Larger family homes
The Age
Saturday September 19, 2009
Sandringham has quality cheaper than its neighbours, writes Susannah Petty. JUGGLING both a faraway and connected feel, Sandringham is where people like to put down roots.Set at the end of a train line but only 30 minutes from the city, the suburb is especially popular with young families and retirees.Modern shops snuggle with fish and chipperies and tea rooms, while old-world properties are offset by contemporary apartments.It's very community-based, says Kate Pickering, of Hodges Real Estate. It's quite a good little village. And there's the beach and also the train station is here.It's also known for executive rentals. In fact, agents say most renters come from overseas. In turn, many Sandringham residents shift out temporarily to take up international postings, placing their homes on the rental lists.As such, a large portion of the area's rental properties is made up of roomy family spreads with sizeable yards.Sandringham has lots of Edwardians and Californian bungalow homes, says Arlette Humphry, of Hocking Stuart. The majority are family-style homes, three-to-five bedrooms.Sandringham also has its share of townhouses and some apartments built within the past five years. These properties tend to be clustered close to the shops and train station.Although Sandringham is not known as a cheap rental area, its prices do weigh in at less than some suburbs, such as neighbouring Brighton.This, Ms Humphry says, adds to the area's rental appeal.For a four-bedroom house in Sandringham that has two bathrooms, a car spot and a pool, you'd pay $1200 a week but in Brighton it'd be up around $1500 to $1600 a week, she says.Ms Humphry says Sandringham's low-end rentals hover about the $300-a-week mark; this would land an older-style apartment. For a decent townhouse, she says bank on about $600 a week.Ms Pickering estimates the entry point for a house is about $450 a week.At the upper end, she says more than $1000 a week would likely secure a four-bedroom house with a modern interior and possibly a pool.Both agents say Sandringham's higher-priced rentals are moving slowly. This is, in part, because the influx of executive renters has slowed, shrinking the renter pool.Ms Pickering says top-end activity has lifted in the past week. I feel like there's more people coming around from interstate, she says.By contrast, Sandringham's entry-level rental market remains quite strong.Anything under $500-a-week is fine, Ms Pickering says.
© 2009 The Age
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