WA Where to buy in WA

It would be a good idea to think about school options for areas you are considering also. Have heard the public system isn't that good in Mandurah but alternatives are good.

 

This is true - public primary school are a mixed bag, some are great, others not so much. But I would definitely go private for high school. There's a couple of excellent options, with Frederick Irwin and Mandurah Baptist being the best. My daughter has gone to both (we moved her to MBC b/c it's closer) and were happy with both. FI is more snobby though, she got picked on there for not having Nike's, and not having an apple computer.

 

I would allow 45 mins from Craig/Padbury - I would regularly take 30mins from Gwelup and that is closer. Would be quicker to drive/ride/walk to train station and take train if you can.

 

Far out! We go to a sister school to Frederick Irwin and no one has Nikes. We all get the white Grosby sneakers from Spendless to meet the 'as white as possible shoes' policy

 

It's not really even viable to take the car, it ranges from 50 mins to 1 hr 15 mins. You are far better of getting the train but need to pick the express its always longer going back home. It sucked.

 

I remember that I calculated that I was spending over two hours a day 10 hours a week on public transport living in Craigie and travelling to CBD. It stopped me from doing exercise. I moved to Trigg after that and lived near the underpass. I couldn't believe how quick travel was to work from that pocket. I moved to subiaco for a month and that was really good but once I went to Floreat I much preferred the commute from Trigg by the beach as it was quicker. The trick is to stick to the left hand lane on the freeway till glendalough and then go to the right and slow right down leaving a massive gap in front of you and getting out of the stop start cycle . But the mindless others on the road won't understand what you are doing so they do what they do, middle finger. They don't understand what stop start driving does on a freeway. They don't want to think about it either,

 

Haha! The little bitches there called us 'the cheapo family' based on my daughters Asics running shoes and non-apple computer (she had an awesome red one with a touch screen - she loved it until everyone else didn't. It sucks being a teenager sometimes.). She's actually much happier at MBC. The kids there are nicer on the whole.

 

I'm still here I'll work through all the suggestions, but yes will rent first to check it all out.

I'll also be looking for an investment property, probably up to 500k I'd say. Is it worth looking in WA? I'd probably be looking for a house with a large block to put a granny flat on, possibly something with development potential for the future. I've only purchased PPOR before, not a specific IP, so I'm a bit green

 

Really? Damn I've been duped by my own confirmation bias and sales talk. Purchase goes unconditional next week. Still time to get out. I can't decide. Aaargh!!!

 

I did year one to eleven at Fredrick Irwin. Sounds like its changed a bit since I was there. Our year was the first year that had students go from PP thru to year 12, was a very young school when I started..

 

I grew up in Craigie and had friends in Padbury. Only 1 person I can think of worked in the CBD.
Even now we all live around the same area or further north. The 1 person who works in the CBD lives in Alkimos and catches the train everyday.
Honestly if I worked in CBD I would be catching the train. In fact I did it this week as I had Jury duty. Did not even consider driving in as the train was easier.
Also I have worked further south than CBD in Maddington, Cannington etc and I drove everyday. Yes it was painfully long but you go where the work is.

 

There are better markets, Perth and Darwin are struggling markets

 

It's more about whether Craigie is considered too much of an outlying suburb. The perception I had was that it was close-ish to the city (in terms of time and transport links) and close to good beaches and sought after beachside suburbs. Hopefully I've got it right in terms of the way locals think about Craigie.

I'm still convinced its a good time to be looking at Perth in general - just getting last minute jitters wrt Craigie as a suburb to buy into.

 

Craigie in general times, to train station 5 minutes, to Whitfords shops 5 min, to Joondalup shops 5 mins.
Beaches Sorrento quay 10 min, Mullaloo 10 min.
As you probably know a large area has been rezoned. I look forward to seeing new homes being built there.
I don't have any vested interest in Craigie but do have fond memories growing up there. Was great for us kids.

 

10mins from craigie to mullaloo beach? More like 3 or 4
For those who are unfamiliar, for suburbs that are north of the river, west of the freeway Craigie has historically had a bad name for it in terms of the locals. The high school that was shut down was the worst.
The stigma has always kept the suburbs prices lower than the surrounding.

 

Do you expect it to keep that reputation? Or is it changing? Not knowing that I'd be there for the buying prices and location!

 

It's about 6-10 mins to mullaloo beach from Craigie depends how long you stand at the entry onto Whitfords, roundabouts and traffic lights just go down straight on Whitfords. It's about 5 mins to station, then 5 mins on parking, unless you went by buss which works better, if you time it perfectly about 35 mins 40 mins to CBD and then 5-15 mins to your work using cat busses. If you wait for trains and busses. Then you can add 20mins and sometimes you can't get on to a train or bus and most times you stand. If you talk to somebody on the trip they look at you like you are a creep because they are so backward and closed, so best thing is try to stand there and try and enjoy the ride.

 

Craigie has a big sewerage works just next to the freeway. They are now injecting it into the groundwater it's treated but trust me it can't be trusted, so buy a distiller if you drink groundwater. But every Tuesday it used to stink real bad. It used to stink everyday but a decade or so ago they put lids on the holding tanks, now it stinks when they do transfers and clean ups. It's always at about 19hoo at night.

But that's not bad.

Craigie has not grown since 2010

An old lady that lived on our street in Craigie told my mum at the bus stop, it's a pity your sone bought in Craigie it's full of drug users, hookers and dole Bludgers.
But it's a miles better pocket north west part of the suburb so Glenside Crescent where I lived.

On the weekend it's not bad actually and the beach is great and very family orientated, and private so you will find occasionally some women and men go naked with the occasional nudist families further up and clothed families at the entrances. So it's a pretty bohemian place and it's a fantastic cycling track all the way from Swanbourne to Alkimoss.

 

If you can go to Carine or Karrinyup , the more south the better you will have a better life, but stay by the beach side

 

It is the sewerage works stink that made the suburb attract bad sort of people that then spiralled downwards when their kids went to school.

On the occasional weekends it's Commodores racing and women and men fighting and swearing. The local shops was always hairy. It seemed to me that the diet of all people was black and gold chicken nuggets with chips and Coca Cola and beer and white bread and black and gold peanut butter.