South Africa to Albany

Hello Annie & Pieter!

Welcome to Expat.com.

Have you taken a look at the different threads of the forum, they might be helpful to you.

There are also some articles in our participative guide.
Here is the link > https://www.expat.com/en/guide/oceania/australia/.

All the best,
Harmonie.

Thanks Harmonie

I will go have a look.

Annie

Hi Annie and Pieter

My name is Suzanne and although I live in Perth, I have enjoyed many holidays in Albany and surrounds over the years and have loved it. It is on the coast as you will know and I am sure that you will enjoy living there.

I imagine that rentals are similar everywhere. You want to make sure that you are able to rent something suitable in which to live. Rentals used to be a lot cheaper but now they are very expensive and a couple of years ago, the vacancy rate in Perth was very low and owners were able to extract very high rents. You can expect to pay about $300 or more for a unit in Perth and that is at the low end. I am not sure how much rentals are in Albany but if you were to Google estate agencies in Albany, I am sure that you will be able to find out some more information. You could also google REIWA and there may be a lot of properties available that you could view on-line and that may give you some idea. To buy a home here,even a modest one will cost between the upper 300k to half a million k for a good sized family home. Try and size up agencies to see what they can do for you and don't settle for the first one. There are good and bad agents everywhere. Albany has increased in size over the years and I would be asking which areas are best to live in. If you tell the agents what you are looking for, they may be able to direct you better.

For medical, car, income, and house and property insurance there are many options. I have my home and contents with the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) and they have been good. My car insurance is with HBF (Hospital Benefit Fund. A lot of funds allow you to pay monthly so that there is not a huge bill at one time. I would google insurance companies and learn what each provides. Not all are the same, but I am sure that most are reliable. You just need to check on the cost and the fine print to see what you get for your money. Medical Insurance is a separate deal and we have a few health funds. You could also google those to find out more. Everyone in Australia has a Medicare card and when you have seen a medical practitioner, you are entitled to get part of the cost of the visit back. I went to the doctor on Friday last and the visit cost about $65 and I got approximately $35 back as a rebate. various procedures and types of visits cost less or more.

You can get cheap furniture from the Salvo's, Good Samaritan and other organisations. They also have cooking gear and crockery really cheap. The furniture is other people's discards but it is serviceable if that is what you want to start. You can also look in the Quokka which is an advertising paper and on Gumtree. The Sunday Times also has an advertising section where you can buy furniture cheaply. YOu can also look on-line. Over the years I have bought a lot of furniture this way.

Hi Suzanne,

Thank you so much for your input. You have helped me with a mammoth task.

I am sure I will be communicating with you again soon.

Hi Annie and Pieter

Hubby arrived in Perth yesterday and we hope to join him beginning 2013 too. We have lived abroad before, my oldest was born in Malaysia, but it is still a big step. We had no internet those days and I had to do all my research at the Library and books from CNA. Google makes it so much more fun.

I have the same questions milling in my head.
1) What area(s) should be avoided when it comes to renting property?

2) How does Medical Aid and car/household insurance work?

3) Where is the best place to purchase furniture if you are starting from scratch ((reasonable prices))?

4) Schools and education.

Please keep in touch, would love to share  info as D day approaches.

Connie

Hello Connie.

Welcome to Expat.com!

I would suggest you to start a new thread on the Perth forum for better visibility.

Thank you,
Aurélie

Thanks Aurélie, I will. Connie