Advice on cheap(ish) housing in Sydney?

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Firstly, let me announce that Skews_Girl is now officially Mrs ChiDAMN!! and we'll be flying home to Oz at the end of this coming May.

SWMBO is a techy girl and has been lucky enough to be offered a position in Sydney NSW to continue her career. As a self-employed general dogsbody & fix-it man I have no intentions whatsoever of saying no... (Hey! I know which side my bread is buttered on! )

...but it means that I'm gonna have to find myself another shed,.

Oh... yeah... and accommodations in Sydney. (She won't forgive me if I forget that!)

On a more serious note; I don't know Sydney very well at all, 'cept for passing through. We've tried browsing the web to gain rough ideas on rental prices, etc. in the Seven Hills area - which is where she'll be working - and surrounding areas up to what we estimate to be a 1 hour commute...

...but the prices we're finding are ridiculously exorbitant. $600pw for a Granny flat? I was expecting to find at least something in the $2-300pw. Am I really that out of touch after a mere 12 months overseas?

In practice we'll probably spend a week or so on our return doing the footwork between estate agents, but I thought it can't hurt to ask here - so we can save time and rule out areas where it's not worth our time, effort and petrol money to go looking - whether anyone has any suggestions as to relatively low-rental suburbs. (ie. by low rental, I mean NOT $600pw! )

We'd prefer a 2-3BR house, of course, but will settle for anything that will at least accommodate two, provided it's within a 1hr commute of Seven Hills.

(I guess I can live without a shed for a little bit longer. The Mrs is slowly beginning to accept the benefits of having sawdust carpetting in the living area.... )

[Skew's_Girl]

Firstly, let me announce that Skews_Girl is now officially Mrs ChiDAMN!! and we'll be flying home to Oz at the end of this coming May.
)

I was duped. When I was offered a "Grey haired, tree loving, grumpy, fuzzy Australian with big ears" I thought I was getting a Koala.

[BobR]

Congratulations Skew!!

There is no way of saying this nicely - a 2-3 bedroom house anywhere in Sydney for $2-300/week - your dreaming. You MIGHT be getting close if you doubled that. Travel (both public and private) is a real problem and getting worse. One hours comute from Seven Hills, at peak times, will put you at Penrith or into the Blue Mts. Someone living in that area might be able to give you more detailed info. Good luck.

[BobR]

I was duped. When I was offered a "Grey haired, tree loving, grumpy, fuzzy Australian with big ears" I thought I was getting a Koala.

We all wake up after the wedding and find something similar

[Skew's_Girl]

We all wake up after the wedding and find something similar

I must admit, I do prefer the products of the one I got over the other. And I'm getting used to sawdust in everything.

On Accomodations:
I'm realistic. I'm not looking for a house, but I've got family planning to come visit eventually so a spare room'd be nice.

I'll go for a nice shed over a big bedroom. Just give me a pile of shavings in the corner and some air conditioning. I'll make like a polar bear and hibernate in them for the summer. Its where Skew and I are going to be anyway

[Sturdee]

Firstly, let me announce that Skews_Girl is now officially Mrs ChiDAMN!! and we'll be flying home to Oz at the end of this coming May.

Congratulations Skew and Mrs. Skew.


Don't know anything about Sydney except that I can sell you an opera house cheaply.


Peter.

[wheelinround]

Congrats Mr & Mrs Skew

Skew being in Sydney myself I can tell you you'll be lucky to get what your after for that amount daughter is renting in Seven Hills and for a 2 bedroom house with big yard and garage $380 is low. I suggest Rental Properties, Homes for Rent and Apartments to Lease - realestate.com.au

Ray

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

The Blue Mountains would suit me fine.

I can always shorten her commute by building a trebuchet.

(Well... shorten it in one direction, anyway.)

[FenceFurniture]

Well, first up ...congrats!

On the accommodation front, Bob's dead right. two years ago I moved from Menai (SW Sydney) to Katoomba (1007 metres altitude) in the Blue Mntns. We are in a two bed cottage, no garage, but a 5x3 metre barn that was just a frame with a lid, and so I made it into a shed. The rental on this is still $300 per week. The commute for my partner is two hours from here to Central and then a 10 minute walk to Sydney Uni (2-3 days per week is tolerable). She marks papers or surfs with an iPad interspersed with snoozing. The trains on this line are more comfortable than the regular urban trains, but tend to run every hour with a few more at peaks times.

The trains are usually all stops from Katoomba to Penrith, but the next stop is Blacktown, which is one stop west of Seven Hills. The biggest problem is the delay between trains to get that one extra station, so it may depend upon whereabouts in Seven Hills the job will be (i.e. is it reasonable walking distance from Blacktown, or would someone from work be able to pu & dropoff).

There are more trains from Springwood, as many of them terminate there, and of course the trip is much shorter. Springwood is 371 metres, so not as cool as it is up here, and it's a very nice village/suburb, with good facilities. Katoomba is the centre of the Upper Mntns, and Springwood is the centre of the Lower Mntns. Faulconbridge (next village) has been described as having the world's best climate, but that's subjective of course.

On the practical side (for a handyman) there is only one decent sized hardware up here and that's a Home Hardware, and it's crap. For the Lower Mntns there is a small Bunnies at Valley Heights (one station closer to Sydney from Springwood), and there is a monster Bunnies at Penrith (in fact there are two).

On a different tack, you may get more joy out of looking for accomm in Windsor or Richmond, only because they link directly to Seven Hills Station. I imagine that they would be higher in rent than the Blue Mntns.

Here's a coupe of links for you to fool around with:
Cityrail Timetables

Real.estate.com

It's probably also worth mentioning that there's been trackwork on the BM line ever since we've been here - in which case you'd have to think it will end reasonably soon They put on good bus services, so it's not too bad (sometimes actually quicker).

HTH

Cheers, Brett

[wheelinround]

Skew's that site will give you a good idea, Seven Hills, Blacktown, Blue Mnts, Greystains.

Mrs Skew being in that area you would be close to two great sources of Koala's The Koala Park Sanctuary at Castle Hill and Featherdale Wildlife at Doonside so all would not be that bad.

For Mr Skew a selection of woodworking clubs surround as well as Trend Timbers, Hare & Forbes, Carba-tech, McJings ok so they are 45mins drive.

Will you be here by (Edited ) July for the Sydney Woodshow?

Oh Skew its ok we know mexicans usually migrate from south of the boarder just not via OS to hide the trail.

[chrisb691]

The Blue Mountains would suit me fine.

I can always shorten her commute by building a trebuchet.

(Well... shorten it in one direction, anyway.)

It would be quite poetic, if you got her to build it.

Congrats to both of you, but I'm sure you got the better end of the deal Skew.

[NCArcher]

Will you be here by June for the Sydney Woodshow?

Congrats Mr and Mrs Skew
Woodshow is end of July this year. Ray, don't turn up in June. Very lonely.
I'm spending this weekend in the Blue Mountains. Lovely spot. If I had to live in Sydney i'd have a close look at the Blue Mountains.

[FenceFurniture]

I'm spending this weekend in the Blue Mountains.

Fancy a beer somewhere Tony?

[NCArcher]

That would be good, i'll send you pm.

[wheelinround]

Congrats Mr and Mrs Skew
Woodshow is end of July this year. Ray, don't turn up in June. Very lonely.
I'm spending this weekend in the Blue Mountains. Lovely spot. If I had to live in Sydney i'd have a close look at the Blue Mountains.

Who typed June

So close Tony Blue Mnts part of Sydney only becassue Sydney makes money out of it. LOL

Have a good weekend hope rain stays away will you be going to Trend tomorrow??