Basic Tips for Choosing a Home in Australia.

I have recently noticed that a lot of my friends abroad have been migrating to Australia, particularly the Melbourne area. When I ask them why they chose Australia out of all the other countries to migrate to, their answers could pretty much be summed up in one sentence: Australia is a really great and beautiful country. Looking back to my previous trip to Australia, I have to say that I completely agree with them. Australia is a truly peaceful, clean, and tremendously beautiful country. I will freely admit that if I had the opportunity to do so, I would love to live there together with my small family.

In fact, I have found myself contemplating the possibility of migrating to Australia with my family! It has even come to a point where I have been looking up potential communities in Australia to move to – after all, you never know!

City Circle Tram in Melbourne, Australia.

In any case, if you happen to be looking to purchase a home in Australia (or you are just curious about Australian home buying), I want to share with you some general but highly useful home buying tips that I have gleaned from my friends, my own experiences, and the handy dandy thing called the internet. Take note that these same tips can be applied to pretty much regardless of what country you want to buy a house in.

Be informed.
The very first thing that you have to do is make sure that you are well informed of all the things involved in home buying. Unfortunately, buying a house is not at all like buying supplies from the department store – there are no returns, exchanges, or refunds. In short, buying a home is a really huge step and a really big investment, so you have to be prepared. If you can, you should definitely attend home buying seminars or at the very least, get advice from people who have actually bought houses themselves.

Photo credit: News.com.au

Set a budget.
Budgeting is key here. You have to understand your financial capabilities and realize your financial shortcomings. You have to think about how you will actually buy the house and where you will get the money from: Do you have savings stashed away? Will you take out a bank loan? Is there some sort of sale or package you can utilize to your advantage? You have to think about these things carefully.

Be realistic and be flexible.
This is probably the most important tip of all. When buying a house, you will of course have a “dream house” in mind. However, unless you have millions to spare, you will have to face the fact that your “dream house” may have to wait for a couple of years and you may have to settle for a more budget-friendly home for now. You also have to think about whether you want to buy a house and lot like one of Lend Lease's house and land packages in Melbourne or if you want to buy a pre-built or even a pre-owned home. Just keep in mind that whatever you do, you have to make sure that you get a home that will make you happy but will not cause you to be buried in an avalanche of debt later on.