No point being 10min by car to the beach if your car gets nicked every weekend.
EDIT: I had to delete half this post on second thought.
On the plus side if you can get (and keep) contents insurance you will get new kites and boards every few months 
Select to expand quoteMobydisc said..
I'd imagine if you were independently wealthy, ie selling your 2 bedroom flat in Sydney for $600K plus super and all that, it would be possible to buy somewhere in the northern middle of America close to a big lake and with some hills nearby. You could go sailing, windsurfing, kiting during summer as I think they get decent inland winds some places there. You could go snow skiing or boarding in winter. You could probably buy a decent place, perhaps a small farm with a comfortable house for much less than $600K so have a fair bit of money to live on.
The United States is a hugely diverse place. The prices are all over the place. What you say is very correct but a lot of people can't cope the extremely cold climate over half the year in the middle and northern parts of the country. If ??? one can handle the climate in those regions you will find the people very nice, crime low, schools good, jobs plentiful etc... My wife is from Wisconsin, we could go there and do all those things you describe but I much prefer living in expensive Kauai, I'm from California, in my hometown 600K will get you a fixer upper in an undesirable neighborhood
Too many people here haven't seen enough outside Oz. Whatever your complaints about Oz (and it sure ain't perfect) they all melt away the further you travel.
Select to expand quotedinsdale said..
Too many people here haven't seen enough outside Oz. Whatever your complaints about Oz (and it sure ain't perfect) they all melt away the further you travel.
Actually I've travelled a bit. In Hong Kong the income tax rate is something like 15%. Most salaried jobs pay 13 months salary a year so you get the money to pay your tax. Compare that to Australia where you spend about half the year paying off all the taxes in one way or another. There are plenty of jobs in Hong Kong too. The crime rate is very low, even in public housing estates. Never have I felt threatened or worried walking the streets there, even at 1am or 3am in the morning through areas that are densely populated.
Do the same in Sydney, walking down George St on Saturday morning at 1am and you will get your face punched in and then get kicked to death if you look at some drunk dickhead the wrong way.
The only time I was any evidence of triad activity was getting off a friend's sailing boat at a fishing village. A bunch of dodgy looking teenagers were doing a crappy lion dance for the Chinese New Year. It was pretty obvious it was just a front for getting money off the local restaurants.
I've also been to Pakistan and yeah it was pretty dodgy there. Lots of crippled beggars who had deformities they were clearly not born with. A really horrible place in a lot of ways but many of the people there were pretty good. No problem with drunken idiots on a Friday night there though.
Select to expand quotedinsdale said...
Too many people here haven't seen enough outside Oz. Whatever your complaints about Oz (and it sure ain't perfect) they all melt away the further you travel.
I guess I'm the opposite - I haven't travelled outside Aus, yet believe that we are extremely lucky living here and have no complaints.
View onto the reef from the land I just purchased in Fiji. There is a boat ramp at the bottom of the block. 1 1/2 acres cost $60US
I travel/work out of OZ 5 times a year, visiting mainly Asia/middle east/north sea. I can say sure you buy heaps for your money in these areas but as I have seen with many of my work mates who did sell up and move out of OZ. They all come back.
The ones I know that do stay long term, come back to work looking like **** and are no fun to be around - I call them "MIA" missing in Asia. It takes its toll on the body all the late nights drinking, whoring, smoking telling themselves they are doing the right things saving money (but they really just spend it on previous mentioning) fighting the demons in their heads. Plus there is a VISA problems as well "that's a whole other subject"
Some move back to OZ 10 years later and wonder why they have nothing to their name and the rest of us who stayed and bought a house and investments are about to retire (young) and kite-board around the world all year long.
Australia is the best country in the world - hands down. Everyone wants to come and live in our great land and they are coming that's for sure. Best thing to do is realize it early and get on that property train before they come and get it from you.
By the way Gero houses I found were about $100,000 cheaper than Perth for the same thing. Top picks are close to town/shops and the beach if you can get your hands on one. Rentals are good if you can get a tenant from the Teachers, Nurses or Cops to move in, they get located up there on usually 2 year contracts and they pay the rent without trashing the place.
Japie, Fiji looks good,
You could get your choice of these two islands for under AU$400Khttp://professionalsfiji.com.fj/real-estate/property/475839/for-sale/other/fiji/yasawas-0/ heaps of other cool islands for sale in the South Pacific for less than the cost of an inner city apartment:
www.privateislandsonline.com/regions/south-pacific/islands?development=&type=&forsale_start=1&forsale_end=8&set=true&Currency=true&search-currency=USD
Or how about this one in Aussie?
www.privateislandsonline.com/islands/st-bees-island
I heading back to Fiji in March. The house we stay in and have rented before is for sale at $500 USD. been for sale for a while. Its on Taveuni and is pretty smicko. I understand that the banks are not keen to lend money if you plan to buy in Fiji though
W
Select to expand quoteworrier said..
I heading back to Fiji in March. The house we stay in and have rented before is for sale at $500 USD. been for sale for a while. Its on Taveuni and is pretty smicko. I understand that the banks are not keen to lend money if you plan to buy in Fiji though
W
Why would you need to borrow money to buy there? Even if you are on the dole its one payment.
sell house...$500 g .... buy caravan....$450g profit...travel Aus taking in all this great country has to offer...kite some amazing places...do the odd job for beer money...live haply ever after.....
Cheers Billy...
Select to expand quotedinsdale said..
Too many people here haven't seen enough outside Oz. Whatever your complaints about Oz (and it sure ain't perfect) they all melt away the further you travel.
Every time I go to Spain... I asks myself if I should just stay. Sure the economy is supposed to be up the crapper, but everyone of my friends over there is doing better than I am.
Select to expand quotejapie said...
View onto the reef from the land I just purchased in Fiji. There is a boat ramp at the bottom of the block. 1 1/2 acres cost $60US
Ooooooh that looks like a nice kiting reef.
I've lived for long periods and traveled extensively in several parts of US, Canada, bits of Europe, HK, etc.
You don't want to move to the US, unless you really, really , really know for sure what you're getting into.
It's somewhat different between states, but boils down to:
Nothing like being asked by a stranger reading USA Today in the restaurant (or workplace, whatever) "we should nuke all those country terrorists, what do YOU think?". The old "are you with us or against us?" treatment.
Ditto HK: a few interesting lifestyle possibilities at first, esp. as a single, but then sailing off Stanley Beach for a year?
Living elsewhere is fun at first, but. No place like home.
Even Nicole came back... 
Select to expand quotepierrec45 said..
Even Nicole came back...
Only because mum put a lamb roast on
Select to expand quoteFlySurfer said..dinsdale said..
Too many people here haven't seen enough outside Oz. Whatever your complaints about Oz (and it sure ain't perfect) they all melt away the further you travel.
Every time I go to Spain... I asks myself if I should just stay. Sure the economy is supposed to be up the crapper, but everyone of my friends over there is doing better than I am.
I agree a sleepy fishing village in Spain would be my pick.
Spain also has the added advantage of being home to delightful Spanish women
Select to expand quoteyoungbull said..
So we would have to assume you own alot of property FlySurfer. Especially if this is what you can afford.
na, he actually means he could buy the image from Getty
