Apartment Hunter

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Because when they strike it can be that quick that if they're within range, you're dead, you're dead in your tracks. And his head weighs more than my body so it's WHACK!
                                                                                                         - Steve Irwin

February 13, 2010

Jean and I had our first day of apartment hunting yesterday. As apartments are only open for viewing for a 15-30 minute scheduled block, Jean put together a detailed itinerary on Friday. Saturday morning we made our way over to Glebe, a neighborhood just northwest of the city center and walking distance to the university. Our first impressions were good. Generally nice looking houses and buildings and lots of leafy avenues

Our first viewing was of a studio apartment at 10:00 going for $310/week. We got there at ten minutes til. By the time the door opened there were well over a dozen people assembled. It was an alright place. Nothing very exciting. I'm not a big fan of studios.

Our next property opened at 10:15 a couple of blocks away. It was a huge, 1940s era one bedroom complete with apparently original fixtures, archways and creaky floorboards. I thought it was pretty cool. The architecture was interesting and the closed layout obviously old style. This one was going for $350/week. Note that due to a long term housing shortage the Sydney market heavily favors the sellers and property owners.

The next stop at 11 was a nearby two bedroom with the dubious price of $365/week. Waiting outside we chatted with a nice Kiwi couple who were studying/working at the university and looking for a closer place to live. They filled us in on nasty poisonous spiders and snakes to be found in Australia and pointed out that New Zealand has no snakes nor poisonous spiders.

A deeply tanned and smartly dressed woman approached and inquired if we were here for the viewing. We said yes and followed her around to the entrance. On stepping into the property the thought struck me that it would be a perfect place for an opium/heroin dealer/addicts' den. It featured uneven, plastered over brick walls, stained and moldy carpet, and a complementary cockroach corpse collection. The agent stood in the corner trying very hard not to touch anything.

One of the rooms did have a really cool loft that would have been ideal for the founding of a Lego community. However, we deferred to the Kiwi couple who were just as nonplussed as we were. We chatted with them a bit more before heading off.

We had an hour break so Jean and I stopped by a park to lunch on hummus (homemade) sandwiches and fruit. The next property viewing was another studio for $280/week at noon. Waiting for the agent we were able to peep in some of the windows of an empty apartment that we assumed was the one being leased. Jean wasn't so keen on it being on the ground floor, preferring something higher up. I suspect that my wife is a couch moving novice.

If the agent was coming he was running really late and we had another viewing at 12:15. At ten minutes past we hoofed it the two blocks over to what would be the deal of the day. It was a one bedroom at the bargain price of $310/week. Walking in I recognized several people that I had seen at viewings throughout the day. There was also a bit of frenzied atmosphere. Several people were in the kitchen hurriedly completing applications forms.

I strolled around the apartment. It was good sized, had a balcony and was generally pretty basic. The ceilings got us though. There was mold in the bathroom and in the rest of  the apartment there was this unappetizing gray texture stuff that contrasted sharply with the white walls. I thought it was popcorn texture that had been primed but never painted. However, the agent led me to believe that it was sprayed on concrete. I'm not sure but we found it unsettling and judging by the gaggle of applicants would be off the market soon.

Done for the day we eased out the Glebe neighborhood checking out an outdoor market, some book stores and a thrift store along the way. The experience was exciting in way. That's probably due to in no small way to the plethora of house hunting and home improvement reality television shows I've watched with my Mom. We'll see how I feel after a couple of weeks of this.

Comments

sly said…
Interesting that rentals are on a weekly basis..do you pay weekly or do they collect monthly as they do here? Are the renters responsible for mold removal, etc? Does Sydney have hostels or other low-cost housing?
16 April 2011 at 08:07
Aaron said…
We pay fortnightly (every two weeks). I think they quote weekly to soften the blow.

I don't know what the legalities are here in regard to renter/landlord responsibilities.

There's actually a significant shortage of housing in Sydney, especially low-cost housing. "We need affordable housing" is fairly common mantra in politics here.
18 April 2011 at 22:47
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