looking for a 4 bed property for ourselves and our six year old daughter. Schooling will be an important issue in finalising on an area. Our budget keeps changing depending on the house we see, but tops I don't want it to be more than $650-700K. Please help or my PC screen will be permanently have a shadow of realestateaustralia:) Thank you. Hi RichSelina If you want space you may be best to move away from teh newer suburbs such as Forde and Bonner as they are not huge plots. The more established suburbs have larger plots so if you want North maybe Belconnen would be favourite. You can get quite good plots in many of the suburbs is Belconnen but I don't know about the schools. I have friends who are in Bruce and send their girls in Brindabella which is a private school. They seem happy with it but the rents are more expensive. Have you tried allhomes.com.au it is slightly easier to use I think. You won't be able to get a property to rent until you get here anyway as you have to apply in person. We are in Ngunnawal which is in the North but older so has some reasonable sizes plots at not too bad costs but it isn't the poshest place in the world. We have actually bought a place as we didn't like renting but teh rents in our area are slightly cheaper. As for schooling there is a website called myschool.com.au which gives some idea of schools performances. Good luck with the search. S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Yes, dont bother with realestate.com.au for starters, go for http://www.allhomes.com.au instead, it has a larger selection. Big blocks and modern houses arent two words that usually go together though unfortunately. You might pick up a modernized house in one of the inner suburbs but generally the bigger blocks have been medium density-ized if the houses are modernized. Dont panic about the suburbs until you get there - driving around them you will probably go nah! not for me or Yay, why didnt I think of this one before? Dont panic about the schools either - you can take your time getting kids into school, no one will get their knickers in a knot if you dont have them in within a couple of months at least. Schools tend to reflect the suburbs so if you cant see yourself living in a suburb then you sure as hell wouldnt want to send your kid to school there. There is a parallel Catholic system if you dont like the govvie offerings and you still have time to put your name down for Radford or the Grammars for HS if that is what you are aiming for later on. You say that the commute wont matter - once you get into the Canberra mind set, I assure you, the commute WILL matter especially if you spend days on the GDE (although it is better now that it is being duplicated) so where you work will play a part. Basically, get yourself a holiday rental for a couple of months and take your time, then get in a car and drive around to see for yourself - those real estate sites are masters of deceit and can represent even a hovel as a palace! Check out the neighbours - if there are rusty Holdens on the nature strip then you probably want to keep your distance. When you do arrive, start from the place you will be working and work outwards until you find a place you like then take whatever you are offered in the melee which is the rental market. You say $650 -700k - you probably wont be buying straight up but renting I would think and you should get something for $700 a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Heart Eastcoast Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Hi, We lived in Canberra for 8 years and have just moved to WA. www.allhomes.com.au is the preferred website for all Canberrans - I highly recommend it. The areas you have listed are fine - they are up and coming new suburbs with lots of new infrastructure in the Gungahlin area (this incorporates suburbs such as Harrison, Franklin and new suburbs like Crace, Casey, Bonner, Forde). You should be able to get a new rental home starting from $500 p.w. Absolutely, positively make sure that it has HEATING! Do not let anyone tell you that you don't need it. You do. Central heating is best and should be fairly common. If you can get air-con as well, that's good, because it can get suprisingly hot. Driving from Harrison into the City should only take 15 minutes (its 12km away), even in "peak" times. There are lots of bus shelters, but I hear that the buses can be inconsistent with their service. Even if the house you get is on a small lot, this area has heaps and heaps of brand-new parks - walking distance from your home (I guarantee) all with brand-new play-equipment. This is where the "North" differs from the "South", as the South is older than these new north suburbs. You will also find people joke about being either "North" or "South" and how far it is to drive to the other. But each has its merits and everything in Canberra is only "30 minutes" by car. I prefer the North, because it is newer. The Gungahlin area has a great shopping centre including 3 major supermarkets, heaps of cafes/restaurants, 2 x gyms, at least 3 medical centres in the main street, lots of speciality shops and a state-of-the-art brand new library and lots more. You will probably find a lot more "Defence" personnel in this area, but Canberra is very transient in general, anyway. But lots of young families are drawn to this area for the housing affordability and amenities. The schools are quite good in Canberra. We have personally used the Harrison Primary School. It has great resources available to it. From experience, I can highly recommend the Executive Teacher for the junior years and the current female Principal and my son had a great Kindergarten teacher. The Bergmann Anglican schools must be good because people put their kids on the waiting lists when they are born. This is probably true of all the private schools. Be prepared to pay about $7,000 a year (I think) for schools like Radford. If you have more specific questions, please write back and I will respond. Good luck, Karyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sarahefyoung Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Hi! We ve just arrived and have chosen Harrison school as it goes through to year 10 and it fantastic, the school is 3 years old and has everything and more that you could need! We ve just secured a rental house in Harrison, you ll get a 4 bedroom for $600. It s a must to just drive around as some places are fab but there are lots of houses owned by government and military so empty for a lot of the time so check there are people living near you!! There are so many parks, lakes, cycle paths and open spaces you only really need an outdoor eating area! Good luck and give me a shout if you need any advice on anything! Sarah x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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