Buying A House In Melbourne - Is Point Cook A Good Place?

[topvho]

Hi, nice to meet you all. Our family <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/gathering.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> is planning to move to Melbourne end of the year. We are now looking at buying a family house there. Actually, we will be coming to Mel this March to shop around first. Really want your advice on which districts are good. We heard that the east side has the best resale value but the price is too expensive and houses there are mostly quite old and need renovations. Some of the friends recommend Point Cook where the houses are much newer in nice design and prices are still rather affordable. Pls share your views. And, any other districts to consider beside Pont Cook?



Is there any web-site or forum particularly for sharing tips on property buy? Appreciative! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/im Not Worthy.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':beer:' />

[glen]

hi vivian,



i think pt cook is a pretty good choice. if you want to go cheaper you could consider Werribee which is sort of in that general area (more west).



it is not quite correct to say that all the houses in the east are old. there are lots of new houses but they tend to be further away from the city centre. for example around berwick, narre warren and cranbourne there are lots of new houses being built.



i am not aware of any melbourne rental/housing forums. if you find one please let us know.



cheers, glen

[Trikka]

[quote name='vivian' post='14012' date='Mar 5 2009, 12:56 AM']Hi, nice to meet you all. Our family <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/gathering.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> is planning to move to Melbourne end of the year. We are now looking at buying a family house there. Actually, we will be coming to Mel this March to shop around first. Really want your advice on which districts are good. We heard that the east side has the best resale value but the price is too expensive and houses there are mostly quite old and need renovations. Some of the friends recommend Point Cook where the houses are much newer in nice design and prices are still rather affordable. Pls share your views. And, any other districts to consider beside Pont Cook?



Is there any web-site or forum particularly for sharing tips on property buy? Appreciative! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/im Not Worthy.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':laugh:' />[/quote]



It really depends a lot on what your looking for. Melbourne has a lot of nice suburbs, and you can only decide where to live if you look at all of the following issues: ethnicity/safety concerns/proximity to city/price, and probably a lot more.



How much are you willing to pay a house? Is $1,000,000 affordable? Or is $100,000? When we see how much you're willing to pay, that's the first step in finding out which areas are suitable.



Point Cook is generally far out from the city, and not well serviced by transport. It is quite cheap, yes, but you would do better off in a suburb like Kew or even Dandenong.

[inxs]

[quote name='Trikka' post='15448' date='Apr 11 2009, 11:35 PM']It really depends a lot on what your looking for. Melbourne has a lot of nice suburbs, and you can only decide where to live if you look at all of the following issues: ethnicity/safety concerns/proximity to city/price, and probably a lot more.



How much are you willing to pay a house? Is $1,000,000 affordable? Or is $100,000? When we see how much you're willing to pay, that's the first step in finding out which areas are suitable.



Point Cook is generally far out from the city, and not well serviced by transport. It is quite cheap, yes, but you would do better off in a suburb like Kew or even Dandenong.[/quote]



Point Cook is about a 25 min drive along the freeway from the city during off peak.

Pretty tragic to drive into town in the morning peak due to being just the one major arterial (West Gate) into the city.

She already mentioned she can't afford the eastern suburbs and you mention Kew which is one of the most expensive?

Better off in Dandenong than Point Cook? <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':laugh:' />

For prices around $400,000 the Wyndham area, which includes Point Cook, is probably as good as any place.

For an equivalent newish house on the eastern side you are looking further out towards Narre Warren or Cranbourne/Carrum Downs in the southeast.

Point Cook doesn't have as good as infrastructure as the eastern side as its still relatively new. But due to the popularity of the eastern suburbs you will have to put up with overcrowding of the public transport and major roads leading into the city as well.

Wherever you decide, finding a job away from the city will save heaps of time.

[Normandy]

I lived in Point Cook for 6 years (and Hoppers crossing for 8 years before that), and was glad to leave it. The infrastructure is terrible, rubbish schools, bad roads in and out, traffic is very bad, internet terrible, crime on the up, houses all built like lego kits, that are so close to each other you fall out of bed and into your neighbours yard, and I found none of the people would talk to you, everyone was grumpy, in a rush or a mood, yuck! Nothing to look at bit other sandwiched in houses, no views, all flat, and lifeless.



Find some where else, away from the west... I can talk as I lived in the west for 14 years... no more... ! I am out of the city now, yet it still takes me the same time on the train to get the city.. go figure... I hate suburbs, and I hate crowds of people, each to their own I guess. This is just my humble opinion.

[glen]

I hate crowds too!!! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':officechair:' />

[Cindy27]

Hi,

Sadly I would have to agree with each of Normandys descriptions of Point Cook.

Currently live in Point Cook.

We have lived in either Point Cook or in neighbouring suburbs (Hoppers Crossing, Werribee) for most of our lives.

Have children of our own now and plan on moving soon.

While further from Melbourne, schools & Infrastructure in Werribee is better and more affordable than Point Cook.

There are both good pockets and not so great.

If you're still looking, check out Lilydale and surrounding suburbs too (North East - similar price to Point Cook - leafy & green).

Best wishes :-)

[glen]

hey cindy, welcome to melbchat <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Dasher]

A late post on this topic. It is absolute rubbish to compare Point Cook to Dandenong. I am Melbourne born and bred and would not go within cooee of Dandenong. If you want a safe place for your kids to roam, forget Dandenong. The crime rate in Dandenong is hideous. Trikka must be drinking too much, seriously.



Point Cook has 5% population of ex pat poms so no doubt it is popular. The housing is affordable and the area is serviced by modern facilities including a recently built town centre shopping precinct which adds great infrastructure diversity to the area.



Buying property is not just about what capital gain one could hope for.



Phew...

[Nini]

Hi



Pardon me, but I think Normandy is somewhat stereotyping. We have lived in the City of Wyndham for almost 12 years now, Werribee specifically.



I am happy here and so are my children. Of course, better train service is welcome but I think it's not much worst than the other lines. We have a broadband here and 3 of us use it. I read and watch videos for hours on the internet; no problem.



Regarding the traffic, although the roads have become much busier, because of its fast population growth, I think there are suburbs with much bottleneck. There are plans for road extension and to build more new roads in the non-popolous area of Werribee which will lead to the Highway. That would help ease-up the traffic eventually, hopefully.



Aside from independent shops in the main Werribee town, there are 4 big shopping centres within the City.



My house is a brick home, on 600 sqm plot and not made of lego kits. I love it and I have a garden. Maybe Normandy lived either in a new estate in a small allotment, but that is not exclusive in this city; that is the trend in new housing estates anywhere in Australia. Most houses here except in the new estate are on big allotments.



Ragarding crime. I dont have the statistics but I dont remember the city on the top of the list, ever. If you have the stats please send me the link. I have no negative experiences here. Touch wood. Maybe Im relatively busy and happy that I dont notice it.





Of course, the eastern suburbs are a lot greener but the suburbs there are much older and thus the trees more mature . They are also closer to the mountains there so cooler and thus plants thrive much better. I heard that the City govt here has planted about 3000 trees and that will make the city greener in the future.



About grumpy people, I think that is a sweeping generalization with no concrete basis. Has Normandy dealt with the majority of the people in this city? People are people and their nature transcends suburbs.



About "rubbish schools". Yes, some people here complain about not much funding from govt. for public schools. Sure funding is most welcome. However, we are are not too bothered with that. My 2 children went to Werribee Secondary College and I can say that though school may be a factor in educational success, it is the overall attitude of the student that trumps it all. My son, this year, is finishing his degree in Melbourne University (first class honours). Of course, many students here go to vocational courses instead of doing a degrees, but what is wrong with that. The society will not function efficiently if we are all lawyers and no one to do our plumbing or lay the bricks. All occupations are important.



I am surprised that Normandy would say negative things to a place that he said embraced him for 14 years. I write this long post because I hate stereotyping and narrow-minded attitude. We are all interconnected, in some ways. I know of some very wealthy people, Americans, and they can be very humble, which make me embarrassed for my sometime haughtiness.



The city where I live sometimes get some bashing I dont know why. But it;s mostly from people who have not explored this area. If you happen to pass by here, let me know I will show you the city.



I love it because we have the beach, and some pockets of the city which is rural looking and at the same time we have many amenities similar to any suburb and its relatively closer to the city. Besides the housing here is comparatively affordable. I am not advertising this area because too fast and much growth in population can have negative effects overall. If some dont like it here, fine, There are more than enough people here.



The world is full of dualities, varieties etc, which make it more interesting. Learn to appreciate other people and be humble.

[cfriends?]

Lilydale would be a good choice

[macaroon]

I agree with others.

Let us know your budget as there are many more suburbs nicer than Point Cook. Point Cook lacks a pulse. There is NO atmosphere! Apologies to anyone who resides there, but this is my opinion and I am voicing it.

[Endymion]

Consider the south-east suburbs. Keysborough, Noble Park, Springvale have good travel infrastrature and an abundance of schools, shops and GPs and business in general.