Migrating to Australia

Buying Property - Real Estate

Australia does allow foreigners to buy property in Australia subject to certain restrictions. When you obtain a permanent resident visa, there are no restrictions and you have the same freedom to buy property as would an Australian Citizen. The Fororeign Investment Review Board has more information on what restrictions may apply.

Property remains cheap in Australia relative to buying comparable property in the UK. Unfortunately, prime locations in city central locations can still be expensive, so you won;t be able to go wild. However, if you are looking for swapping your family home in the UK for a similar house in Oz, you will find your money will go substantially further. Houses also tend to be larger. There are a lot of new-build developments going on in the outskirts of all the major cities. Most new homes will have single or double garages, 2 or more bathrooms, and an ok size garden. Compare that to the UK, where new-builds tend to offer garages too small to fit an average saloon in, more than one bathroom is considered an executive luxury, and gardens just about big enough to fit your average patio set.

If you are interested in buying real-estate in Australia, we've put together a list of the biggest Australian Realtors' websites below. Aside from these, you will also find many local estate agents depending on the area you are looking to buy in. Renting is also cheaper than the UK, and is certainly a good option for the first few months while you acclimatise to the area.

Australian Real-Estate Agents

• Property.com.au - Large Australian Property portal with many included realtors
• Realestate.com.au - Large Australian Property portal with many included real-estate agents and Property to Rent
• LJHooker - Large chain of Australian Realtors
• Century 21 - Large chain of Worldwide Real-estate agent franchisees
• RealCommercial - Commercial Property accross Australia