NSW Sydney Inner West PPOR

Hi everyone,

New here I just wanted to ask for some suggestions on where would be a good suburb to buy in the inner west or further out. Budget is 1M or below - open to any property type.
My daughter will be attending a school in Petersham next year. We need to move because we live in the St George area and the commute for her will be a bit too long if we stay (around an hour). Her school is accessible by train (off Petersham station) or bus (Parramatta road). We also work in the city so we wouldn't mind moving closer.
I've been looking at real estate ads, plotting commute times on google maps and it's just a bit too overwhelming. It'll be good to narrow my choices to a few areas. I may also be ruling out suburbs that I'm not familiar with.
We are also considering renting first to get a feel for the area and then we can buy later on.
Thank you.

 

I'd vouch for Summer Hill, Ashfield, Dulwich Hill. Should be able to pick up a 3 bedroom unit or possibly a t/h well under $1m.

 

Congratulations... Sounds like your daughter got into a selective school there.
Wouldn't St George girls be a good choice given where you are living?

 

Thank you. Her preference is co-ed. We thought her first choice was a long shot to be honest. We were hoping she would get an offer at her 2nd choice in the Sutherland shire area so all this time, I have been casually looking at property ads around there, not the inner west

 

Thanks, those suburbs are in my list. What do you think about Chiswick?
https://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-nsw-chiswick-133152570
Or should I stick to older, lower density apartment blocks?

 

Chiswick is a nice spot, but it is tucked away from transport/infrastructure, around Five Dock will be similar but slightly closer to both Petersham and the city. Quite a bit of high density units around which I'd try to avoid personally.

The feel of those suburbs is quite different those south of Parramatta Rd (Dulwich Hill / Summer Hill / etc) so I'd suggest a drive around and have a look at a few open inspections to get a feel for your preference.

 

Degree of difficulty getting to Petersham might come into consideration - ferry & peak hour buses but both are quite slow.

Great North Rd is the main drag to the suburb so access is quite restricted.

Probably no different to the existing situation.

 

I would stick to the train line that Petersham is on or the southern end of Leichhardt near Parra Rd. This would be easiest both for your daughter's school and your commute into the city. You shouldn't have any issue getting a place for $1m if you're not concerned about property type.

My personal favourites are Stanmore, Summer Hill and Leichhardt.

You could also try further west on the train line (Ashfield, Croydon etc) if you don't find anything you like. Bear in mind that a selective school means people will come from all over Sydney, and she would likely spend the commute with friends anyway.

 

All nice suburbs. The one that stands out as most unlike to the others is Ashfield, it's a little more unkempt and bustling in parts, however that's not necessarily a bad thing. Ashfield has a lot of pleasant tree-lined streets within it, in a way it feels like an island of tranquility stuck between very busy main roads.
Personally I like Leichardt and Summer Hill in terms of lifestyle and restaurants. Very easy for you to travel these suburbs to feel them out.

 

That is true, so we thought a 30 minute commute for her on the train/bus wouldn't be too bad. It will be a change though because she just walks to school now...ah, the convenience of living close to the school! I was plotting various suburbs in Google maps that surround Petersham, for a 30 minute commute roughly - the farthest to the west would be Lidcombe, north-west would be Wareemba, north is Rozelle, south-west is Earlwood, south is Wolli Creek, east is Surry Hills.

 

Yes, we will go on Saturday just to see what it's like. Ah so exciting and daunting at the same time.