thoughts...

Im looking at moving out. im 21, have a partner(female) and we are not sure about what to do? We have thought about Renting or buying but still cannot decide. I have been share investing for 8 months now and have done reasonably well. I took out a loan of 20K and if i were to sell today i will have a 30K deposit for a home after tax and paying off the rest of the loan. The girlfriend has 10K. We've been to a few homeopens both units and houses. we can afford repayments of just over $3000 a month quite comfortably. We have also been told to buy in Melbourne.
Is it better to buy a run down house close to Perth in the eastern suburbs(rivervale ect.) or a unit. Or should i rent and keep shares. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.