Where to live? Seaford Rise? Any advice appreciated!

[Willber]

Hi all, we have our visa and are looking to land in Adelaide in August 2010. We've been advised to buy a property before we go as it is easier to get a loan when you are still in the UK due to the fact that you don't have a credit rating in Aus. We've never even visited SA so have no idea of the good/bad areas etc, but have got the general gist to steer clear of the north and aim for the south. I've been looking on realestate.com.au and have found affordable property at Seaford Rise, I've checked out the the local school (Seaford Rise Primary) for my 7 year old and it appears good.

 

Can anyone give me any incite in to the local area, is it tidy, pretty etc? What is the crime like, is there any graffiti? What are the local amenities like, how far to the shops etc? Although I've checked out the local area on Google maps, can anyone tell me first hand what the local park land and beach is like? Is there much for the kids to do and is there a good local nursery for my 2 year old?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated, obviously we need to be sure before we buy.

 

Thanks

[Guest Damien]

Hi Willber,

 

We are headed out in March. All the advice I have had is to rent before you buy, all suburbs are different and until you have actually had a proper look around you can't really gain a realistic opinion. Generally if the property is cheap on realestate.com there is a reason, same as there would be in the UK (every town has its bad areas).

 

We are gonna rent in Christies Beach for a few weeks, yeah it's got a 'rough' reputation but it's cheap so serves a purpose while we look for somewhere better.

 

Damo

[Guest katsmajic]

I wouldnt consider buying without seeing...

Seaford Rise is nice but i dont want to live there but thats my opinion, i live in Seaford (the other side of the main road which is nice but also has a rougher reputation.

 

When we looked for a rental (when we arrived) we saw some that looked fab online but were total shockers when we went to see them...and i'm talking disgustingly shocking! Photos/agents hide a million things.

 

House prices are not going to change that much from now til you arrive - get here and get a feel for areas.

[Moosh]

Can anyone give me any incite in to the local area, is it tidy, pretty etc? Yes it's ok.

 

What is the crime like, is there any graffiti? Crime is everywhere and yes there is grafitti.

 

What are the local amenities like, how far to the shops etc? Very good, you have everything you need just a short drive away.

 

What the local park land and beach is like? Beautiful beaches down south and lots of parkland for kids to play on.

[jim and adel]

I'd have to have a much stronger reason to buy while still overseas than the lack of a credit history - for most, getting a mortgage isn't too difficult or a stumbling block; getting jobs and finding a house that suits at the right price is likely to be more problematic.

 

If you haven't visited, I'd advise you don't 'steer clear' of anywhere - even the north - until you've had a good look around and seen things for yourself. Some like the south, others the north, quite a few aim for the beach, yet more the hills, and a few want a CBD lifestyle. Sort out a rental, give yourself time to get to know different places, then decide where you want to be. By then, assuming that all has gone to plan with jobs etc, you'd have no trouble getting a mortgage.

 

Jim

[Willber]

Great, thanks for all your advice!

[Guest nishman]

We've never even visited SA so have no idea of the good/bad areas etc, but have got the general gist to steer clear of the north and aim for the south.

 

When we came over, we were of the opinion that the south was the "steer clear area Started in North East and ended up in Seaford Rise - so it's lucky we didn't believe everything we red on t'internet... You really have got to see for yourself, so to "buy before you fly" is a big gamble - although admittedly it might just pay off!

 

We know friends that brought before they came over (in SR again) without ever seeing the place in the flesh - they love it, albeit they've just moved out to build a new house just down the road. You'll see from others that they brought within weeks of arriving, and have since regretting it... A certain amount of courage and luck required I guess

 

I think Moosh has summarised SR pretty well - and there's plenty of other threads on the area buried within the vaults of PIA.

 

Good luck

[Diane]

Yeh steer clear of anything north of the City!!! I can't even be bothered to suggest anywhere if you've been told - and believe - stuff like that!!!

 

Avoid anywhere to the north if you dislike class, style, space, civilisation, jobs, and aussies.

[Guest graandjac]

;)Now I heard.....swingers rise.........

[Guest Sharon and Paul]

Hi Willber , I think it's clear what we are trying to tell you , Rent will cost you about 7 grand for the year , the best 7 grand your spend here , it will give you time to find the right place and settle your family into Aussie life. I told my mrs to forget about buying as the exchange rate is crap, ATB Paul

[ozzieclare2be]

i like seaford rise , but there are hundreds of lovely places in adelaide north, south east and west , best to have a look around first, i mean would you buy a house in the uk without even looking around the area for yourself and trusting other people on a website?

[Guest graandjac]

i like seaford rise , but there are hundreds of lovely places in adelaide north, south east and west , best to have a look around first, i mean would you buy a house in the uk without even looking around the area for yourself and trusting other people on a website?

 

 

Clare's piont should be taken seriously, dont take anybodys word for it as we are all very different.

[Guest SA Great]

Yeh steer clear of anything north of the City!!! I can't even be bothered to suggest anywhere if you've been told - and believe - stuff like that!!!

 

Avoid anywhere to the north if you dislike class, style, space, civilisation, jobs, and aussies.

 

Yes as Diane has pointed out, the North is a terrible place. LOL I agree with a lot of your posts Diane and Highbury is lovely but you have to admit that class and Elizabeth don't really go hand in hand!! In my opinion I don't like the North but the North East is really nice. Tea Tree Gully, Highbury and Athelstone are 3 of my faves up there AND the roads in the North are twice as good as the south. However, we have the best beaches!!

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

It all comes down to what you want out of life, what you want out of where you live.....thats the best advice i can give without opening up the old slanging match can of worms...

 

HG

[Guest theforrests]

We've been living in Seaford Rise (in a rented house) for nearly 2 years. As others have said, its close to all amenities (you've got a selection of schools and daycare options) and gorgeous beaches. I always thought that I wanted to live really close to the beach, but when it came to buying a house/block of land, we discovered McLaren Flat, which is a small, country village - but yet still only 15 mins from the beach. I would really recommend to rent first.

 

cheers

Sarah

[Willber]

Thanks everyone, your help is much appreciated.

 

Due to your comments , we've been seriously considering renting. I've been looking at the North East, Tea Tree Gully and surrounding areas and there are some nice affordable rentals in this area. Can anyone offer any incite in to this area and the local schools and amenities? Thanks

[Diane]

Hi - rightio: Northeast then, here goes for the quick guide!

 

Good choice of schools around Tea Tree Gully. When we arrived our son was 7 and we looked at Tea Tree Gully Primary, Fairview Park, St Agnes, Ardtornish, Highbury, Houghton and Athelstone. There are also lots of private schools - St Torrens Christian School and St Davids spring to mind but there are loads. There's also lots around Modbury but I don't know much about any of them - the DECS website is probably a good place to start for schools: http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/

 

Excellent public transport in the form of busses and the O-Bahn (where the busses go on tracks) into the City. Takes about 20/30 minutes to drive it, depending on time of day. City is very accessible from this side of town so quite common for people to head down to the Central Market on a Friday evening, go out for a meal there, go see a show, go see a sporting event etc.

 

Good shops - Tea Tree Plaza has big shopping mall, Golden Grove has slightly smaller one. Umpteen supermarkets including the best I have found in Adelaide so far - Coles at St Agnes!!

 

Good sports facilities and excellent library offering free internet access and toy library. Plenty of sports clubs - this is a good starting point for them: http://www.northeast.net.au/ Open air pool complex in the summer (Waterworld - but not this summer as closed for renos ) plenty of free tennnis courts, cinema at Tea Tree Plaza, drive in cinema 15 mins away at Gepps Cross...

 

Great parks and open spaces, the Torrens Linear Park runs along the river and has cycle paths, kids play parks, open space, trees, occasional koalas, parrots.... and a mad devil border collie chasing her ball occasionally!

 

Errrmmmm....nice people too!