Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
Editor’s letter
So what is it about Australia that we discuss property all the time now – prices, hotspots, auction rates, suburbs to buy…
There’s no escaping the subject, be it with friends, on the news, in the papers! And just recently I fell victim to buying a property in the city again after renting for some years, as my home is in the country.
Every weekend for 14 months became the hunt! If there is any pastime to bring you to near breaking point or almost to destroy your relationship completely, go check out 10 to 12 properties between 9am and 2pm on Saturdays. You probably need two cars because one person simply cannot cover that ridiculous number of open-for-inspections where so often they coincide anyway!
It becomes a life-threatening activity as well. Saturday traffic – that’s the kids’ sports and most people’s weekend shopping time, of course. So getting from A to B to C and D in that congestion makes you drive like a mad person because you’re in such a rush! Red lights, near misses, maniacal lanechanging… and as for pedestrians!
The mood you’re in at the end of it is murderous and if you can still speak civilly to your partner, you’re doing amazingly well. So after ‘inspecting’ about 400 properties in that time, an agent rang just before Christmas to say ‘I have found IT for you! It’s a gift. Don’t let this one go! But I can only show it to you for about 20 minutes because there are tenants and they’re being a tad difficult about you coming through!’ No! What! Really! After all this, I have to make a decision in an instant, too!
Well, I have just taken possession and my new home is full of surprises – some good, some… you know, those I’ll-fix-them-up-in-due-time types. And now the packing begins. What is the old saying? The most stressful three life events are death, divorce, and moving. So my advice to you? If you’re thinking of getting into this madness of the property market which is Australia right now, don’t! Improve, don’t move. You will be relaxed, your relationship will flourish, the kids will get to see you on the weekends and you’ll drive safely. I’ll keep you in the loop!