San Remo, NSW 2262

We bought in San Remo "Heights" and moved here from South Western Sydney about 20 yrs ago, In that time house prices have been on a steady climb.
Never had a problem, big blocks with stunning lake views and a sea breeze, can also see the Lighthouse and a small patch of ocean on the horizon, very green, and lots of families.
Has an unfounded bad reputation, mainly from people that have never lived here, Guess that's good for investors though
A few have had problems here, but i think they're the one's that can't mind their P's and Q's...
Id never move anywhere else. I think in the future it will be very exclusive as people knock down old houses and build new ones to take in the views,

Cons, a few feral bogans here and there, but i always say "by the time they climb the hill they're to buggered to cause any trouble...

Its not that bad as in gangs and murders like other places in sydney but there are the drugs and ice heads being ice heads and kids doing burnouts all night and speeding up and down every street and fights just teens with nothing to do . The high school is not somewhere u would want your kid . Graffiti on every wall in the suburb

I have been in San Remo for 15 years - and recently moved. There is some terrible streets which cars roar through all night, graffiti almost everywhere, and rude, unfriendly neighbours in my experience.
The local primary and high school are terrible, you cannot go anywhere else as you are out of zone, rude teachers and disrespectful children. Local lake is filled with people drinking and smoking each afternoon/night and too many opportunities for people to speed and do burn outs. Overall hate the suburb. There is not many Rentals and pricing is very high.

When I told my family living in Sydney's West that I was selling my house in the Blue Mountains to move into my investment property in San Remo, I was faced with a total lack of understanding. "Why on earth do you want to move THERE?" and "But you don't have a job to go to. What are you going to do?", were a couple of the questions I faced. I just knew after visiting the area a few times that I'd found a spot on earth that made me feel good, and that was that.

Pros:
The neighbours (mostly retired) treated us like friends from the very first day that we were here.
A beautiful waterfront park just a short walk from everywhere offering the possibility to walk or ride a bike to the coast and the beaches.
It's impressive the way the residents look after the public areas, keeping them clean and tidy and making the complete area look like one big park.
"Around the corner" is just about everything you could possibly need/want: shopping possibilities, health services, recreational facilities in all sizes and variations.

Cons:
Some members of the younger generation are a little wild, spraying graffiti and keeping one awake late at night riding loud motorbikes and doing burnouts..... but where is it not like that these days?

I'm new to San Remo and have come to know it in the capacity as investor a I'm in the process of settling on an investment property being built. I headed to San Remo recently for the first time to check the place out and found a quiet sleepy unassuming little town. we walked down to the lake and bumped into a group of wonderful and vey friendly locals who took the time to chat to us at length. I must admit I was previously forewarned against buying in San Remo so didn't know what to expect, but not knowing the area I wanted to find out for myself and I am so glad I did as it proved the critics wrong. I am so glad I made the trip as I was quietly impressed and feel confident in my investment decision. I just wish I could live their myself!! - my one and only criticism is in relation to kerb, guttering and overhead cables I just hope the council has plans for improvement.

Having moved here from Western Sydney, (where both my husband and I grew up) about 8 years ago, It feels like the same community as it was when we grew up. Everyone looks out for each other, keeps an eye on the kids and is proud of their suburb. You get the occasional idiot, but where don't you get that these days. The schools are great (both primary and secondary) and with the new coles and tavern within walking distance makes it really easy. Great place to live. I'm proud to say I live here. And NO... we are not famous for Pasta. lol

Nothing to say but beautiful. Affordable and family friendly area. This place has really done circles over the past few years.

I don't think it will be too much longer before waterfronts here in San remo are priced outside the average persons price range. So I say get in why you can.

I just love waking up, walking out onto the deck with sun shining over the lake. Really is value for money.

From a holiday investors point of view San Remo is impossible to beat. Where else can a reserve waterfront to Budgewoi lake and (what is now) a 5 bedroom holiday home be aquired and renovated for under $400,000. I challenge anyone to find a setting like lakefront San Remo which is quicker to drive to than Woy Woy or Umina. A gree with other commentators on this site that whilst not perfect San Remo is grossly underestimated given all its natural beauty and ammenity.

It seems it's all about perceptions and after having lived in San Remo 5 years (and recently moving) my family and I find ourselves missing the area greatly.
The perception of San Remo is for some reason not great, yet after having lived there this perception couldn't be farther from the truth.
A new coles has recently brought shopping convenience to the area and in general the council is becoming quite active at tidying the roads up, even introducing speed humps in school zones etc.
San Remo developing into a great little hideaway that is low on traffic noise and isn't boardered by any pubs or clubs (so dealing with weekend drunks isn't a problem waking up the kids).
The neighbourly/community spririt is unrivalled and you just have to drive through the area at night during christmas to see how involved households get into seasonal festivities (some of the christmas light displays are unbelieveable and the kids bug us to drive around the suburb to see all the houses).
Personally am looking to buy back here due to the affordability of the housing and am aiming to get a bit closer to the lake so we can utilise the pathway that goes around for Sunday walks.

I have lived here for the last 8 yrs. Initially, we didn't want to buy in San Remo because of the perceptions people had of the location. Main reason we bought here was the affordability of the suburb. But, I am very happy to say that since we have moved here we have had no trouble or problems whatsoever.. All the neighbours in our street are very friendly and helpful. The local shops, just around the corner, suffer from the graffiti vandals every now and then, but the shop keepers are really friendly and most helpful. Occasionally, hoons can be heard driving around the place but the loudest thing I usually have to deal with is the crickets and frogs at night and the cicadas in the summer. Better than sirens and gunshots that some other suburbs suffer from.
Not far to the beaches and the shops are minutes away... I love it here can't see my self moving anywere for a while...

Having purchased our property in San Remo at the start of 2009, everyone we spoke to asked why we we would want to live here, you see the worst problem when buying a property is other people's perceptions, none of those people had ever lived in this area yet felt it was their opinion which mattered most.

Fast forward to present and I can honestly say that we have not looked back once, nor questioned our decision to live here, we have great access to anywhere on the coast, Newcastle and Sydney via the F3.

The facilities are great, we have a high school, primary school and a new shopping centre (Coles) all within walking distance and it's only a short drive to several major shopping centre's.

We have found the area compares quite favourably with the better perceived area's from where we have lived previously, our neighbour's are friendly and helpful and people are generally friendly at the new shopping centre.

Pros:
Fantastic location
Well serviced facilities
Very affordable
Family friendly
Suburb borders Lake Budgewoi
Short drive to anywhere

Cons:
Traffic - almost everybody speeds around here
Traffic - Pacific Highway, Charmhaven can become a slow crawl from time to time
Some people's perception of the area
Open drains, slow progress on kerb and guttering