Houses & Apartments in Australia

Apartments in Australia -  The majority have 2 bedrooms with 1 and 3 bedrooms more difficult to find and 4 or 5 bedrooms almost impossible to find. Most apartments are bought as investment properties and are leased to people who are not able to afford to buy their own property. Also, some older people prefer to live in flats and not capable of doing the gardening, cleaning and maintenance that a house requires. Because most  young people don't live with their parents over the age of about 18, they get a job, get some friends together and rent a flat sharing the rooms between them. Most of the apartments work like a dancing dinner with people moving in and out many times a year depending on where their jobs are, or depending on how terrible it is to live with that person/those people. Most  Australians rent a flat as a bridge between the actual circumstances and the future and the ones who rent to them (the landlords) are already in the future, so they make an stable income from that rent. In reality there are many factors that make  Australians prefer an apartment instead a house. Young people don't like to do gardens, cooking at home or cleaning . They prefer to have their time after work or study, to have fun and enjoy life, so why get a house that creates extra work? Living in an apartment can be restricting however! Sometimes the generation gap can be obvious - such as hearing someone playing Vivaldi on your left side and Techno music on the right!

Houses in Australia - We have already discussed some peoples' preference to living in a  house in Australia. Houses represents and symbolizes the true Australian way of life. It is a dream to be pursued and a dream to be conquered. It represents the security and financial stability for the future. If you go to a party or friends reunion and the average age of the party is above  30 the conversation probably will circle around Work, Rugby Game, sometimes about sex, but mainly, on the bloody House. The talk will be about each one's mortgage, interest rates, refurbishment and so on. Having a paid off home in Australia is one of the symbols of social status and in any Australian city if you remove the Real Estate Section in the Local newspaper, the newspapers become thin as a piece of cardboard. The housing sector in Australia moves billions of dollars annually and employs a large number of Australians in civil construction. I think (without deep knowledge of the subject) that 40% of employed Australians at the moment work around or about a house or apartment. Plumbers, Electricians, Painters, Gardeners, Cabinet makers, pool maintenance, roof specialists , cleaners, and so on. 80% of the houses in Australia are 3 bedrooms, 15% 4 bedrooms, and 5%  5bedrooms +. Most of them have a nice backyard and a single or double lock up garage. A piece of trivia, in 2003 the valuation of some houses in Australia rose by as much as 55%.

Rent of Houses & Apartments in Australia - Are by week or fortnight, and references are requested by most Real Estate Agents. The payment of the rent is made in advance. ( 2 weeks  in advance). Another thing that is charged is the BOND. The bond is a deposit you make equivalent to 4 weeks of rent and will be given back to you after you finish your rent contract. It may be used by the proprietor in case you damage the property, break something inside, or clean the carpet and walls in case you don't do it before you leave. When you leave the property, it is expected that you leave it in a good condition to be re-rented immediately, or you can say goodbye to your Bond. Usually it is the responsibility of the Landlord ( the person who rents to you or the Real Estate) to fix any damages on the property caused by natural use. For example: Toilet's flush and valves, stove not working, water leakage, doors that don't close or lock..etc... By the time you rent the premises, it is wise and recommended to write down every little thing that is not ok, even a small scratch on the wall, any cracked glass, curtains with spots, nails in the wall, bad paint, spotted or dirty carpets, or anything that you think is relevant. Each person on the lease has to sign and you keep a copy with you for the future. Most apartment complexes  include the Body corporate tax = condominium, and sometimes they include pool and garden maintenance. Anyway the best thing you can do is ask to make sure of what is offered and what is not and get all that staff beautifully written in the rent contract.

Short Term Rentals in Australia -  Consists usually of 1 or 2 bedroom units fully furnished having everything necessary to live almost as a king (or Queen) They are rented by the week or by a previous arranged period of time, from 2 weeks to 3 months more or less. It is important to know if during peak holiday periods the rent will rise or not. Most of these properties have a place in the garage to park your car.  Prices start from A$ 200 (1 bedroom flat) to A$ 600 (4 or 5 bedroom home with swimming pool and garage for 2 vehicles) The electricity in most contracts are included in the price. Here in Australia, some of these apartments for short term rentals are also known as Holiday Units.

Long Term Rentals in Australia -  Most of them are rented without furniture only with a stove, usually electric. The contracts are from 3 months but more commonly rent contracts are for 6 months and one year. Big houses are very easy to find due to the high cost for Australians to afford. The average prices for a week of rent are: Apartments 1-3 bedroom ( A$ 200 - 320) . Houses: 3 - 5 bedrooms (A$ 280 - A$ 600). If renting apartments long term, body corporate fees are usually included in the rental price, but the electricity is not. 

Properties to Buy in Australia - Start from A$150 thousand for a 1 bedroom apartment. A house of 3 bedrooms or an apartment of the same size costs about A$ 350 thousand depending on the location. As a base to figure out the values,  A$ 120,000 per room and  1/1000 for the rent. That means if I pay A$ 240 per week, I know the sale price of the property will be around A$ 240 thousand. Foreigners may purchase  property in Australia but it does not mean you have an automatic visa to live in Australia. The period shown on the visa is what really matters.

Important Notice: yesaustralia.com has changed in January 2007 into a newer and more comprehensive  website  www.portaloceania.com The English version on the new website is not completed yet, so we recommend to stick with this one for a while.