VIC 350K - 400k Cash Want Apartment or Unit Near CBD (Not Investment)

Not investment related. I'm 23 and I'm looking to pay off a 1 Bedroom apartment or unit in full near Melbourne CBD. I want a place close to the CBD like just on the outskirts because I don't prefer living right inside the CBD because it's too crowded for me.

Brunswick is quiet appealing to me and suburbs like Richmond because they aren't right in the city but really close to it. Would love some suggestions on where else I should be looking?

Buying purely for lifestyle and not from an investment point of view. Basically want somewhere which has good restaurants, a good rating and is overall a nice suburb to live in.

Anything else I should be keeping in mind while purchasing an apartment? Is it worthy to hire a building inspector for apartment purchases? I know to keep the body corporate fees and other rates in mind.

Thanks

 

Not too keen on Prahran or St Kilda but i’m liking Hawthorn it’s close to Richmond and Kew also which is nice.

Thanks for the suggestion

 

You can look at Brunswick East along Lygon and Nicholson Streets. Lots of existing and new apartments coming up and will tick off your lifestyle criteria. Design and build quality (what I can observe from the outside) do vary, so it is worth keeping an eye on that.

 

Older apartments in Richmond, Hawthorn, Kew, some areas of St Kilda, North Melbourne, or Brunswick. Prahran has a great vibe too.
Body Corporate could be $1000-$3000pa. Make sure you have a covered carpark. Bathroom accessed from living area instead of bedroom is a plus, as well as internal laundry.
Lots of choice in this price bracket.

 

Yep sussing Brunswick East as well

For sure definitely, i want a good quality build and design that’s a priority! thanks

 

North Melb is appealing i will suss the other suburbs out too, cheers for the suggestions and tips

 

Good idea to check out the complex and street too. There are some sketchy ones to avoid. Having good neighbours, body corp and safe parking makes a world of difference no matter the suburb.

There are some deteriorating areas to watch out for i.e. Victoria Street in Richmond is really struggling. North Melbourne has varying pockets too - some streets around the woolies are filled with loiterers at night - some people don't like that.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I definitely want the best street and complex and don’t want a place which is dodgy and shady

North Melb is too congested for me tbh and too many highways near it so it’s not in my list anymore

The most appealing suburbs to me currently are Brunswick, Brunswick East & West and then Hawthorn but even in these suburbs i’ll try get the best building and a good street

 

Malvern is a good option for a lifestyle apartment. A good suburb for amenities, access to public transport, access to CBD, access to the Bay, overall safety, etc.

 

Cheers for the suggestion! Brunswick was on top of my list before but after checking out Malvern and Malvern east I'm really impressed and think it's way better than Brunswick. It's perfect for my price range too. 15 minutes drive to CBD and 10 Minute Drive to Chadstone, definitely gonna settle in Malvern

 

hahaha beauty! Good one

 

Good suburb too. I think the difference is the ease of access to CBD, there is a big difference between Malvern and Richmond / Fitzroy / similar. For some people ease of access is 10min train/tram or 20 min walk. Need to know if it matters, especially for a lifestyle purchase

 

It’s fine mate, i only spend passive income on designer things. I’d never spend my earned income on LV

 

Definitely, I just prefer somewhere which is peaceful during day and night and not too noisy tbh. I just don't want one of those streets where there's lots of people walking by day and night haha. Richmond does seem a bit congested tho which I don't like.

At the end of the day I want to use my money in the best way possible by getting a great street and best designed apartment. Doesn't matter if it's in Malvern, Hawthorn or even Richmond. The street has to be quiet though.

I reckon I need to go hard on inspections until I find something that ticks the right criteria

 

Brunswick is also horribly congested, try to drive down Sydney Road. However, even in these busy suburbs there are very quiet streets away from the noise and traffic.

Be mindful that at 350-400k you won't have a "best designed" recent build apartment.