Your Next Home, Where Is It?
BUYING YOUR NEXT HOME
The fun part of buying a new home is the exploration, the searching out, and viewing homes. Where is your next home? Is it close to your current home or in a completely different area. This is your chance to explore, examine the possibilities.
Last weekend I went exploring the Somers/Balnarring area. Like most of Melbourne, I have been to a few wineries in the area, eaten at the Heritage Hotel in Balnarring, and walked along the beaches.
I used to know the area well with holidays spent at Rosebud and a parent keen to get us out of her hair and running off our energy at Point Leo, Cape Schanck and Flinders. A mad keen history buff it also gave her the opportunity to research another part of the world.
Going to an unfamiliar area is about driving around and checking out the local landmarks. What is there to see, to do, to eat and indulge. Balnarring is a local hub with a good group of shops including a large supermarket, a few real estate offices, bakery, cafes and gift shops. They also have a butcher, something that is becoming a rare sight.
Viewing the homes that are open, gaining knowledge, seeing if you can find the good, better, best streets. Is there much building activity going on, is there a shop or cafe (a priority for me), how many For Sale signs are there?
Run-down houses, the beach shacks of another time are becoming rarer, knocked down or extended to become beachside mansions whose owners all drive Mercedes. Is there still a place for locals or have they been priced out?
Facilities and Local Statistics of Your Next Home
A good sign was the existence of a kinder, inferring that there are enough children to run preschool programs. The local primary school has around 300 enrolments with the school’s website noting ‘The school’s Student Family Occupation and Education Index indicates a higher socio-economic family population compared with the Victorian median.”
The population at the 2021 Census was 1857an increase from the 2016 Census of 1667, Melbourne was in lockdown at the time so conclusive population data may have to wait for Census 2026. I can imagine that it was a popular place to escape our endless lockdowns.
The yacht club seems to be a main attraction with a comprehensive website. The Lord Somers Camp is probably best known to school children as it has been operating since 1931. The Coolart Homestead and the wetlands are other attractions that hold live events and activities.
Highly recommend exploring the area for yourself however with a median house price of $1,690,000 you will need to have plenty in the kitty.
Holidaying in an area is one thing, living there is another. Whilst we may dream of endless days looking at the waves and walking along the beach, having other activities and the ability to meet other people is important too.
Check out local groups. Is there a U3A, can you find a Book Club or Painting or Gardening Group? Is there a local library where you can borrow books rather than buy them? I want an area that has a Historical Society, an AFL local football team, a cafe and a pub. Is there is a Rotary or Probus organisation?
Hopefully, you will be living in this next home for many years, it will need to age gracefully with you.
Make sure that you keep track of your ‘wants, needs and must haves‘ before being swept away by the attraction of a sea change.
https://www.somersyachtclub.com.au/home/
https://www.lordsomerscamp.com/
https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/parks/coolart-historic-area/attractions/coolart-homestead
