Relocating to Australia
Renting or buying a home

One of the first things you need to consider when renting or purchasing property is to ascertain where the best jobs are for you.

Then, a crucial task is finding the house or flat (apartment) that will be your home for the first few months (or years).

Overwhelmingly, Australians live in detached 2 or 3 bedroom homes on quarter or fifth acre blocks (roughly 1,000 and 800 square metres). Big back yards, home swimming pools, flower and vegetable gardens are all pretty standard to the Australian lifestyle.

In recent years, though, there has been a trend to inner city apartment living, ranging from single room 'studio apartments' to 1, 2 and sometimes 3 bedroom apartments, so most preferences can be catered for.

Rental agreements or leases are usually negotiated on an annual basis, after which tenants may sign a new lease, or continue on a month-to-month basis. Rental costs vary according to city, suburb and state. Accommodation in State capitals costs more than most country cities and towns.

For example, it's reported that the median house price in Sydney is close to $AU500,000 and the average rent for such homes is $AU400+ per week. For apartments, the median is around $AU400,000 to buy and $AU300+ to rent.

In comparison, the median rent for a Perth house is at a record $AU300 a week.

Purchase prices of homes in country areas can be a mere fraction of city prices, though rents are higher relative to buy prices. In mining and ‘resource’ towns, purchase and rental prices can reach city levels.

You can search for properties Australia wide on realestate.com.au or domain.com.au