Perth Waterfront good for finding my new home?

Probably if I wanted to live in an apartment in the future, the Perth Waterfront project would be good. For those that don't know, the state government has come up with a plan to redevelop Perth's barren waterfront with a project that will look a little like this (details can be found at www.perthwaterfront.com.au). The project will probably inspire more apartments to be build inner city and with Burswood Entertainment Complex doing their own exciting work on the East of Perth, it could be a very exciting time for Perth in the future. No doubt this will increase investment in real estate in Perth and hopefully, the availability of property for first homebuyers. In the meantime we will continue to live the life of a spoilt Generation Y Perth young adult and look forward to sipping lattes on the Perth Waterfront wishing we had a home to go back to.

Housing Boom from Perth to Mandurah train line

The southern suburbs rail line has really changed the Real Estate market in Perth. Already all the suburbs sitting on either side of the kwinana freeway are averaging about $500k or more. One amazing thing about the new Perth to Mandurah rail line is that the train stops right under the Perth City Mall. It takes literally one minute to walk off the train and into the mall!

The new tagging system with the trains has made catching transport much easier, with people having the option of having their cards automatically topped up from their bank account when credit is running low for example. Also, the old system requiring ONLY coins was ridiculous. If you wanted to catch a train in a suburban station and you didnt have coins, you couldnt catch the train! Also, since you dont need to take out the ticket each time you validate it, there is less chance that you will lose your ticket home. I would definitely consider getting a place near the train line when I look for a place. The only problem with the system now is that criminals from other parts of the city have better access to the southern suburbs via the train system. However, the Premier of WA Alan Carpenter recently announced that vandals may be banned from the train systems. I hope this also includes burglars! The whole rail network is watched by CCTV so it is becoming a safer means of transport. More details about the SmartRider tagging system here and the

Suburbs to watch: In the southern suburbs, Cockburn seems to be developing into a Subiaco type suburb taking advantage of the train station and creating Cockburn Central right next to Gateway Shopping Centre which is already flourishing with a recent extension. As reported by www.news.com.au, Leeming is another suburb worth watching. See the article here

Is Perth safe? Crime in Perth

What is it that makes a house a home? One thiing I believe is feeling safe in the area that you live. To me it doesnt make sense buying a place in an area where you can't sit outside in your backyard without a genuine fear that someone will suddenly jump over the fence. Crime in Perth seems to be a big issue with WA being the capital for home burglaries. Car theft is quite prevalent but definitely not as much as smash and grab crimes. One thing I believe is an essential is to check out the crime stats for an area before moving in.

On crime in Perth, here are some incidents I have heard from people first hand (not in the news) or where I was the victim.
- One person has had their car window smashed in five times
- Three occasions where I have seen where at least three cars had their windows smashed in
- Car broken into two times (no window smashed)
- Break and enter into a house while occupants still sleeping.
- Break and enter where occupant was punched in the face
- Break and enter where occupant was at gunpoint
- Brick thrown into the window for no apparent reason