Things to look for in Brisbane houses

Hi,

I am new to looking at houses in Brisbane and have some questions that I hope somebody will answer.

How important is transport ? Is it worthwhile only looking in suburbs with a train station ?
I am looking at properties around 10k's from the city as this seems to be where the $300 - $400k houses (standard 3 bed houses on decent blocks) seem to be.

Will a house be valued higher if it is within walking distance of the river ? (I am looking at Oxley and Corinda for these reasons)

Can somebody point out other things (location related) that are important in Brisbane

Cheers
 
Hi WillG

Being close to transport in Brisbane is, IMHO, very important. The traffic has become horrendous over the past 18 months or so, and is only going to get worse before it gets better. In Brisbane City Council area, being close to major bus routes is probably sufficient, although buses have to fight for space on the roads, too. Being close to one of the dedicated busways or the train is better. If you venture outside BCC area - e.g into Redlands Shire - the train is (again, IMHO) essential! Our bus services are an absolute joke!!!

Can't really answer your questions re being on the river at Oxley/Corinda, as I don't know the area well enough. If you're buying close to the river, don't forget to check out the flood levels with BCC - yeah, I know there's not enough water to flood anything atm, but it will rain again one day - I hope!

Other general comments about location? Buying closer to the coast means lovely sea breezes during those long hot summer days - most days we can make do with just ceiling fans. BTW, I think ceiling fans and/or air con are essential, wherever you buy - tenants will always chose an IP with, rather than without, fans/aircon.

Last, but not least, the termites here can be very hungry little b*****s - always get a pest check (separate from a combined building/pest) done. Can give you the name of our pest inspector if you don't know of a good one.

Happy hunting!!!

Cheers
LynnH
 
Thanks LynnH,

Very useful information. I always thought AC and/or fans would be a definite but can always be added.

What suburbs closer to the coast are worth while looking at ? Which of these suburbs have good public transport to the city ?

Please excuse my 'general' questions. I am at the early stages of getting a feel for Brisbane.

Cheers
 
Please excuse my 'general' questions. I am at the early stages of getting a feel for Brisbane.
imho'''
WillG,a big problem with some inner city area's is that is they shoud be free from heavy traffic that imho is a big problem ,and must have off street
parking some areas you can't park in the street during the day if it's near a railway station,or public or private hospitals, drainage can also be a big problem in some low area's and look at the 1974 flood maps it may never happen again but who know whats around the corner..
My tip s find somewhere high on the several hills that overlook inner Brisbane,NORTH OR SOUTH of the river pay the extra 100k and sit and hold those properties for long term it's worked for us and pick an area that has the upmarket private schools that alone in my opinion is one of the key facts private shools,away from train stations,and the land must be above the 900sm mark even better if its zoned lmr or above..
good luck willair..
 
Can somebody point out other things (location related) that are important in Brisbane

Being a southside resident (~6kms from the CBD), there's a lot to be said for closeness to the busway (dedicated bus lane - out of main traffic) which makes getting to the city MUCH faster. Proximity to westfield or other major shopping centres (suburbs like Mt Gravatt, Chermside or Indooroopilly), good private schools etc. I've never lived near a train line so can't comment on that. There's the uni's to consider also - Mt Gravatt, City, St Lucia, Kelvin Grove, Nathan, Logan, Ipswich, Springfield.

There was also a previous thread that covered a fair amount of info http://www.somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32651 that might be worth a look.

Hope this helps.
 
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