[the_parkster]

Hi all,

I have been viewing this forum for a few days now and I would like to thank all contributors, it has been a fantastic help to my family and I.

I am shortly coming to Sydney on a permanent work sponsored Visa. I will be coming for about 6 wks initially staying in a serviced apartment; my wife and 3 boys (15, 7 & 4) will then visit for 2wks and our aim will be to find a property to rent and make sure the move 'is right for us'.

They will return home and after about 4wks, I'll return to the UK also to wrap up all our affairs (incl. selling our UK property!) and then we will all return to Sydney. The plan is to rent a semi-furnished/furnished 3 bed apartment/house for 12 - 18mths and then look to purchase a property.

I am looking for advice on two topics really:

1. Location - I will be working in the city (Margaret St.), so need somewhere a) that is easily commutable and b) that has good schools and community.
2. Rentals - Any recommendations people can make on reliable/friendly property rental companies (looking to pay $2000 - $2500 per month for rental).

Any advice/guidance, my now fellow forum members can offer, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Andrew

[Sam66]

It is quite tricky to answer your question because I don't have an idea of the travel to work time that you have in mind. However if you are looking for a family friendly suburb then I would recommend, if you are happy with a commute of about 45 mins, places like Killarney Heights, Forestville, Frenchs Forest etc They are great family areas and only 15 minutes from the beaches & bush.

I suggest you have a look on realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au to see what is in your price range. The rentals will be from $550 to $700 a week. Also you can have a look at street view on google which will give an idea of what the street/area is like while you are still in the UK.

For travel to work time there is a good website http://www.131500.info/realtime/default.asp . This will give you an idea of how long it will take to commute from each location you are looking at.

Buses will take you straight into the centre in about 40 mins or if you live close enough to Killara Station you can take the train into the centre (about 30 mins train journey).

There are plenty of good state primary schools and Killara High, a state high school has an excellent reputation. It may be hard to enrol even if you are in the catchment area because of this. You would need to check with the school secretary for the exact zone and if there are places. I know there is a high school at Killarney Heights and the school website is here http://www.khhs.nsw.edu.au/. Oxford Falls Grammar is a Christian private school with reasonable fees so I have heard, and also has a good reputation.

[Thongs of Praise]

Getting rentals can be a bit like finding hens teeth these days. So you might not have the luxury of having a big choice.

When we first arrived we rented a modern townhouse. It was a bit overpriced, which meant it hadn't been snapped up quickly so we were able to get it and it was fine for us.

Since it's winter, it’s worth mentioning that a lot of the houses here have virtually no insulation and they get COLD in winter.

After a cool, cloudy day or two it feels really freezing inside and you'll be firing up the heating and still finding that you've got to wear extra layers of clothing. You can't understand how cold these houses are until you've lived in one. Some houses have insulation but not enough do.

If you can get a properly insulated rental, it's worth paying extra because they are SO much more comfortable in winter.

[Cliff]

It's difficult to get furnished long term accommodation in Australia compared with the UK. Furnished properties are usually let by the week and are very expensive compared to unfurnished.

If you are looking for furnished rentals then check out http://www.apartmentservice.com.au/. They have lots of furnished property but it is pricey.

You could also try http://www.servicedapartmentsonline.com.au/sydney/ or http://www.accommodationinsydney.com/ or http://www.rent-a-home.com.au.

Also gumtree sydney will have some private furnished short term rentals http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/.

It will be difficult to get a serviced appartment/house in your budget.

Have you thought about renting a furnished appartment/house for say a month and then moving into unfurnished accommodation? The savings you make in renting unfurnished will cover purchasing basic furnishings within a year.

[jimjams]

Funny to talk about a 45 minute commute. I was talking to a teacher from Sydney a few weeks back who was in the UK on a Christmas holiday. He works and his wife stays at home. The way they can afford to do this is that he lives out somewhere in or near? the Blue Mountains and commutes for hours every day. Doesn't sound much of a life to me, but it's what he wants.