looking for apartments... before arrival (sydney)

First I'd like to say I came across this board while googling questions about australia and so much that has already been posted as helped me so much.
I'm glad there's a forum out there like this one.


On to my question.

I'm planning to move to sydney for awhile then travel around australia
but I'd like to rent an apartment
i was wondering what's been everyones expirence with the rental situation in sydney or australia? has it taken you a long time to find a place?
I'm scared of getting down there and being stuck in a hostel for two months.

also, i'd love to be able to find a place before actually arriving in sydney.
has anyone done such a thing before?
if so, any good real estate agents, sites, companies that could help me out?

Also, any help on good areas to live in sydney.
If you know, live, or have lived in vancouver before. huge plus.
my dream would be to get an idea of the areas by having them compared to the cities within/around vancouver.
ex. what suburb is most like surrey there? or the downtown east side, or kits, or richmond ect.

Hi Betty;

Not able to respond to most of your ?'s but from memory
I would think that "The Hills" area North of Sydney (about 30 miles away) would be your best bet - I liken it to Langley.
There are good communication routes between The Hills and the center of Sydney. Depending on your point of view I woold steer clear of Kings Cross in town. For me Sydney is the sort of place that is very interesting for a day visit and then escape to a more rural environment.

I have no experience renting in Sydney but I can say that the big cities tend to have fairly competitive rental markets.

I highly doubt you could find something before you arrive, because there's lots of demand but also because they usually insist on you seeing the place before you can sign the agreement.

You can find rentals on here:
http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rs ... &t=ren&cu=
There's a tab at the top for shared accomadation as well.

How long are you planning on staying in Sydney? Most rentals are at least a 6 month contract or more. We got lucky in Brisbane and found one for 4 months which was the shortest I had seen. Also, it's rare to find a fully furnished place so do you have plans for furniture? Try to bring as much documentation as you can to help you secure a place. Like references, bank account statements, work info and so on.

If you're not planning on staying long I would suggest looking for holiday rentals or shared accomadation. You might find some place through a hostel or backpackers when you arrive.

I just did a quick search on you on my favourite website (British Expats) and found these discussions:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ey+rentals
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ey+rentals
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ey+rentals
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthre ... ey+rentals

Here's the general link for the forum:
http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=54

It's a great place to get information because there are so many people moving to Australia (mostly from the UK). But you can get lots of advice from people who've made the move over.

thank you
well right now i'm planning to live in sydney for quite some time. over 6 months probably. then with the remaining time i have left in australia, i'll travel the other states. then again things could change once i'm down there.

i'm already making lists of all the things i need to set up a bank acct, to get an apartment, job, ect. everything and anything. i'd rather look insane and be over prepared then under.

Im hoping i luck out on a fully furnished place, if not, uhh. garage sales and freebies? lol do they have an ikea there?

thank you for the info and links, i'll be sure to check them all out.

Yes they do have an Ikea in Sydney. You could also try Freecycle (website) and see if you can score some free stuff. There's also Super A Mart which can have some cheap stuff as well.

Also check out gumtree website for rentals, it's great because it's localized like craigslist

If you want Kits/Westside then check out Mosman/Neutral Bay/Cremorne.

I'm from Alberta, but I've been in Sydney for a year now. In addition to the areas already mentioned, I would also suggest Coogee (nice beach, and fun/young area--also cheap (relatively speaking).downside is relying on bus, as no access by train. Newtown is another place to consider (easier commute, and quite a fun place--downside is there is no beach).

Newtown is cool, like Commercial Drive in Vancouver

Sydney short term rental apartments are the perfect solution for holidays, visits to family or business trips. Gardenview Apartments, Executive studio apartment and Regis Towers etc like properties are easily available for rent. Selection will depend upon the location of your working place or touring locations. Websites like sydney-real-estate-guide.com or sydneygardenview.com like may be a good source to get the latest info and best proposal.
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