Buying House to Live in - Melbourne Western Suburb Vs South Eastern Suburb - Which One Is Recommended?

babiguling on 01/02/2018 - 23:24
Last edited 02/02/2018 - 09:30

Hi

We are looking to purchase an independent house
Wondering whether Western Suburb (Truganina, Tarneit, Wyndham Vale, Manor Lakes, Hoppers Crossing, Werribee) is a better option than South Eastern Suburb (Hallam, Hampton Park, Narre Warren)

Also considering Northern Suburb, but now seem too overpriced (i.e Mernda, Kalkallo).

Currently those above mentioned suburbs are the ones we can still afford to buy.

Can Anyone point out the right direction for me please? in terms of

Safety (lesser crime, burglary, gang/bikies)
Growth prediction in future
Development (new highway, expansion etc)

I am relying heavily on public transport/ commute to work.

Max Budget is 500K, desired minimum land size 400 sqm

Thank you in advance

Home & Garden

Comments

        • sansam on 04/02/2018 - 23:35

          yeah cost of monash work

        • idonotknowwhy on 05/02/2018 - 18:33
          +2

          @sansam: When I lived out that way many years ago, there was always (profanity) Monash work.
          There was an M1 widening from 3 lanes to 4 lanes, which (profanity) me on the way to work for what felt like years.
          Over the years, they've had random re-surfacing work going on in various parts of the freeway. The kind where it's a 40-zone with nobody even working.
          Now when I drive out there occasionally, there's more (profanity) roadwork and most of the freeway is (profanity) 80 and they have yellow lines to follow, which nobody understands so you get (profanity) driving all over the road, creating their own lanes.

      • sansam on 02/02/2018 - 13:28

        yeah a bit but skyrail there so should be quicker lol or no difference. monash fwy being upgraded but infrastructure works going on in full swing.

        Proposed airport
        http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/cow-dung-and-daisies-melbo…

        New Train Depot
        https://economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/about-us/news/new-pak…

        • Fake News on 03/02/2018 - 22:12
          +1

          Try and get from an estate onto the freeway at peak hour. Berwick and Clyde are overflowing, far too much development out there.

        • sansam on 04/02/2018 - 23:36

          @gina: once monash gets fixed maybe hopefully will be better, i start work offpeak maybe i miss it

        • idonotknowwhy on 05/02/2018 - 18:34
          +3

          @sansam: Good luck with that mate. I waited for years for Monash to be 'fixed'.
          Every time one project finishes, another one starts, adding 25 minutes to the commute each way.
          It never ends.

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 02/02/2018 - 11:57
    +6

    if you want +400 square you best bet in Wyndham Vale or Werribee out west i'd say even hoppers crossing, Truganina and Tarneit now would be out of your budget - if you are looking out west 400 square meters of land alone in those areas is going for 330k plus adding a house puts you close to 550k-600k (at cheapest 3-bedroom)

    i'd say both have good growth potential especially Werribee - with that said you get what you pay for with houses if you are looking under 500k for 400 squares (with im assuming a 3 bedroom house on it) you are going to be in a low socio-economic area.

    There isnt a whole lot of difference between the south east and west when you are talking about the areas above they're cheap for a reason. If your afraid of crime the far west and far north are probably the worst but your dollar will stretch a little further.

    If you want some advice dont buy a house to make money on it if you plan to live in it investing and living in a place are two totally different things. There is emotional attachment for most people in a place to live opposed to an investment which is purely to make money. - it sounds like you want the best of both worlds which cannot be done many people make money on there homes they live in but they didnt buy it for that reason. If you work in the city your better off buying a small townhouse close to the cbd. - ive given this advice to at least 8 friends in the past 5 years the ones that listened own there homes the ones that didnt are still looking some of them even say 'i should of listened'

    Because anything that is a good investment will be purchased by someone who probably has money then you and anything good to live in will usually go for more then you are willing to pay for it to be a good investment in the medium term.

    • babiguling on 02/02/2018 - 13:17

      Thanks for the thorough advice Pastry
      Much appreciated
      Not prefer townhouse/unit due to paying expensive body corp/owner corp =)

      • Wills7 on 02/02/2018 - 13:26
        +4

        You know you can have townhouses that are not part of body corp too. Plenty of them on their own titles, just smaller land and no gap between your wall and the neighbour's wall.

      • EyesWideOpen on 03/02/2018 - 11:34
        +6

        I have one without body corporate. It's a stand alone on its own. They are rarer but can be found. Doesn't cost more either but you have to do title search to confirm once found. Absolutely do not trust anything the agent says.

      • Shuey on 05/02/2018 - 16:27
        -1

        I think body corporate is only mandatory if there are more than 3 units.
        Used to live in a 3-townhouse plot and none to pay.

    • EyesWideOpen on 03/02/2018 - 11:41

      I think Truganina and Tarneit is near a few prisons but can't be sure if that affects anything. I personally would not list it first on the list. ymmv

    • freakatronic on 03/02/2018 - 22:46
      +2

      Except that small townhouses close to CBD are currently 3x OP's budget…

  • pyramid on 02/02/2018 - 13:29
    +3

    |Max Budget is 500K, desired minimum land size 400 sqm

    You may need to go well beyond 40-50km from Melbourne CBD to get your desired house (ie Pakenham, Cragieburn etc). You will need to either change your desire to "Max Budget $500k, desired minimum land size 300 sqm" and you may find something well worth to look. A colleague has bought a house last week in Cragieburn for $540k and 400sqm land. and his house is 3km from railway station.

    • babiguling on 02/02/2018 - 13:50

      the problem is I still have to pay the stamp Duty, yeah I might have to lower my desired land size. but who knows I can get,..still hopeful
      Or should I wait after June 30, not sure if govt will terminate the free SD for First Home Buyer , then the housing price will be lowered a bit?

      • pyramid on 02/02/2018 - 14:06
        +3

        You don't pay stamp duty on house below $600k if you are first home buyer and its going to be your PPOR in VIC.

        • babiguling on 02/02/2018 - 14:25
          +3

          yeah I'm not first home buyer anymore :(

    • machej on 04/02/2018 - 01:06

      Not really - 30km and closer are still very possible. Just check the recent prices homes are fetching in Werribee. https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/in-werribee,+vic+3030%3b/…

  • sky blu on 02/02/2018 - 14:09
    +12

    The sun is in your face every evening on your drive home if you live in the West.

    • areustillpretty on 02/02/2018 - 23:18
      +3

      OP heavily relies on public transport. While what you're saying is quite true, a good pair of sunnies will sort it out.

    • sv123 on 05/02/2018 - 08:48
      +1

      Harden the f*** up.

    • sheepdog on 05/02/2018 - 09:43
      +1

      I've heard this argument, it seems such a minor thing. They're called sunglasses. And I quite having the sun in the morning too. I also get to see an awesome sunset over the parklands as I drive, so yeah, horses for courses.

  • Weezle on 03/02/2018 - 00:24
    +1

    Footscray

    • twister292 on 03/02/2018 - 03:55
      +15

      Won't get a shed in footscray for less than 700k if the land size is 300sqm. After the upgrades to the station, a lot of hipsters seem to gravitate towards the area…

    • Trying2SaveABuck on 05/02/2018 - 09:48

      Weezle - have you seen the price of footscray in the past 3 years?

      500k would maybe get a 1 bedroom apartment off the plan at best

  • [Deactivated] on 03/02/2018 - 01:00
    -3

    I wouldn’t recommend any of these suburbs, they are all bad suburbs. If I had your budget OP, I’d look at a place like Eynesbury.

    • Baysew on 03/02/2018 - 14:44
      +2

      Is Ramsay Street in this suburb?

    • blackdiamond on 05/02/2018 - 10:41

      Eyensbury is beautiful but no public transport yet

      • [Deactivated] on 05/02/2018 - 13:53

        /ever. But who cares, you don’t want to be a bus (profanity).

  • El Grande on 03/02/2018 - 01:28

    Hows Deer Park? Not far from the city on V-Line. Tarneit is the next station.

    Someone is know bought in Officer. He reckons it's the next best thing. Not sure how or why but would love to hear peoples thoughts.

    • OzzyOzbourne on 03/02/2018 - 16:57

      I rented in deer Park for a year, no problems, plenty of shops, just not the prettiest of places.

      • babiguling on 03/02/2018 - 22:13

        Deer Park is good, but not many property last time I checked and mostly auction and went over my budget with Auction..

    • greencomet on 06/02/2018 - 14:42
      +1

      I bought a place in Deer Park a couple years ago, we've had no problems here at all. Close to the V-Line station, city, shops, freeways, etc. If OP was looking to buy in 2015 he would have got a nice place for 500k, but prices have gone up considerably in the past 2 years.

      • El Grande on 06/02/2018 - 15:42

        How much is considerably? 10-15%?

        • greencomet on 06/02/2018 - 15:47

          A house like ours which we bought for 430k in mid 2015 would be over 600k now to buy. Houses closer to Deer park station are fetching over 700k. This could all be due to the close location to the station/shops though, as i'm not sure if properties in other areas of Deer park are rising as quickly.

  • Big Bad Bagheera on 03/02/2018 - 09:54

    https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-werribee-12…

    673 square meters

    $3 70K - $407k range. Let's be conservative and say it sells for 440
    $60K for rennovation

    750 meters to station

    34m express train to southern cross or 46 stopping all stations

    33Km drive to city (maps says 35 minutes on weekend)

    My vote is West.
    Would like to see some one find something better in South East.
    (Not being rude, genuine question happy to be proven wrong!)

    • goodspeler on 03/02/2018 - 16:38
      +16

      mate, even the office chair in the study has had its wheels stolen and is sitting on blocks, good luck if you own a car!

    • babiguling on 03/02/2018 - 22:12
      +1

      @Big Bad
      Thanks mate for the research you've done, been looking at Werribee today, quite nice but certain area, I could smell stinky air,.. could be the rubbish tip problem, not sure if the council will do something about this in near future…

      • goodspeler on 03/02/2018 - 22:41
        +5

        mate are you serious?? what you're smelling is your own poo as well as mine and most of Melbourne's
        aka home to the Western Treatment Plant:

        https://www.melbournewater.com.au/community-and-education/ab…

        its the one place Trump could actually call a s$%thole and get away with it

        • babiguling on 03/02/2018 - 23:02

          Oh i c.. So are u suggesting that Werribee is no no? Genuine question.

        • goodspeler on 03/02/2018 - 23:38

          @saveAhok:

          I can't comment on living conditions but I definitely noticed the smell of human excrement when visiting a friend who lived there (only in certain areas as you say).

          Its mostly a quiet area, but I have never lived there so can't really comment. All I can say is it feels less friendly, vibrant and established than the eastern suburbs. It has a very detached/isolated feel to it is the best way I can put it.

        • harley on 04/02/2018 - 09:47

          @saveAhok: it's actually the farm fertilisers. The treatment plant are under cover now.

        • [Deactivated] on 05/02/2018 - 13:56
          +1

          @harley: No they aren’t. That’s not how it works.

        • goodspeler on 05/02/2018 - 15:26
          +1

          @harley:

          Are you saying I don't know what my feces smells like?

        • harley on 05/02/2018 - 18:21

          @goodspeler: lol. I guess you're spot on bc these fertilisers are probably made from animal feces (or possibly from humans, i don't know). But I say fertiliser bc I just moved from werribee south: right next to the farms and the treatment plant (separated by the reserve & river). And yes, it stinks on days the farms add their fertilisers. Other than that no smell. I used to think it was the sewerage too a long time ago when I used to live inner north and drove by along the freeway.

    • JIMB0 on 04/02/2018 - 00:06

      You forgot to mention its only 1.3km to Cash-converters.

      • goodspeler on 04/02/2018 - 22:13
        +1

        good point, at least you can go there to buy back your stolen goods!

        • machej on 05/02/2018 - 21:29
          +1

          I laughed at this even though I have a property near there.

    • Ametric on 05/02/2018 - 09:29
      +4

      sold for $501k…

      • goodspeler on 05/02/2018 - 15:25
        +1

        Harry Singh is a genius then (the real estate agent)

        • Ametric on 05/02/2018 - 15:37
          +1

          he knows how to do his job! :)

        • machej on 05/02/2018 - 21:29

          @Ametric: That is actually a cheap price believe it or not!

        • goodspeler on 05/02/2018 - 22:39

          @machej:

          I think he's referring to the fact that it actually sold…

        • Ametric on 06/02/2018 - 08:33

          @machej: the house in quite mediocre, so probably hence the price is lower than expected…

  • [Deactivated] on 03/02/2018 - 10:34
    +2

    500k isn't a realistic budget for SE without going really far, at which point, the sacrifice in time and relationships becomes a huge burden.

  • blackdiamond on 03/02/2018 - 12:35

    Have you looked at rockbank, Brookfield, Melton, Bacchus marsh? Still out west but if relying on public transport we are still Vline 35mins to the city and it's a dream. 40mins on freeway to the city by car. Nothing like weribee, tarniet hoppers traffic which is always gridlocked.
    My mum lives in Mernda, roads are a freaking nightmare. East is nice but less for your money but schools are good. It really comes down to what you want. I love the ease of being able to get to the city from where we are but HATE the choice of public school meaning our kids have to go private which is essentially another mortgage and making me consider moving. If we had better schools it would be ideal

    • babiguling on 03/02/2018 - 22:10

      Yeah Mernda is nightmare, traffic jam, had to wait patiently on the small roundabout,.. and now overpriced =(
      but nice area though.

  • berger on 03/02/2018 - 16:51

    Carrum Downs still has affordable pockets, Cranbourne West is nearly exhausted. Cranbourne East has house and land packages everywhere.. it looks like Thompson’s road is finally getting the upgrade it needed, which will help a little and get to Eastlink a bit easier

  • Zen on 03/02/2018 - 17:24
    +9

    Affordability aside, we've lived in Tarneit for the past 2 years and long story short we will be packing up and moving back to South East in the next week or two.

    Whilst the West is ok to live, if you have kids and you care about what kind of neighborhood and other children's influence, you may want to reconsider. If we didn't have kids, we might hang around here a bit longer. Priorities change after having a family of your own, whilst you can choose what kind of house you live in, you can't choose what kind of kids your child is surrounded by, unless you really make an effort and put them in better schools/childcare, but that will increase your daily commute time factoring that in.

    Some of the kids we've come across are quite ferral…

    However, daily commute wise, getting to Hoppers Crossing will probably be a lot closer than Narre Warren.

    Perhaps consider buying something you can afford in the West side, live in it for a few years, then use the rental income to subsidies your lifestyle renting in South East when you are ready to have a family?

    We aren't the only one's that who felt this way, we've known a few young families making the move or is about to because of these factors. The people I'm referring to are from Point Cook, Truganina, Tarneit, Werribee, Hoppers Crossing area.

    Perhaps something to consider for the future?

    • knk on 03/02/2018 - 20:44
      +1

      I'm in the same area, however have no kids. So far I haven't had any issues, however I imagine your comments are related to the youths who have recently migrated to the country / area.

      Can you elaborate on the issues with schools etc, as someone who plans to have kids in the area I'd be keen for a first hand perspective.

      • buckster on 04/02/2018 - 08:04
        +2

        Is predominantly Caucasian youths hanging around smoking, looking to cause trouble which is the main issue, one way or another your kids can't avoid exposure

        • knk on 04/02/2018 - 10:06
          +3

          Hanging around smoking hardly seems a reason to move. Not exactly menacing.

          Has to be more to it than that.

        • goodspeler on 06/02/2018 - 00:10

          @knk:

          depends on your perspective. broad daylight, kids standing around in packs smoking, no biggie. now picture that same scene at night when you're walking home alone. a higher perceived threat for most people…

        • knk on 11/02/2018 - 18:48
          +1

          @goodspeler:
          I wouldn't walk home at night regardless if I were in Werribee or Toorak.

        • [Deactivated] on 11/02/2018 - 18:49

          @knk: Toorak is 100% safe, you can walk the streets at night without a worry ( and any of the surrounding suburbs apart from Richmond).

        • knk on 11/02/2018 - 18:52
          +2

          @Burnertoasty:
          It's safe until it's not, then its game over. Call me over cautious.

        • [Deactivated] on 11/02/2018 - 19:35

          @knk: Or a (profanity)

        • goodspeler on 11/02/2018 - 20:57
          +1

          @knk:

          as a 6 foot 3 basketball player, I regularly walk alone when its dark in the area I live in (Doncaster). no issues whatsoever and no delinquents hanging around loitering etc. safety essentially boils down to the socioeconomics of the area you live in and how threatening you are to others.

        • knk on 11/02/2018 - 21:04

          @goodspeler:
          No doubt Doncaster is safer than the crime ridden west, I was just saying that I wouldn't base my choice of suburb on whether I could walk home ornot.

        • [Deactivated] on 11/02/2018 - 22:36
          -1

          @knk: Trust me, lived in the inner inner south east all my life, and it’s always been crazy safe. I have no qualms going for midnight runs down pitch black streets.

    • babiguling on 03/02/2018 - 22:04

      @Zen Thanks for your advice, yeah started to look ta Hoppers Crossing, Werribee & Manor Lakes
      Not many property for sale in the south east at the moment.
      Yeah no kids yet, we'll see how it goes

  • dlakers3peat on 03/02/2018 - 17:58

    Here is something that's near your price range but unfortunately under offer in Hallam.
    https://m.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-hallam-126784….

    Be patient and find a place you want to live in area you like, otherwise if you settle you might end up regretting it.

    • babiguling on 03/02/2018 - 22:06
      +2

      Thanks mate,.. yeah it's hard buying the right property, but nowadays you have to be quick to secure good property, but in the other hand if too quick, could make fatal mistakes =(
      also some time it feels like buying a house is quicker than buying a pair of shoes

  • Curiouscat on 03/02/2018 - 19:15

    At the cost of increased competition for the lot for me, try Mt Atkinson, looks too good and prices are not very high, you might be able to sneak into a house around $540k ish

  • simonjb on 03/02/2018 - 21:26
    +1

    There's a reason the western suburbs is cheaper than the south east.

    • Wills7 on 03/02/2018 - 21:34

      Same distance from the cbd sure, but he is looking much further in the south east. There is a reason why the areas he is looking at are in similar price range.

      • babiguling on 03/02/2018 - 22:08

        yeah agree and understand what u meant guys =)

    • machej on 05/02/2018 - 21:30
      +1

      I'd take Werribee over Cranbourne any day of the week. 35 mins to Southern Cross, don't get why people hate on it so much. The undesirable activity is exaggerated so much.

  • Thor Bargain God on 03/02/2018 - 23:57
    +3

    Point Cook is the rare exception to most of the commentary about the West. I feel a different vibe generally south of the Freeway and towards the coast. Not being from Melbourne, I find the East-West divide a little bit silly, given for example that Point Cook is almost equivalent to Brighton in relation to the sea and the CBD. The only problem is that a lot of houses are going to be pushing $1 million shortly. I went to watch an auction today just to get a feel for what is going on. There are some better homes here that have sold for over $2M. The opportunity to get in at a reasonable price has been there for ages until now and $500k could have got a decent home on a 600m^2 block a few years back. There are still a few skanky people about but I think some of them are either going to be offered too much money for their homes or be forced out as rental yields must increase to match the asset values. The political dynamic here is a little different to the staunchly leftist attitude that blights most of the West. We have a pretty good golf course and there is even a gated community. We could learn a lot from Africa and there should be more gated communities I think, particularly because we seem to be importing a lot of problems from there, so why not some of the solutions too? The homes and environment are wonderful. I live 700m from the ocean and only 24km from the city - it is one of the best kept secrets. Some estates within the suburb have body corporate but you do get Telstra Fibre, swimming pools, parks, tennis courts, gym etc. thrown in. A lot of money is starting to flood into the area from India and China it would seem, but I gather that a lot of people from Sydney are choosing the area, after facing stiff competition for a shoe box back home. The biggest problem here I gather is schooling because we've had the highest birth rate for a while, but there are still schools to be built. Shopping is OK and a lot has been invested recently to improve the Werribee Shopping Centre which is not all that far away. Not being from Melbourne, I was shocked at how few private schooling opportunities there were in the West though. I hope some of these problems get ironed out, but so far I really do prefer it to the East - some of the homes there are decrepit and the workman's cottages with asbestos and rusty roofs, quite a few km out from the CBD for $2M are nuts. The North and North West are areas that freak me out the most and I'm not surprised when I hear some of the stats and news out of there. I know this is quite a bit outside budget, but I did find Spotswood, Yarraville or Williamstown to be not too bad value if you have to be closer to the CBD. The trains are not much better here than anywhere else though - I gave up as I struggled to find a seat around 6am on a couple of occasions a few years ago with suitcase, document trolley and laptop bags in tow, so I'm much happier driving. As the Vline has first class tickets, I was pondering why the Melbourne Metro couldn't follow suit, but then I realised that it would not be a palatable situation to those on the left to have some people receive a better service if they were willing to work and pay for it.

    • [Deactivated] on 04/02/2018 - 00:07
      +13

      The homes in Point Cook are pieces of shit dude. They are awful Mcmansion style, low quality soulless living quarters. You completely neglect to mention the enormous traffic jam, which starts at Point Cook and goes for 20km over the bridge, every single morning. Commuting is a disaster. Those 'workman cottages' near the CBD might be smaller than a Point Cook house, but they are much better built, and will always be worth more than land next to the sewerage plant. (Which essentially renders the beach 700metres from your house useless, unless you like water of the brown variety). Also, the Bay is most certainly not the ocean. 'Only' 24kms from the city is a joke. 24kms is a long way, and Point Cook is by no means a secret, it is the largest suburb in Australia. That being said, the murder rate has decreased in the last few years.

      • no not me on 04/02/2018 - 00:16
        +8

        I don't know the validity of your beach claim, given that West Altona beach has had sewage wash up a number of times in the past, yet, houses near go for over $1 million frequently. Point Cook's traffic situation is a joke, the whole area is bottlenecked by one friggin road, so it's a waste of time living there if you want to commute via car. Also, trains are packed. So I agree with you on that.

      • idonotknowwhy on 05/02/2018 - 18:38

        Which essentially renders the beach 700metres from your house useless, unless you like water of the brown variety

        LMAO

    • devilbabies on 04/02/2018 - 01:44
      +3

      "we've had the highest birth rate for a while"

      when income, health, safety and education goes up, the birth rate goes down.

      highest birth-rates in melbourne - point cook, melton
      lowest birth-rates in melbourne - parkville, east melbourne

      highest birth-rates on earth - niger, somalia
      lowest birth-rates on earth - japan, monarco

      here's a list of melbourne's suburbs ranked by livability
      https://www.domain.com.au/news/melbournes-most-liveable-subu…
      "Point Cook’s liveability is dropping as the crime rate of the area increases. It scores well for coastline proximity and public open space such as Point Cook Coastal Park, but is deprived of culture, tree cover, cafes, shops and schools." (ranked 309 of 321 suburbs)

      • serpserpserp on 04/02/2018 - 14:01

        and no decent public transport in Point Cook.

      • serpserpserp on 04/02/2018 - 14:04

        Also how Ivanhoe is number 8 just stinks of bias in that poll. I mean there are so many other more "livable suburbs" in the top 100 than that.

        • mlburnian on 05/02/2018 - 20:42

          Have you been to Ivanhoe? Most people would love to live there.
          Maybe you are confusing Heidelberg Heights/Bellfiled with Ivanhoe proper

      • 0FoxGiven on 06/02/2018 - 14:25
        +1

        Coburg is fairly high up on this dumb list.. I stayed there for over a year and I think its probably the worst suburb I have seen so far.

        • nurbsenvi on 06/02/2018 - 16:13
          -1

          Corburg? The sharia town?

  • FatBlanket on 04/02/2018 - 06:29

    The only way you're getting a place worth living in for 500k is if you use it to have someone killed and steal their identity. I couldn't even find an acceptable apartment for 500.

  • MessyG on 04/02/2018 - 07:04
    +2

    With those options, I would go South East and as close to the beach as you can afford. If you're going to live a distance from the city, I would try to make the lifestyle of the suburb you're living in as nice as possible and the beach would tick that box for me. That's what's missing from both the North and the West. Also helpful to get on the Facebook groups for those areas and have a look at what people are complaining about. In the Moonee Valley group, most people complain about lost pets, in the Airport West group - lots of complaints about crime. I did this before buying and was glad I did.

  • serpserpserp on 04/02/2018 - 08:42
    +1

    Has OP considered north of the city Craigeburn, Epping or slightly south of those areas?

  • wanga1983 on 04/02/2018 - 09:06

    Hi OP

    You mentioned that you don’t have access to FHBG. What is your situation atm? Are you living in a property that you own? What is the reason for this move?

    The “advice” and opinions of strangers on this website are not going to help you and your family make the best decision that aligns with your values and priorities.

    Is your $500k budget based on your maximum borrowing capacity or a psychological limit you have imposed on yourself?

    If you’re deadset on buying something with land, I reckon Northern suburbs are the best of the options presented. You will need to be patient for the infrastructure catching up; already mentioned train line extension, Plenty Rd widening and the proposed North East Link will give that area a boost.

    If you’re able to stretch your budget slightly and let go of the sqm limit, take a look at Heidelberg Heights, Watsonia, Macleod for a unit or townhouse. These are established suburbs, family friendly and will offer solid capital growth going forward.

    As always talk to a professional, at the very least a broker who can help open up some options for you. Be realistic. Good luck

    • babiguling on 04/02/2018 - 14:27

      Thanks mate, im currently renting a room, just sold my unit property back in November 17. So wanna upgrade to a much better. Yeah been getting professional advices. This forum has also helped me getting ideas n something that i hv never thought of… Such as info from yours =) thanks again

  • DiscoJango on 04/02/2018 - 10:49

    using the westgate bridge on a daily basis, i couldnt think of anything worse

    • serpserpserp on 04/02/2018 - 14:00
      +1

      OP uses PT.

    • nurbsenvi on 04/02/2018 - 17:13
      +3

      Uh Princes highway from Clayton to City?

    • od810 on 05/02/2018 - 13:24
      +2

      Eastern Freeway -> Hoddle -> Punt Road. Still have nightmare about the time when i work in St Kilda and living in North Eastern Suburb

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