Friday was a big day because....we found an apartment!!! Hooray! This is a huge weight off our shoulders. The rental market here is really, really competitive: sometimes people will even offer to pay more rent in order to secure a place before others can get it. So we are really happy to have this done!!

Apartment hunting in Sydney

Apartment hunting here is pretty intense. Here's how the basic process goes: You look for a place online. If you see a place you might be interested in, you call to see if it's available because the online listings can be pretty out of date. Then, the T and I added in an extra step of walking around the area to see if it suits us, but I imagine if you have a job during the day, this would be pretty hard to do. Next, on a specified day, usually Saturday, the apartment is open for "inspection," which is pretty much an open house. So that means that you're usually looking at the apartment for the first time with a bunch of other people. They recommend you come to these inspections with all copies of all the paperwork that you'll need so you can submit an application on the spot. And, if you're really serious, bring money so you can put down a deposit. Then, if you're really lucky, your application will be chosen out of the pile of applications and you'll get the place. So you can see why I was stressed! =)

We got lucky because we found an apartment that would show by appointment, so we got to see it and apply before the open inspection. Shew!

Our new stomping grounds: Milsons Point

I didn't take any pictures of the apartment while we were in it, so I'll post pictures on Monday after we get the keys. But I can say that it's located in Milsons Point, which is right across the bay from the area that we're staying in now. It's right at the end of the Harbor Bridge and about a 2 minute walk from the train station or ferry.

Our area

We're really happy about this location. Being so close to the train station is super convenient (especially on rainy days!). It's also an easy walk to the little cafes, shops, and neighborhoods we've grown attached to here in McMahons point.

Right across the train tracks from our apartment building is Kirribilli. This is a cute little area that seems to be mainly residential. There are also some nice little shops and restaurants.