Advice for buying in Sydney

Hey all,
I'm after some advice about suburbs to live in Sydney. I'm currently in Melbourne and have been offered a job in Sydney CBD, but unfortunately know nothing about the suburbs (other than wikipedia and the really good and really bad ones).

I'm against renting and am looking at something around the $500k mark. I know I can't get anywhere near the CBD for that amount but commuting isn't a big deal. The big kicker is that I have an active dog, so that rules out apartments (but hopefully not units/townhouses).

So I'm basically after a 3br house (or townhouse/unit) with some kind of yard (doesn't have to be big) and in a place I can relatively easily commute to Town Hall station. An additional consideration is I have an infant and didn't too much of a crime riddled area.

So far I've looked at Liverpool area (seems a bit far), Seven Hills (not sure about area).

Any thoughts on those suburbs or any better places you Sydneysiders can think of?



My first and strongest advice would be - rent first. You have , by Sydney standards, a very modest budget and you are straight up nuts trying to buy without first living here. And with an active dog ( I have two myself, a Border Collie and Collie x Cattle Dog) you need yard space and easy access to dog friendly parks.

What you'll learn after living here is that it has a very different geography to Melbourne, and distances are not reliable indicators of commute times. Here is why;

It is not a planned city. It wasnt meant to be anything more than an outpost, and that's reflected in the very narrow and nonsensical/rabbit warren roads you'll find throughout the CBD and for @ 10-12KM in most directions around the CBD. There isnt any genuine "grid system" /planned road network in any direction ( except North West from the Bridge) until you get at least 12-15KM to the West of the CBD. And in suburbs in that general area - North Sydney, Crows Nest, Chatswood, Lane Cove etc - or Mosman, Neutral bay .... 500k doesnt buy a driveway I'm afraid. Further to the NW, North Ryde, Marsfield, Carlingford, Pennant Hills, Castle Hill, 500k does buy a driveway and maybe an outhouse, but you'd need @ 1million more for a modest house with a yard, or @ 500K more for a 3 bed townhouses with a courtyard.

The CBD is not in the geographical centre of the Sydney metro area. It is on the southern side of the harbour , approachable from only 3 or 4 points. Basically, the CBD is 5-6KM from the east coast , but has suburbs sprawling SW, W and NW for 50+ KM, meaning @90% of the population commutes IN to the city from the North West or the West or the South West in the morning, and OUT in the evening- crossing water and negotiating a London type road network for the first dozen KM. There are multiple bottlenecks , so as I said- distance itself is in many cases not a reliable indicator of commute times. As an example fast train ( Sydney rail speak for limited stops) from Penrith ( 55KM from the CBD) will get you to Town Hall in pretty much the same time a ferry ride/train ride from Manly ( 12KM from the CBD) to Circular Quay and then on to to Town Hall will get you there

With that budget, the need for 3 bedrooms and a yard for a dog, I'd be renting in the Parramatta area so you have access to excellent train services to the city (30-35 minutes) and a 2nd CBD /retail /restaurant area as big as Adelaide, while you get to know areas around Penrith, St mary's etc... and then make a decision.
 
For investment, look at Werrington/ Kingswood and Penrith Sub $480-500 for a nice brick home with good CG potential and ok RY. For this area i do prefer townhouses and villas...but IF it's your first investment stick with a house.

The 2nd area i would recommend is South Sydney mainly Campbelltown, Minto, Ingleburn and Leumeah... i picked up 1 house late last year and 3 more this year and prices has already gone up in the last 2-3 month.... but you can still find sub $470-510k for a brick home or $430-470 for a weather board - good CG + granny flat potential and close to liverpool and surround amenities ...easy rent.

Cheers
 
Thanks guys. Some very solid advice all round.

I've even found some 6 month leases on Realestate.com.au, so that might be a bit better of an option.

This is some great stuff to get started.
 
3br house for 500k generally takes you a fair commute out (45 mins+). Could look at south west Sydney and its surrounds, can pick up a pretty decent home for around 500k.

I personally don't like Liverpool as the train line takes forever relative to distance to CBD (feels like its over an hour). You can go down to Minto for around the same commute time. Minto might be a decent shout actually. :)

Glenfield, townhouses around Holsworthy, Moorebank.
Access to City via M5 or Airport train Line.
 
Mick_C I think you've snapped up all the bargains!

Talked to about a dozen agents in Campbelltown and surrounding suburbs today. You will be lucky to get anything under $450k renting at ~$400pw.

Vendors aren't selling before opens because they're getting 30+ entrants with at least 5 offers on the table in the same day!!!
 
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