Help! Don't know where to start.....

Hi all - this is my first post....

Visa granted, and hoping to move in Sept.

But with jobs, schools, houses etc to sort at home and in Perth, don't know where to start.

Moving with two kids, 9 & 3, don't know where we will live, so don't know which schools to look at.

How soon do they need to be enrolled??

How much money do you need upfront for rent, cars etc?

Really excited but also very overwhelmed.

just been reading lots on here too saying Perth is in a slump.... Is that true??

Can't risk not being able to find work! I'm an accountant, hubby is an engineer.

any words of wisdom, on anything, gratefully received!:confused:

Hi and welcome!

We moved to Victoria 18 months ago.

Rent you will need a month up front for bond money that you get back when you leave the property plus either a month or two weeks upfront rent depending on the estate agent.

We bought a ford falcon for $3000 as our first car but a cheap runaround with roadworthy you can get from about $1500.

Our primary school were very easy going and happy for the two girls to start as soon as we applied. Some have catchment areas.

We looked online at the areas and also at the school league tables.

One thing I would say is that we shipped our stuff over and wish we hadn't spent all that money doing so. I found it hard to find a cheap argos type shop online for Aus but we found 'fantastic furniture' when we got here and realised how cheap we could have got a lot of nice new furniture. Also the charity shops here are amazingly well stocked for furniture and all sorts of household goods in great condition for a really cheap price - got a sofa for $50 and queen bed for $50 too, amazing quality.

Keep surfing the net for location ideas

It is extremely overwhelming especially when you look at the big picture when just recieving your visa . Congratulations on your visa .... my advice is to break it down . Work would be my top priority ... Research areas where your prospects for your jobs are in most demand that way you have more chance of securing work . Once you've decided on an area everything else should fall in to place . Kids school and day care you should not have a problem once you've got an address . Finances will be determined by yourself and how much money you have in your budget ... Setting up again is pretty costly and 'out of work ' time eats away at your budget .. But from my experience it was all worth it and when the jobs come and the money starts coming in again you can relax and enjoy your journey in Oz .. Good luck with your move

Congratulations on your visa. Hate to confirm it but Perth is in a downturn - not to say you wont get jobs but just will be a lot harder. Maybe try and get a job before you come? I would be reluctant to chuck everything in and jump on a plane now like I would have a few years ago. Don't want to dishearten you but want to be realistic. Also depends what industry you are are in - oil and gas and mining on a big downturn - lots of people losing their jobs. Other industries may be doing a bit better. Anyway as I said don't want to put you on a downer but please do your research well.

Hi all - this is my first post....

 

Visa granted, and hoping to move in Sept.

 

But with jobs, schools, houses etc to sort at home and in Perth, don't know where to start.

 

Moving with two kids, 9 & 3, don't know where we will live, so don't know which schools to look at.

 

How soon do they need to be enrolled??

 

How much money do you need upfront for rent, cars etc?

 

Really excited but also very overwhelmed.

 

just been reading lots on here too saying Perth is in a slump.... Is that true??

 

Can't risk not being able to find work! I'm an accountant, hubby is an engineer.

 

any words of wisdom, on anything, gratefully received!:confused:

I would recommend that you look for work, suburbs and schools in that order, whilst of course remembering the very general rule of thumb that decent suburb will generally mean decent school. We spent about £30k on our move, but that includes, visas, flights and shipping, but still a good £15k on set up, temporary accommodation, rental deposit, cat etc. To be honest though, I think you need to work this one out for yourself as we all work to a different budget, so decide how much you want to spend on a car, look at rentals in areas you like the look of and take a guestimate for how much rent and deposit you need. Allow 3 to 6 months for finding work and needing to live on savings.

In terms of work, I am not sure that Perth is technically in a slump, but certainly most of Australia is seeing rising unemployment and WA is affected in particular compared to recent years. Is there any reason you have decided upon Perth? I would think both of you would stand better chances in other states to be honest, but perhaps you have a particular reason for heading there.

Thanks all.

Bungo - no particular reason for Perth, except that's where we originally thought most of the opportunities would be.

We visited 2 years ago, but also went to Adelaide which we really liked, but we were advised by recruitment agencies that it would be easier in Perth.

We are looking for jobs, but, again on advice from recruitment agencies, have been told that we are unlikely to be able secure work until we are there, and that you can shut yourself out of jobs with some companies if you apply from abroad - does that ring true?

SGHJLL - we have decided not to shop our stuff until we know where we want to live - planning to rent fully furnished until then. Is it true that you can't organise renting until you are there, because you have to view in person?

in terms of industries - healthcare finance (accountant) for me, and engineering (primarily aircraft/aviation, but any really!) for hubby ... Good news or bad news for job prospects??

thanks for the help guys.

Welcome to the forum. You might want to pop along to our sister forum that is specially for Perth http://www.perthpoms.com/

Just to say a friend of mine has moved from Perth to Sydney due to her husband being made redundant. He is in the construction industry and there is lots of construction happening in Sydney. I personally have not been to Perth so can't comment really about the job situation over there.

Just make sure you do your research and have a good amount of money to tide you over, it can cost you thousands of dollars otherwise!!

WA and Perth in particular are well known for being mega expensive. I would consider this if you don't have a job to go to. Also bear in mind that rental markets here can be brutal and if you're looking at an affordable place close to any of the major cities the competition will likely be intense. Depending on your line of work, you may want to look outside Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

I agree with the comment above that the job is the key thing here, and will determine the place you live and the school. However, what a lot of people do is bite the bullet and rent for 12 months in the catchment area of a good school, then move further away once the kids are settled.

Cars are expensive and generally don't lose their value in the same way they do in the UK. Sadly, there are few bargains in Australia and you can end up spending quite a lot on a very ordinary car. The upside is that there's no rust to worry about and generally cars last longer here. Have a look at www.carsales.com.au for guideline prices. Personally, I would leave the cheapos well alone though as repairs and servicing are a rip off and you could end up with a money pit.

Hi Pinkfrog, I am in exactly the same situation as you!!! Moving out to Perth in October with the wife and a 3 year old son. With jobs, schools, accomodations etc to sort out, makes me want to scream at times.

Scary hearing here that Perth is going through a downturn! Makes it that much more challenging.

Thanks everyone for all the useful advice. Please can someone confirm that it is true that you will need to show evidence that you have a job before you can secure a rental in Perth?

Thanks once again.

Thanks everyone for all the useful advice. Please can someone confirm that it is true that you will need to show evidence that you have a job before you can secure a rental in Perth?

 

Thanks once again.

Assuming Perth is the same as Melbourne the answer is it depends... If you're applying for a popular house and competing with people already in work, with Australian references you may be seen as a higher risk for a landlord and struggle to get your application to the top of the pile.

However, if you're going for a house that's been vacant and you can provide guarantees etc then it's less likely to be an issue.

My experience of renting here after owning my home in the UK (which we now let) is the more you pay the easier it gets. Most people rent are in the $400-$600 a week bracket and the competition is intense. Friends of ours rent a house in Elwood, Melbourne for about $550 a week and had to beat off 45 other applicants to get the house. They did this by offering over the asking price. Someone else we know rents in Brighton and rents a house originally advertised at $950 a week for $800. The difference being the house had been empty for a few months and it was out of the price range of most renters, so there was low interest in the property.

A good idea is to keep an eye on Domain.com.au on what's renting and what's not over the next few months until you arrive. Then be prepared to negotiate with the agents.

Looking at this from the landlord's side, we rented our house in the UK out to someone in their 50s who had been declared bankrupt as we though he was a safer bet to remain there longer and treat the house like his own. We made him pay 6 months rent up front initially for our peace of mind until he proved he was reliable. Might be something you could suggest - i.e. x number of months up front?

Assuming Perth is the same as Melbourne the answer is it depends... If you're applying for a popular house and competing with people already in work, with Australian references you may be seen as a higher risk for a landlord and struggle to get your application to the top of the pile.

 

However, if you're going for a house that's been vacant and you can provide guarantees etc then it's less likely to be an issue.

 

My experience of renting here after owning my home in the UK (which we now let) is the more you pay the easier it gets. Most people rent are in the $400-$600 a week bracket and the competition is intense. Friends of ours rent a house in Elwood, Melbourne for about $550 a week and had to beat off 45 other applicants to get the house. They did this by offering over the asking price. Someone else we know rents in Brighton and rents a house originally advertised at $950 a week for $800. The difference being the house had been empty for a few months and it was out of the price range of most renters, so there was low interest in the property.

 

A good idea is to keep an eye on Domain.com.au on what's renting and what's not over the next few months until you arrive. Then be prepared to negotiate with the agents.

 

Looking at this from the landlord's side, we rented our house in the UK out to someone in their 50s who had been declared bankrupt as we though he was a safer bet to remain there longer and treat the house like his own. We made him pay 6 months rent up front initially for our peace of mind until he proved he was reliable. Might be something you could suggest - i.e. x number of months up front?

Thanks a lot! When you say 'guarantees', what form will that take? I don't have family in Oz, so I won't have any local references etc.

Thanks for the website, its certainly very helpful too.

Thanks all.

 

Bungo - no particular reason for Perth, except that's where we originally thought most of the opportunities would be.

 

We visited 2 years ago, but also went to Adelaide which we really liked, but we were advised by recruitment agencies that it would be easier in Perth.

 

We are looking for jobs, but, again on advice from recruitment agencies, have been told that we are unlikely to be able secure work until we are there, and that you can shut yourself out of jobs with some companies if you apply from abroad - does that ring true?

 

SGHJLL - we have decided not to shop our stuff until we know where we want to live - planning to rent fully furnished until then. Is it true that you can't organise renting until you are there, because you have to view in person?

 

in terms of industries - healthcare finance (accountant) for me, and engineering (primarily aircraft/aviation, but any really!) for hubby ... Good news or bad news for job prospects??

 

thanks for the help guys. ?

Work wise I think I would avoid Adelaide and would chose Perth over SA. I think the East Coast is the best option for work right now and worst case scenario your hubby may end up as FIFO.

Hi Pinkfrog, I am in exactly the same situation as you!!! Moving out to Perth in October with the wife and a 3 year old son. With jobs, schools, accomodations etc to sort out, makes me want to scream at times.

 

Scary hearing here that Perth is going through a downturn! Makes it that much more challenging.

 

Thanks everyone for all the useful advice. Please can someone confirm that it is true that you will need to show evidence that you have a job before you can secure a rental in Perth?

 

Thanks once again.

I am in Perth and have been for a few years. The 'downturn' is well underway, though I think the worst is still to be seen. Many of the smaller mining companies that make up a good portion of the industry are on the brink at the moment. When mining takes a knock, everything else does too. Unemployment rate is growing monthly. You seem a little bit 'disconnected' from what is happening here; it is difficult being so far away but all of the information is there to review. WA news online, the plummeting iron ore price, the Australian dollar which is tanking, how few jobs appear on jobs pages now etc.

It isn't the best time to make the move but if you are driven to make it work I'm sure it will. I came with a 'what happens happens' approach and if things get tough (I lose my job and can't find another) I have no issues about leaving.

By contrast, I know people (and families) that have thrown everything at a one-way move over the past couple of years and are really struggling now. I am glad I'm not in this position, as it really is testing to say the least.

If you fit into this second group I would highly recommend having at least one job secured before moving out. Unsure of how likely that is at the moment. Do your research and understand that you may not fall on your feet. Be realistic about it.

Either way, its an adventure and you will probably kick yourself forever if you don't give it a shot.

On the plus side - rents are falling in Perth and there are so many rental properties sitting vacant. You should be able to offer less than the asking price. I have noticed that there are very few home opens now - you contact the agent if you want to view - a sign that there is not much competition for rentals. Very different scenario from a couple of years ago when 20 to 30 people would turn up at a home open.