This will more than likely be the most horrifying experience of arriving in Australia. Customs, quarantine, and visa officials have got nothin’ on the apartment-hungry-maddened-hordes and indifferent real estate agents.
In Sydney, the housing market is extremely competitive. If you are moving from overseas, bring along past landlord contact information and, if you can swing it, a recommendation letter. To find an apartment- look in the papers on Saturday and on the Internet as a couple of resources to start with. Once you get the paper you will have to read it as you run and come up with a list of several you want to see because…horror…they are only open for 10-15 minutes at a time.
When you roll up to see an apartment still reeling from the night before…sunnies and flip flops on (this IS Australia riiiight!)cappuccino in one hand… paper circled in pen in the other…you will immediately be smacked upside you sore head by the tension in the air. There will be 6 other couples also lined up to see YOUR perfect apartment! All with neat and tidy appearance, matching t-shirts that proclaim “Pick Me!”, references, extra pens for filling out applications, and running shoes laced up!
Not realizing YOU have 5 more apartments to see…the real estate agents may show up late- and unhurriedly open the door for you and the horde surrounding you. If you are not there when it first opens- forget it- the agents leave as soon as the first rush is over. If the apartment isn’t a roach hole, and you might want to live there, you have to take an application and turn it in at the estate agent office- which you will have to find. I have yet to figure out how they decide who gets the apartment.
It is not impossible, but, you will do well to have a game plan your visits close to one another or arrange to have transport in advance. Driving and parking in Sydney is a nightmare at the best of times let alone when you are on a racing schedule to see 6 apartments. Estate agents will generally not make an appointment to show you an apartment- you are stuck with their timing or nothing- and they like to have very convenient times like 3:15 on a Wednesday….Excellent! And how are you supposed to get time off of work for that! Lace up those running shoes and Good Luck!
(The picture is the view from my first apartment- Mosman $350 per week completely furnished)
