House Hunting in Melbourne

So Friday morning we started the search for our new home in Melbourne. Since finding out we'd be moving here; John Paul and I both did some research on www.realestate.com.au to get an idea of what our options are - but it is still tough not knowing the different neighborhoods, etc. Our real estate agents name is Helen O'Brian and is a complete whack job. Ok...maybe not completely, but she is certainly a handful. Helen knows her way around the different neighborhoods and their respective attractions - which is very helpful; but she isn't so good at listening to what we are looking for and has a way of being quite condescending. For example: Helen somehow picked up that I liked "clubbing." Any time we would look in an area that wasn't surrounded by nightclubs; she'd say (imagine an Aussie accent): "Sorrrryyy Bruk...no dance clubs here." Like I had glow sticks in my hands instead of a pen to take notes. She also liked to correct me any time that I wasn't using the right Australian terminology. Example #2: I asked if a property had trash service and was quickly reprimanded - "Bruuuk, in Australia we call it RUBBISH." I could go on and on...but we are spending this Wednesday with her, so we will see if I have some better stories to report. Get excited because in the past few days, we have perfected our Helen O'Brian impersonation; so we will give everyone a recap when we come home. The good news is that we have narrowed down the neighborhoods that we would be interested in living. The bad news is that there are a very limited number of available properties and they tend to get snatched up very quickly. Oh, another small detail....Melbourne is very expensive. Probably comparable to the cost of living in Chicago. It is certainly a reality check from the homes we have in Charlotte which have all new amenities and plenty of space. One of the properties that we LOVE does not have air conditioning. I mean seriously....who lives in Australia with out air conditioning??? We've also noticed that all appliances are a mini version of what we are use to - refrigerators, microwaves, ovens, washers, and dryers - and a lot of them are not included with a rental property. Anyhow, all things considered, there are several great areas of town that we would be thrilled to live in....one is close to the beach, one close to a lot of shops and restaurants, one very accessible to down town so we will keep you all posted. Wish us luck!