Now that you have arrived in lovely Melbourne Australia, where will you stay?
Well, this is a problem easily resolved if you have close family or friends that you can live with - while you patiently search for your dream home. But for many newcomers to Melbourne, this can be a lengthy and stressful process.
There are basically 4 phases (maybe less if things go extremely smoothly or if you have lots of spare cash!) that most immigrants go through in their initial years of life in Melbourne …
- Temporary accommodation
o It is a good idea to give yourself some time to get to know the city before committing to a rental lease - which is likely to be 6 to 12 months with penalties for breaking it early.
o Motels / hotels are expensive options so a more practical alternative would be short-stay apartments. This can easily be arranged prior to you arriving in Melbourne.
o I personally stayed in a short-stay serviced apartment close to the city for about a month while I settled in at work and went about searching for a rental property
- Short-term rental property
o At this point, you still don't really know Melbourne all that well and still undecided about which suburb/area to stay longer term.
o However, serviced apartments are relatively expensive and you lease a cheap rental apartment while you continue your search for the ideal rental property.
o Most likely this place will be in close proximity to where you work or around the main city area.
o In my situation, I managed to find a place with a short 6 month lease which I moved out of when it expired.
- Long-term rental property
o Congrats! You have now decided on the area you want to live in and found a great rental property!
o Many people (including yours truly!) will remain in this phase for quite a few years while they save up a deposit to buy a home.
o After all, Melbourne house prices are very expensive relative to many other places in the world! (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-01-24/australian-houses-among-worlds-most-expensive/1915882)
o There are also people who are perpetual renters who choose to invest their money rather than committing to a large mortgage!
- Home Sweet Home!
o Even more congrats on really extending your roots and achieving the Australian dream of owning your own home!
By this stage, you are most likely a very settled Melbournian who has decided to call this wonderful city your home. You may even be thinking of writing a blog to help others move and settle down here too! ;-)
Last but not least, don't forget to check out my brand NEW website - www.melbourneahoy.com.au - dedicated to all things about moving to Melbourne and life in general in the world's most liveable city !
Last but not least, don't forget to check out my brand NEW website - www.melbourneahoy.com.au - dedicated to all things about moving to Melbourne and life in general in the world's most liveable city !
