Accommodation Posts
- $17,000 grant for a new home in Queensland
- 1984 to 2012 Changes in Australian House Prices
- Accommodation in Australia
- Auspitality, Cleveland, Brisbane, Qld
- Australia has Largest Floor Space per Person for New Residential Properties
- Australian and UK House Prices 2003 to 2009
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Adelaide and South Australia
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Brisbane and Queensland
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Canberra and ACT
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Darwin and Northern Territory
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Hobart and Tasmania
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Melbourne and Victoria
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Perth and Western Australia
- Australian House Prices 2003 to 2015: Sydney and NSW
- Australian Median Property Prices December 2017
- Australian Property Prices Compared to Full Time Wages
- Average House Prices Australia and UK
- Average House Prices in Adelaide
- Average House Prices in Brisbane
- Average House Prices in Britain September 2011
- Average House Prices in Canberra
- Average House Prices in Darwin
- Average House Prices in Hobart
- Average House Prices in Melbourne
- Average House Prices in Perth
- Average House Prices in Sydney
- Average New First Home Buyers Mortgage Value in Australia
- Average Price of Detached Houses in Australia
- Average Property Rent in Brisbane and Queensland
- Book your Accommodation
- Brisbane homeowners suffer greatest losses in Australia
- Buying a House in Australia
- Canberra ACT Accommodation
- Cheap Furniture in Australia
- Cleveland Mews, Cleveland, Brisbane, QLD
- Established House Prices in Australia
- First Home Buyer Home Loans in NSW
- First Home Buyers average Mortgages
- First Home Buyers Mortgages June 2011
- First Home Owners Grant FHOG in Australia
- First Home Owners Grant New South Wales
- First Home Owners Grant Queensland
- First Home Owners Grant Victoria
- Furnished Accommodation in Adelaide and South Australia
- Furnished Accommodation in Brisbane and Queensland
- Furnished Accommodation in Canberra, ACT
- Furnished Accommodation in Darwin and Northern Territory
- Furnished Accommodation in Hobart and Tasmania
- Furnished Accommodation in Melbourne and Victoria
- Furnished Accommodation in Perth and Western Australia
- Furnished Accommodation in Sydney and New South Wales
- Holiday Accommodation in Australia
- Holiday Destinations around the world
- Holiday Home Rentals in Brisbane, QLD
- Holiday Home Rentals in Mandurah, Western Australia
- Holiday Home Rentals in Perth, Western Australia
- Holiday Home Rentals in Sydney, NSW
- Hotel Accommodation in Brisbane
- Hotels in Australian Capital Territory
- Hotels in New South Wales
- Hotels in Northern Territory
- Hotels in Queensland
- Hotels in South Australia
- Hotels in Tasmania
- Hotels in Victoria
- Hotels in Western Australia
- House and Land Packages in Australia
- House Price to Income Ratio UK and Australia
- House Prices
- House Prices Brisbane August 2016 Update
- House Prices Queensland Postcode 4165
- House Prices UK – Australia 2013
- House Size Comparison UK-Aus
- Median House Prices March 2016
- Median Income and House Prices Australia. 1984 and 2012
- Median Property Price Changes 2010 to 2015 in Australia
- Median Property Prices
- Median Weekly Rents Brisbane 2012 – 2017
- Million Dollar Properties in Australia
- Mortgage Costs as a Percentage of Income in 2013
- Mortgage Payments v Income
- Mortgages in Australia
- Motels & Hotels
- Pool Fencing Laws in Australia
- Property for Sale in Western Australia
- Property news: Stamp duty now costs more than one year’s salary
- Property Prices NSW April 2010
- Property Prices UK and Australia 2011
- Property Rental Increases in 2011 in Australia
- Property Renting in Australia
- Property Values
- Rent as a Percentage of Income
- Renting a Property in Australia
- RPData Property Values
- Sea Echo Retreat, Mandurah, WA
- Stamp Duty in Victoria Abolished For First Home Buyers Under $600,000
- Stamp Duty on Australian House Purchase
- Stamp Duty on Australian House Purchase 2008
- Stamp Duty on Queensland Property
- Stayz
- Sydney House Prices 2002 to 2014
- Sydney house prices worse than London
- Sydney median house price now $1,017,500 at July 2015
- Temporary Resident Home Loans
- Where do people Rent Property in Queensland
- Wynnum Anchor Motel, Wynnum, QLD
Types of Houses in Australia
House types vary to a large degree over Australia.
You may get the older style weatherboard houses in rural areas and in some older residential suburbs, but more common these days is the Brick Veneer style of modern home.
Brick Veneer is the Australian term equivalent to Timber Frame in the UK.
A description of which is:
Timber frame – A method of building construction where the internal walls, floors, roof etc are manufactured in sections using timber off site and are erected onto a completed base built up from the foundations. In modern timber framed buildings, the inner timber construction is often covered by using an outer skin of brick or similar materials to give a traditional appearance.
taken from: http://www.diydata.com/general_building/building_glossary.php
Most houses in the suburbs are detached houses on building blocks of about 700-800sm, although this is reducing in some of the newer areas to closer to 500sm, or less.
There are also quite a number of “Townhouses”, the modern version of terraced houses, sometimes just 2 or 3 houses joined together, but sometimes more.
Some Real Estate Terms that we may not be familiar with:
DLUG = Double Lock up Garage
SLUG or LUG = Single Lock up Garage
4×2 = 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (Common term in WA)
This section will be expanded on later, and maybe put on a page of its own, especially if anyone wishes to add to the above…
House Renting – Unfurnished
These are normally available for stays of 6 months upwards, and sometimes a 1 year tenancy is required.
These are much cheaper than the Furnished rentals but do require that longer commitment.
House Renting – Furnished
These are generally Furnished Houses or units, ideal for Holidays and Validation Trips on short term stays.
Serviced apartments are also popular for short stays
Motels & Hotels in Australia
This page will list some options for Motels and Hotels, especially the main chain groups, around the country.
The individual State pages for Furnished accommodation will also list Motels and Hotels in each individual state.
- Link: Motels & Hotels
Buying a House in Australia
Rules apply on who is allowed to purchase property, although any Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Australia can a buy a house in Australia without any restrictions.
Each State has its own rules and regulations on purchasing property.
What may be correct procedure in one State may not be the same in another, so it is advisable to always check first, before assuming that what you have heard elsewhere actually applies.
One example of this is making an offer for the purchase of as property:
In some States, NSW being one, an offer is just that, it is an offer to purchase.
However, in other States, QLD being one, an offer to purchase a property is actually signed by the purchaser, and, if accepted by the seller, becomes a contract immediately.
Therefore make sure your offer is subject to your conditions.
The Real Estate agent should advise you on this, but the initial conditions you should request, as a minimum, are:
- Subject to you getting suitable finance
- Subject to satisfactory Pest Inspection and Building Report
Always, when buying a house, have a Pest Inspection and Building Report done before completion.
Property Buying Restrictions:
Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident
No Restrictions
Temporary Resident, Retiree or Student
There are some changes that may be in effect from December 2008, please check the FIRB website to see if you are affected by them. The prime one appears to be:
Temporary residents will not be required to notify proposed acquisitions of an established dwelling for their own residence (not for investment purposes);
A temporary resident includes all foreign persons living in Australia who hold a valid temporary visa which permits them to stay in Australia for a continuous period of more than 12 months or has submitted an application for permanent residency (PR), and holds a bridging visa which permits them to stay in Australia until PR is granted.
Please check http://www.firb.gov.au/content/exemptions/exemptions.asp to see if any exemptions apply to you.
http://www.firb.gov.au/content/policy.asp
Existing Rules
- You can buy new property without restriction.
- You can buy an established property provided it is your residence and it is sold when your visa expires.
- Consent of the FIRB is normally required. (exceptions apply for some spouse / de facto partner.)
- Foreign National or Foreign Corporation
- Can buy new property.
- Can buy vacant land as long as building commences within 12 months of purchase.
- Can buy an established property only if an additional amount of no less than 50% of the original property cost is spent on improvements or additional construction.
- Can buy up to 50% of new projects or apartments
- Consent of the FIRB is required.
FIRB = Foreign Investment Review Board – www.firb.gov.au
Interesting Q&A fact sheet: – www.firb.gov.au/content/faq.asp
The FIRB FAQ site states: (as at Dec 2008)
Q6. I am a foreign person living in Australia on a long stay, temporary resident visa. Do I need approval to buy an established house to live in?
A. Yes. Foreign persons temporarily resident in Australia for a period exceeding 12 months from the time of application for approval are eligible under foreign investment policy to acquire residential real estate. If the property being purchased is an established dwelling, that is, one that has been previously occupied or sold, foreign investment approval is still available provided that the dwelling is to be used as the persons principal place of residence, not for rental purposes and the property must be sold when their visa expires or they cease to reside in Australia.
Q18. I am an Australian citizen, but my spouse / de facto partner is a foreign person, do we require permission to purchase a house?
A. Australian citizens and their foreign spouses (which include de facto partners) are exempt from notification as long as the property is zoned residential and you are buying the property as joint tenants.
The House Buying Procedures in Australia
QLD:
- Real Estate Institute Queensland www.reiq.com.au/BuySellRent/buySteps.asp
- QLD Government House Buying Links www.qld.gov.au/about/health-and-communities/housing-and-property