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Finding a Home Guide

Looking for a home in Sydney is easy as there are comprehensive websites and newspaper liftouts. Finding the property will not be a problem. To get around when you are looking you will need to have some transport. Exceptions will be if you utilise the services of a property broker who may transport you to view various properties.

Online

Online is by far the best way to find property in Sydney. Any listings in the newspaper have been online the day before, and in such a competitive market, you need to see new properties as soon as they list. They also contain comprehensive images of the street and surrounding areas.

There are three large real estate websites listing Sydney properties. All three list both properties for rent and for sale. You can search by price, suburb, type of property, and so on. It’s a very convenient place to make your first point of contact with agents, as usually properties are listed by them, before you even land in Australia.

On most of them you select the area, price range, other requirements and then submit the search.

  • http://www.realestate.com.au – Most popular and the most comprehensive.
  • http://www.domain.com.au – This website also has a sub-site which you can click through to called Domain Prestige, which will save you time when searching for top-end of the market properties.
  • http://www.realestateview.com.au – This site will allow you to inspect rental properties online, and set up alerts for properties and suburbs that may suit your needs.

Newspapers

Wednesdays and Saturdays are the main real estate days in the newspapers, and the best newspaper is the Sydney Morning Herald from any news agency or supermarket. It contains an entire liftout about Sydney property called “Domain”. Here you will find all of the show times for Houses, Townhouses and Apartments open for inspection, both for sale and for lease. Again, however, it is more beneficial to browse the listings online.

Real Estate Agents

Most agents in Sydney handle both sales and rental properties. They will tend to lease properties through their property management section which will be best placed to help you find rental accommodation. Decide on what you want in terms of size, location and price range, then ask the agent for their assistance. They will usually be able to let you know when suitable properties become available. Generally, real estate agents will meet you at the property you are interested in viewing, which means you will make your own way there.

Real Estate agents are 100% working on the side of the owners or person leasing the property. Keep this in mind when the agent is explaining the pros and cons of the property to you as the good points my be exaggerated and the downsides under-emphasized. Agents charge up to 10% fees on sales properties, but this paid by the owner, and for leasing the fee is equivalent of one week’s rent, this is paid by the renter.

The following agents are well known for their expertise in their areas of Sydney:

Real Estate Brokers/Buyer’s Agent

If you enlist the services of a real estate brokers when you are searching for a property to buy, they will generally charge you a set fee dependent on your estimated price range. It’s best to agree on this before they start. This can range from $1000 and up depending on the property. If you just need someone to act as your proxy at an auction, you may pay around $450. Brokers claim they will save you money and time, that they have access to properties not listed publicly, and that they are better equipped in negotiating a fair price for a property than their client could.

Here are a few Buyer Agents specialising in Sydney:

Top Tips

01 Consider your commute when choosing where to live. Look for convenient access to roads or public transport.
02 Entry to public schools is determined by where you live, so you’ll need to base your housing search on the school’s district.
03 Secondhand shopping for furniture, household items and other necessities is very popular. Garage sales and online classifieds can reduce your costs.
04 Sydney can be overwhelming and joining a local community group will help you meet people and make friends with common interests.
05 Overseas calling cards are the most economical way to talk with friends and family back home. You can talk for less than .05c a minute with some cards

Useful links

Interesting fact

Indigenous Australians make up just 0.6 per cent of Sydney’s population.
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