Brad and his partner were looking for a rental apartment in Melbourne that is spacious and as convenient as where the partner was living. The partner is a previous client from 3 years ago. They needed a good sized kitchen and, if possible, not completely covered in carpet. A balcony was essential as well because of culinary herbs they enjoy growing.
Convenience to Melbourne Public Transport
Currently, the partner’s apartment in Melbourne is 600 meters from the train station and about 250 meters from the nearest tram stop. This makes commuting to work at Monash University very convenient.
Older Melbourne Rental Apartments are Spacious and Solid
The place I found for them is a 20-year-old complex that is well designed and evenly spaced out. There are big open spaces in the centre of the buildings and have a gym and pool that are very well maintained. Surprisingly, compared to other apartments in the area, this was lower priced just because it is 20 years old. But one thing to remember is that 20 years ago, apartments were built to have liveable spaces.
They weren’t shoe boxes where there aren’t spaces to prep for meals, washing machine have a space that’s jammed into the most inconvenient locations and bedrooms are more than 2.5 metres wide. It had good sized bathrooms with big shower stalls, an actual full-sized kitchen and a wrap around balcony with winter sun coming through the afternoon. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and get this…2 car spaces!
Fortuitously, it is also 550 meters from the same train station and 200 meters from the nearest tram stop. This place might be even more convenient!
Was there a Compromise in this Melbourne Rental?
The compromise is the carpet. The entire living and dining rooms are covered in carpet. The brief given to me was to try and avoid Melbourne flats that have predominantly carpeted floors. But after some discussion, they are open to having carpet as long as the apartment and location are good and also, if the carpet is not manky. The carpets were replaced with a darker colour that was easier to maintain two days after Brad and his partner moved in.
What the client says
“Winneth did a great job finding us an apartment. It’s difficult for busy people such as myself and my partner to make it to rental viewings which are often at inconvenient times in the day. Winneth took care of everything!!! He went to many apartments, sent us way more info than one would find on real estate websites, and told us when he was excited about finding ‘the one’. He took care of cancelling our old utilities, setting up the new ones and delivered the keys to our new place in person. I can’t recommend him enough.”
Dr. Bradley Spicer – Postdoctoral Researcher – Monash University
