jimlad74
Reviews
"A nice suburb, but...."
My Wife and I thought of buying here years ago, but quite frankly, who wants to spend close to a million dollars on a 3 bedroom post-war butter box with no garage??
It's a nice suburb, and admittedly there are good schools in the area, but quite frankly, Carlingford, Eastwood, Epping, Denistone etc are overpriced to buggery!
And it's overpriced for one simple reason: The Chinese fascination with a good education for their kids and their mistaken belief in the myth that unless you school your kids in these areas of Sydney, you might as well flush their futures down the toilet!!
And it is just that; a myth that is milked for all it's worth by the Real Estate Agents in the area. At the end of the day, the only people who are smiling at overpriced real estate in these areas are the vendors, Estate Agents and banks.
My Sister is a Teacher, my best mate is a school teacher and head of Modern History, My other best mate's Wife is a school teacher and education coordinator and they all say the same thing; "It doesn't matter what area you school your kids in, as long as they have the right upbringing and the school itself is reasonable.... They will have an equally good chance of getting into University.
I think this is one thing Chinese families need to realise; This is Australia, it isn't China! You don't need to make your kids into competitive, cut-throat, robots and school them in these areas to give them a good chance of success in life! - Hence the ridiculousness of the property prices in these areas.
And before you say; "Typical white anglo-saxon Australian with wallet-envy who doesn't understand Chinese culture" Well, my Wife is from Beijing, and she agrees with me!
Great for
- Away from the city polution, Top listed schools and universities
Not great for
- Not the place for people enjoy "night clubs" near by.
- Overpriced
- Overpriced Property value stems from a myth that unless you school your kids in this area you should flush their future down the toilet.
Who lives here?
- Professionals
- Singles
- Families with kids
- Retirees
- Students
I'm not complaining about Chinese culture... How could I? My Wife is from Beijing (read the last paragraph of my comments) I just don't understand the Chinese fascination/obsession with schooling their kids in Carlingford, Eastwood, Epping and Denistone and also their mistaken belief that the only good schools are in these areas. But to answer your question; Yes! I still wouldn't understand chinese fascination/obsession with schools in Carlingford, Epping, Eastwood and Denistone even if the properties there were affordable!
I was unable to understand it until a friend from China told me the 'truth'. I asked him the same question (as in your comment). I suddenly understood on hearing his explain. He certainly understands that his kid's future/ability/etc has nearly nothing to do with which primary school he chooses for her ,he even doesn't care about her scores, he just wants his daughter to spend 9 nears in a "healthy environment" instead of a school where bully etc preveils. Now I totally agree with him and I will send my child to a "good school" in about 7 years. "7 years?" Yes, my wife is pregnant , lol.
As for the schools, you can hold your opinion but you cannot change others'(majority). The market is always right. Just like "fengshui" , substations, cemeteries. People dont like a house that is 20meters away from a substation and a cemetery next to its backyard. I am sure those things will do no harm to anybody but people just dont like them. "Good schools" will probably do no good to kids, but people like them. This is called market.
Thanks for sharing your comment.
However this is the place where people give their comment to suburbs instead of education. I moved to Carlingford in 2009, I love it. The only problem is the lack of public transporation, or the trains to be specific.
Love your comment HUGHSYDNEY. Cannot agree more !!!
Fair point about schools, the home environment and the student's personality are always more important than which school they go to.
Several studies have confirmed this yet so many parents mistakenly think throwing money at their children's education will make them more successful and sometimes even undermine them by applying too much pressure to succeed.
Also, defensively mentioning your Chinese wife makes you sound racist even though you don't seem to be. Like when people say "but I have many black friends..." :P
Let's say, what if the houses were not 'overpriced' , in other words, you could afford buying a house there, what you comment would be? would you still complain about Chinese 'culture'?