I post in another forum and when people are moving to our city we ask that they fill out this info to try to help the forum field better advice so . . . i'll introduce myself
When are you moving - late December/early January
Where are you coming from - Philadelphia, PA, USA
Why are you moving - grad school at UNSW (the Kensington campus)
Where will you be working - i hope to focus on my studies but if i do work part-time it'll probably be on or near campus.
Have you been here yet - yes, I was there 6 months ago and spent two weeks split between Sydney and Melbourne.
Will you buy or rent? - rent, for sure.
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? n/a
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? - this isn't really important. We live in a townhouse now (what you guys call "terraced housing") so we're used to having a bit more privacy than an apartment bldg. would afford but it'll be temporary so the other issues cary more weight.
How much can you spend? - I know places there rent by the week and that Sydney can be outrageously expensive but, we spend about $1300/month on a 5 bedroom townhome that measures about 190 sq. meters. I'd be happy with 80-100 s/m if I could stay close to that price. I'm willing to spend more if it means being able to bike to campus or at least within 15-20 minutes by bus or train.
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? - not important
Are you married or single? Do you have children? - married with a toddler
Do you prefer public or private schools? - n/a she won't be starting for school for another 2 years. and thank goodness. We were quoted $8000 for a year of public school.
Do you have pets? - yes, but they'll be staying stateside.
Do you want or need a yard? - it would be nice for the wee one but not important for us city folk. A nearby park/playground is just as important.
Are you keeping a car? - no. we don't have a car now and would prefer to live somewhere we didn't need one.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? - we live on a busy street with a bus route now so it wouldn't bother us much but it would also be nice to be someplace that's just a little less noisy but still a close walk to shops and a pub or two.
What do you want to be closest to?
in this order -
Work/School
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Train or subway stations
Shopping
Nightlife
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Some Melbourne friends took us to the "hood" in Melbourne - Footscray and, quite honestly, it's a lot like where we live now and we're not intimidated by that at all. We'd actually prefer it to living around a bunch of (to borrow the Aussie expression) "yobbos"
My wife will most likely be working in or near the CBD and I'll be going to the University in Kensington so, ideally we'd live at one end or the other or somewhere in between.
This is a typical street in our neighborhood
1345 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA - Google Maps
And this is the main shopping street a few blocks away
1687 E. Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA - Google Maps
Thanks in advance for your help!
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