Why would we only get $330 a week rental income? Cause that’s what similar – almost identical places in our area rent for, that’s why! Lol We don’t like the area we live in which is part of why we’re not happy in our place…so we’d move to the places we DO like, which are more expensive. Not by THAT much, but when you take into account the fact we’d need a place big enough to fit us in, and also not many allow pets (we’ve got 2 cats), this could drive the rent up a bit. Also allowing for it going up every 6 months too. I’ve averaged it out to be $400. Most of the places I’d be happy enough to rent that I’ve seen online are around $350 - $450 a week.
The place we live in now is Chevron Island by the way.
Well, I DO of course want a higher paying job, but there isn’t a whole lot of similar (admin) type jobs out there that DO pay more! Without a major increase in hours and requiring things I don’t have (like a car, for instance. Many around here require a car and I can’t afford a car and have never driven, so this disqualifies me right away), or they’re located in areas I can’t access. You may say isn’t it worth paying half my current weekly wage to maintain a car and get a loan to actually buy it, if I can get a long term better paying job? But no. I don’t want another loan to buy a car, I don’t want to have to pay an extra $50 a week + to maintain a car, and I wouldn’t get much more money in terms of the types of jobs that I could go for that require a car.
ANYWAY…yeah.
In terms of the values of the properties around here in terms of what we want to buy / what we currently have, we THOUGHT (before becoming more experienced in the actual sales results in our local area), based on list “for sale” prices and 4 different real estate agent valuations, we could realistically get between $350,000 - $370,000 for our place. But now we see no. Nobody is getting this. They are all ending up selling (after sitting around for months) for $320,000s - $330,000s. None of the higher priced ones ever sell and they all come down eventually.
In the area we want to live in, we thought (and were correct) that we could get something good for around $340,000 - $360,000…and yes, we can, but…now that’s blown out of the water because of our own area.
We’re particularly saddened by all this as our “dream” property (“dream” meaning what could’ve been in our price range and what was almost perfect in not all but many ways for us for that price range) that we’d hoped we could get (based on our earlier thinking of getting $370,000 maybe for our place), finally sold last week for $361,000. But of course we couldn’t buy it at that price due to our own property’s price seemingly not budging one single BIT in 2.5 years!
I think it’s just us being stupid and wishful thinking. The property we loved that went for $361,000, that 3 years ago would’ve been nowhere near our budget. Way too high. (which is the only reason why we didn’t buy in that area when we first bought our place) But now that area, as it was more expensive before, has come down. But OUR area has sort of just stayed the same…which is GOOD really, but it’s just so frustrating, you know?
Oh, also, yes I know we don’t want capital growth cause that’ll move our desired area out of our reach completely again, but something ELSE I mistakenly assumed when we bought our place (and I wasn’t DEPENDING on it, as again, we didn’t intend to want to sell and move so soon after buying) was that it would go up faster than the area we really wanted to buy in…the council planned to do several medium rise developments, rejuvenate the main shopping strip, and blah, blah…but none of this has happened. So…again, FRUSTRATING. I expected that our area would have a small boom and the area we wanted, which had already boomed ages ago, would go down slightly.
I look online each day for jobs…but yes, you’re right, I don’t want change ENOUGH to do anything about them. I (maybe wrongly?) assume that for me to get more money I should remain in the same type of role I’m already doing and which I have 10+ years experience in. To start again doing a totally different job in a completely different industry, wouldn’t I need to REDUCE my income?? Many places require experience and if you don’t have it in a particular industry, you either don’t get hired or you take a junior position. I’m too old for a junior position, even if I was willing to take one! Nobody hires a 32 year old to do an 18 year old’s job!
I’ve been on the books of agencies for years…it’s a little different on the Gold Coast…I’ve lived and worked in Melbourne (where I’m from) and it IS different. I know I do tend to have a negative outlook of late, but it is a lot easier to get a job in a capital city. This is just an example, but my partner, who is 48 years old (was 42 and 45 when looking for jobs up here), has a HEAP of excellent experience, is an incredibly motivated, intelligent worker and an asset to any workplace, had worked for 10 years before moving up here in a call centre in Sydney as the phone manager, VERY stressful and hard job, and she took 6 months to get a job up here when we first moved here, and then when she left that job she took a further 8 months to get another one.
A friend and ex work colleague of mine is 45 years old and also has heaps of experience, is highly intelligent, efficient and proactive, and she has been looking for work since February this year up here.
Another ex colleague and friend is 22 years old, has 5 years experience in admin and also cannot find a job. She left here last November, took 6 months to find another job, which was a casual tax department job. Unfortunately the work ran out after tax returns were all in, so she’s now looking again. She also had a brief stint at a catering company, working shift work, and she and her boyfriend have had their names down on Woolworths and Coles lists for night stacking of shelf work, but…nothing.
We are ALL on the books at agencies. They don’t call us. What’s most annoying is when you apply for a job through an agency (on Seek, etc), and they call you and get you in for an interview, but then…nothing. You follow up and they say someone else more suited in terms of experience got the role. All good. But then you never hear from them again, even when you see a new job appear on Seek (for example) through them. You apply, wondering why they didn’t call you first to discuss whether you might be suited for it. Then you realise that it doesn’t work that way up here. Agencies do have people on their books, but they don’t contact you for jobs. They just advertise. Always. You’re expected to apply to them each time. I know this as I know someone who works at one of these agencies. It’s a bit different in Melbourne, where I also knew someone who worked at a big agency. She said they got SO many resumes each day they ended up simply throwing most of them straight in the bin, and couldn’t even look at them!!
In terms of my partner, $480 a week is around $600 a week after tax. That’s not so bad for up here. Pretty standard really.
Anyway, regardless of the above and how unmotivated I sound (I AM actually motivated in other areas. The fun ones. Music. Lol. But that’s really fantasy stuff for now. No money making off it yet, and probably never will but who knows), and I know I come across as rather lazy and blaah (and I AM lazy actually, I admit it freely), I just want to confirm that I’m good at my job and not lazy at work. Just so you know. Lol. I don’t suck that badly!!
The place we live in now is Chevron Island by the way.
Well, I DO of course want a higher paying job, but there isn’t a whole lot of similar (admin) type jobs out there that DO pay more! Without a major increase in hours and requiring things I don’t have (like a car, for instance. Many around here require a car and I can’t afford a car and have never driven, so this disqualifies me right away), or they’re located in areas I can’t access. You may say isn’t it worth paying half my current weekly wage to maintain a car and get a loan to actually buy it, if I can get a long term better paying job? But no. I don’t want another loan to buy a car, I don’t want to have to pay an extra $50 a week + to maintain a car, and I wouldn’t get much more money in terms of the types of jobs that I could go for that require a car.
ANYWAY…yeah.
In terms of the values of the properties around here in terms of what we want to buy / what we currently have, we THOUGHT (before becoming more experienced in the actual sales results in our local area), based on list “for sale” prices and 4 different real estate agent valuations, we could realistically get between $350,000 - $370,000 for our place. But now we see no. Nobody is getting this. They are all ending up selling (after sitting around for months) for $320,000s - $330,000s. None of the higher priced ones ever sell and they all come down eventually.
In the area we want to live in, we thought (and were correct) that we could get something good for around $340,000 - $360,000…and yes, we can, but…now that’s blown out of the water because of our own area.
We’re particularly saddened by all this as our “dream” property (“dream” meaning what could’ve been in our price range and what was almost perfect in not all but many ways for us for that price range) that we’d hoped we could get (based on our earlier thinking of getting $370,000 maybe for our place), finally sold last week for $361,000. But of course we couldn’t buy it at that price due to our own property’s price seemingly not budging one single BIT in 2.5 years!
I think it’s just us being stupid and wishful thinking. The property we loved that went for $361,000, that 3 years ago would’ve been nowhere near our budget. Way too high. (which is the only reason why we didn’t buy in that area when we first bought our place) But now that area, as it was more expensive before, has come down. But OUR area has sort of just stayed the same…which is GOOD really, but it’s just so frustrating, you know?
Oh, also, yes I know we don’t want capital growth cause that’ll move our desired area out of our reach completely again, but something ELSE I mistakenly assumed when we bought our place (and I wasn’t DEPENDING on it, as again, we didn’t intend to want to sell and move so soon after buying) was that it would go up faster than the area we really wanted to buy in…the council planned to do several medium rise developments, rejuvenate the main shopping strip, and blah, blah…but none of this has happened. So…again, FRUSTRATING. I expected that our area would have a small boom and the area we wanted, which had already boomed ages ago, would go down slightly.
I look online each day for jobs…but yes, you’re right, I don’t want change ENOUGH to do anything about them. I (maybe wrongly?) assume that for me to get more money I should remain in the same type of role I’m already doing and which I have 10+ years experience in. To start again doing a totally different job in a completely different industry, wouldn’t I need to REDUCE my income?? Many places require experience and if you don’t have it in a particular industry, you either don’t get hired or you take a junior position. I’m too old for a junior position, even if I was willing to take one! Nobody hires a 32 year old to do an 18 year old’s job!
I’ve been on the books of agencies for years…it’s a little different on the Gold Coast…I’ve lived and worked in Melbourne (where I’m from) and it IS different. I know I do tend to have a negative outlook of late, but it is a lot easier to get a job in a capital city. This is just an example, but my partner, who is 48 years old (was 42 and 45 when looking for jobs up here), has a HEAP of excellent experience, is an incredibly motivated, intelligent worker and an asset to any workplace, had worked for 10 years before moving up here in a call centre in Sydney as the phone manager, VERY stressful and hard job, and she took 6 months to get a job up here when we first moved here, and then when she left that job she took a further 8 months to get another one.
A friend and ex work colleague of mine is 45 years old and also has heaps of experience, is highly intelligent, efficient and proactive, and she has been looking for work since February this year up here.
Another ex colleague and friend is 22 years old, has 5 years experience in admin and also cannot find a job. She left here last November, took 6 months to find another job, which was a casual tax department job. Unfortunately the work ran out after tax returns were all in, so she’s now looking again. She also had a brief stint at a catering company, working shift work, and she and her boyfriend have had their names down on Woolworths and Coles lists for night stacking of shelf work, but…nothing.
We are ALL on the books at agencies. They don’t call us. What’s most annoying is when you apply for a job through an agency (on Seek, etc), and they call you and get you in for an interview, but then…nothing. You follow up and they say someone else more suited in terms of experience got the role. All good. But then you never hear from them again, even when you see a new job appear on Seek (for example) through them. You apply, wondering why they didn’t call you first to discuss whether you might be suited for it. Then you realise that it doesn’t work that way up here. Agencies do have people on their books, but they don’t contact you for jobs. They just advertise. Always. You’re expected to apply to them each time. I know this as I know someone who works at one of these agencies. It’s a bit different in Melbourne, where I also knew someone who worked at a big agency. She said they got SO many resumes each day they ended up simply throwing most of them straight in the bin, and couldn’t even look at them!!
In terms of my partner, $480 a week is around $600 a week after tax. That’s not so bad for up here. Pretty standard really.
Anyway, regardless of the above and how unmotivated I sound (I AM actually motivated in other areas. The fun ones. Music. Lol. But that’s really fantasy stuff for now. No money making off it yet, and probably never will but who knows), and I know I come across as rather lazy and blaah (and I AM lazy actually, I admit it freely), I just want to confirm that I’m good at my job and not lazy at work. Just so you know. Lol. I don’t suck that badly!!
