JenPen Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 (edited) Hi Just wondered guys if you could give me an insight on how you decided on where to live? We obviously want to be close to good schools as we have two little ones….We also would like to be close to the City if we can (30 mins max) and preferably NOR as we know it better... But choosing an actual place to settle - how did you? Did you wait and stay in holiday accommodation and spend a few weeks looking around all the areas first, viewing schools etc and trying to work out which is nicest or did you research from home and jump right in? Whatever your pathway, if you are there already, did it work out OK or have you moved? THANK YOU MUCHLY Edited January 8, 2014 by JenPen typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beandownunder Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 this will be interesting Jenpen........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanFrako Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi Just wondered guys if you could give me an insight on how you decided on where to live? We obviously want to be close to good schools as we have two little ones….We also would like to be close to the City if we can (30 mins max) and preferably NOR as we know it better... But choosing an actual place to settle - how did you? Did you wait and stay in holiday accommodation and spend a few weeks looking around all the areas first, viewing schools etc and trying to work out which is nicest or did you research from home and jump right in? Whatever your pathway, if you are there already, did it work out OK or have you moved? THANK YOU MUCHLY JenPen you have the same criteria as me! Preferably NOR, Good schools, 30 mins from city max and close ish to the beach, although price range will determine how close we will get We are looking a Carine/Duncraig but I haven't been over so that may change when I get there. Hubby has been exploring as he works over there and likes Carine better but will depend on rentals available at the time I think. We are heading over in May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenPen Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 JenPen you have the same criteria as me! Preferably NOR, Good schools, 30 mins from city max and close ish to the beach, although price range will determine how close we will get We are looking a Carine/Duncraig but I haven't been over so that may change when I get there. Hubby has been exploring as he works over there and likes Carine better but will depend on rentals available at the time I think. We are heading over in May. aaah what are the odds hey? Yes Duncraig has been top of the list for a while…I moved to Quinns Rocks and Burns Beach but it is too far away from where I want to be, plus it would be a big commute to work, wherever that would be which is a definite no no! Not looked at Carine exactly. Mainly Duncraig, Hillarys, Padbury and started looking at Tapping as more for money and not too much further out. I do need the 4th bedroom and do not want to struggle for it. We are not going until the end of this year beginning of next but it cannot come soon enough. I would be really interested and appreciative of any info/what you decide/your thoughts etc etc. How old are your littlens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanFrako Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 We have two girls who will be 5 and 2 by time we get there. It's so difficult choosing a suburb as I'm adamant I don't want to move my eldest schools again as she is in primary one here in the uk. So we need to get it right first time - eek! We have friends in Marmion and kinross, but Marmion is too expensive and kinross is too far away, so like you we are trying to find something in the middle. What age are your kids? What do you do? I work in finance so will probably end up working in the city so want to be near the railway also. Wish I didn't have so many demands, it would be far easier!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenPen Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sounds like we are in exactly the same predicament - ours will be 5 and 2 by the time we are there and I need to get it right with my Daughter (5) as she has been moved about a lot since birth and I want to plant roots…she will have only done a term at school when we move so I am worried about that in itself - so we need to move and stay put! I am a Midwife (or I will be in Sept hence waiting until I qualify to move) so I have looked at the hospitals and locations and that is as far NOR I can go if I do not want a big commute. We are in late 20's/early 30's - I think it would be nice to stay in touch through our journeys and catch up when we are both there!? Do you have jobs to go to? Are you staying in holiday accom or with friends first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanFrako Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 We sound spookily similar, I will pm you just now.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz H Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 We liked the idea of NOR, when we went over to validate in August we stayed in a holiday rental In Ocean Reef for 2 weeks! Really nice area and the surrounding suburbs are great, Parks everywhere for the kids, quite pricey though. After that we decided NOR was for us. then managed to secure a job which is based in Wangara (again another tick in the box). so we were looking at anywhere from Duncraig up to Carramar to live. Fortunately we have managed to secure a long term rental in Tapping which is perfect really. hey presto!! all falling into place ready for us to arrive later this month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenPen Posted January 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Sounds amazing Gaz!! Thanks for sharing and well done…slipping into place indeed sounds perfect! Do you like Tapping then (obviously)? Looks nice to me as do the rentals I am just worried it might be a bit too far out….any idea on school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz H Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 The problem we had is when we drove around looking at the different suburbs most of them were equally appealing, but yes we really liked Tapping, close enough to beach, schools, shopping centre, Joondalup, golf courses. job done. Our 2 boys will probably go to Tapping Primary the eldest will start in pre-primary this year and the littlun will start kindy next year at the same school (gets good reviews). all sounds too good to be true, time will tell but sounds good to me! I suppose the main issue is where are you going to be working/commuting? and how far are you willing to travel every day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Mrs p doesn't drive and since she came out here alone at first she needed somewhere close to work. What we thought we wanted and what we actually wanted were two completely different things though. Transport links, proximity to local shops, cafe's and the beach are also more important than we first realised. Also, distances are difficult to judge if you haven't visited and since I thought I'd probably end up working in the city I was certain I didn't want to drive in. The issue regarding schools was difficult because I question the validity of means testing as a way of measuring the learning experience for my children. Academic subjects are largely irrelevant to us so ours was a search not for the school with the best results but the one that simply felt right. We had faith though in our feeling completely at home in Freo, a very creative hub in WA, that local schools might reflect that same vibe and it appears to be true. Had we sent our children to Perth's 'top performing' school, whatever that may mean, our children would have hated it, bummed out and it would have likely damaged their entire education. There are many benefits to driving around different areas for a look but it's very difficult to get any sense of community and whether there is a central hub. What is there for kids outside of school in the areas you like? What's it like at night? What are the people like in the local shops? Have a chat with them if you can. Community is probably the single most important factor for all of us, the feeling that we don't live in a house in a nice town but that we are part of the heart of the town and make a contribution to its wellbeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest9824 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 We chose the hills area, as we had visited many times over the years,and knew the area well. We knew it had an all girls school which my eldest was very keen on going to. I too like the idea of community, shops to walk to and cafe strip, schools close by, doctors, etc. ecclectic homes, larger blocks, thirty minutes by car to the city, 15 to the international airport, bus service to the city and Midland (where there is a train service), pretty much everything we could and would need to hand. I can walk to the shops from my home, or the local park which has numerous events on, from Jazz in thrnPark in summer months to Zig zag festival and bush dances. We have the Targa Rally runs through the Main Street, and various push bike comps. The Bibblumin Track is a famous walk which stretches all the way down south, starts at Kalamunda. We have a history village and a Water Park which has had a wonderful face lift. The hills aren't for everyone, but we feel like we have found our slice of heaven up here, the decision was an easy one really. Pea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesw Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Put a map of Perth on a dart board, closed my eyes and threw a dart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 An agent called to ask if we would be interested in a house that was a bit further out than we had been looking. It was day 13 of the 14 days of temp accommodation we had, so was going to consider anything. Turned out great and been in the house 5 years now and about to build a couple of streets away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkabout Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) We researched as much as we could from the UK, but then did the driving around looking at areas, seeing where we liked the feel of when we arrived. once we decided on where we thought felt good we looked at schools. Like Porty I completely think that you have to go on whether the school feels right for you and your kids and not results alone, and you cant do that until you go and look, chat to people there and see for yourself. we narrowed it down again from the school visits and then needed to find a rental in the catchments for the schools we liked. We were lucky and got one in the catchment for the school that we liked best. My advice would be that you do your best, give it your best shot to find the illusive 'right place', but dont beat yourself up about it if its not. I dont want to move the kids schools hundreds of times, but I do accept that I would rather move them than have them be miserable somewhere! PS it also needed to be somewhere that had places within budget, both for renting and possibly longer term buying Edited January 9, 2014 by Walkabout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraighttothePoint Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 We did not want to come from the UK, where we had debt, to a new place and have that same level of debt, increase it or be in a position where we had to keep increasing it. Our target was big picture stuff, i.e. initial low debt, low running costs, etc. with a view to being debt free quickly so we could fully maximise the benefits of the move. So our tactics were to look for suburb that had a house that we could "improve" over the years, that was within walking distance of a train station and shops, near an acceptable standrad school and a short drive (5 to 10 minutes) to a decent beach. Things we definately did not want to do was to rely on two cars, be a long way from our work places in case we spent hours on end each day travelling and also not being in a position where we needed to continually work our socks to service ever amounting debt. So far so good..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivera Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I did it all on gut feel. Okay other factors were important i.e. transport, shops, proximity to beach etc but I drove around a lot. I trusted my instinct. This doesn't feel right, this area's too built up, this is more promising..... I then had two intensive midweek days of driving round with the property paper and the UBD, with little squares of paper shoved between the pages. By the second afternoon, I had a pile of screwed up balls of paper in the passenger footwell from properties that I had dismissed from a cursory glance, when I pulled up outside the next contender on Thursday afternoon. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck begin to rise. I phoned the agent and told him I wanted to look at the house. "Great" he said "We're having the first home open on Sunday. Come along" "No" I said "I'd really like to see the house now as I have a very strong feeling that I'm going to BUY the house" "That's great" he said "I look forward to meeting you on Sunday afternoon" "You don't understand. I want to buy this house and I'd like to see it today, please" I insisted, without having even set foot in the property yet. I saw the house on Thursday evening, made the offer on Friday and signed the contract on the Saturday morning. It's been a great house... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry267 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 We have been here for 6 months and have a rental in Woodvale. We did as much research as possible from the UK but knew that we would need to look NOR due to my husbands job (office in Wangara) and not too far from the airport. Our main concern was high schools as we came over with a 13 year old and a 2 year old. I was concerned about moving my daughter from her friends at that age and thought a good transition school wise would help. From the UK we narrowed it down to Duncraig high school, then Woodvale secondary college, then Ocean Reef high school. After looking at houses in those catchments with a budget of $600 per week we ruled out the Duncraig catchment as nothing suitable was coming up. We viewed lots of houses in the Ocean Reef and Woodvale catchment areas and chose Woodvale based on getting the best property we could for the money. My daughter has settled well and loves being here and at school! We really like Woodvale which seems like a lovely suburb and we would ideally like to buy here eventually although I'm not sure we could afford to! However, we feel it has been a great start for us to settle into life here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odies Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I chose the plot opposite a park ,so the grandchildren could play, up on a hill so I could see the ocean,could walk to the beach,could walk to the shops. Could easily get a drink be it tea,coffee or vodka. I wanted to be within walking distance of my son <but he has moved now so it is 10 mins in the car or 45 mins walk along the beach > and I knew where I was . there is a doctors and dentist so my retirement is complete and I love the house once it was built truly my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest9824 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 (edited) I chose the plot opposite a park ,so the grandchildren could play, up on a hill so I could see the ocean,could walk to the beach,could walk to the shops. Could easily get a drink be it tea,coffee or vodka. I wanted to be within walking distance of my son <but he has moved now so it is 10 mins in the car or 45 mins walk along the beach > and I knew where I was . there is a doctors and dentist so my retirement is complete and I love the house once it was built truly my choice. Odies,as always I love your positivity, vitality and drive....only wish we could bottle it! I'm sure it will be wonderful for you and Mr odies peax Edited January 9, 2014 by guest9824 Spelling rubbish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMG79 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Hi Just wondered guys if you could give me an insight on how you decided on where to live? We obviously want to be close to good schools as we have two little ones….We also would like to be close to the City if we can (30 mins max) and preferably NOR as we know it better... But choosing an actual place to settle - how did you? Did you wait and stay in holiday accommodation and spend a few weeks looking around all the areas first, viewing schools etc and trying to work out which is nicest or did you research from home and jump right in? Whatever your pathway, if you are there already, did it work out OK or have you moved? THANK YOU MUCHLY Hi Jenpen, we are pretty much in the same boat as you, We have tried to do as much research from the UK as Possible, but after many years of making everything in our lives happen, we are just going move, rent a couple of times in different places, as short term as possible, as the eldist does not need to start school until Feb 2015, just to get a feel for an area, then decide where we want to be. Work may have an impact on where we can live, but just going to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redsquare Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I guess I'm lucky (in some ways) that we haven't got any kids. The practical side of me looked at the WA Police website to see what the crime statistics were for each suburb. We also checked out how far they were from my work and what the transport was like because we only had 1 car. But.. And this is a big but... There's no substitute to driving round and getting a feel for a place. If I'm honest I knew I wanted to live in Edgewater the first time we went to look at a house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou8670 Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 We've driven round and I know what I like and don't like but I still can't decide but I think the main thing for us is to be near my SIL....I just wish the schools round that way had more rep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenPen Posted January 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 We've driven round and I know what I like and don't like but I still can't decide but I think the main thing for us is to be near my SIL....I just wish the schools round that way had more rep. Well at least it is just as hard out there or maybe that isn't a good thing but I am indecisive and it makes me feel a bit better that I cannot decide! I wish we could live near my SIL but she lives in a very very expensive part of Perth….lovely lovely! She is so nice too it would be wonderful but we won't be THAT far away I hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenPen Posted January 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 I guess I'm lucky (in some ways) that we haven't got any kids. The practical side of me looked at the WA Police website to see what the crime statistics were for each suburb. We also checked out how far they were from my work and what the transport was like because we only had 1 car. But.. And this is a big but... There's no substitute to driving round and getting a feel for a place. If I'm honest I knew I wanted to live in Edgewater the first time we went to look at a house. It makes it a little easier without children sure, but still very difficult as no one wants to move loads of times if they can help it! Are you still loving Edgewater? Could you tell me a bit more about it etc as I haven't heard much. Thank you for your reply though I quite agree you definitely get a "I would like to live here/I would hate to live here" feel when going through areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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