rammygirl

Peer to peer was the only way for us to up our interest rates in U.K. Rate setter , Assetz Capital and thin cats all allow you to open accounts from Oz. As long as you have a UK. bank account. As with any investment check the risks.

Can't hurt

When we did the list for LP insurance, I used Australian sites like the good guys, Harvey Norman etc to get an idea of replacement costs. Then listed specific items over a certain value separately. The form was quite clear and they are happy to advise. It is actually a useful exercise and shows you the value of shipping! Also good for when you get contents insurance later. We had to claim as they damaged a TV and broke some candelabras, this was straightforward and the claim was settled quickly.

Yes as I mentioned above. Been here four years and still use our UK membership. As a member you can shop anywhere in the world. They gave us a refund here on an item bought over a year ago in the U.K. The manufacturers warranty would not have covered it. Cant beat that service.

Yup once again SA costs more! I guess less people make up the pot.

To be pedantic it can still be imported, just not as a personal import. So would cost even more. Still not worth it!

Agents rarely seem to update photos between tenants. We noticed one that actually had a date in the corner. It was 12 years old!

Well they could well put all the existing applications in one pile and assign a team to do the backlog, then new applications would be sent to another team who would start processing to the standard timescales. This happened to us when a hold was put on visa applications, once they started processing again to meet the standards new applications went to a different team and the backlog was processed separately. This meant people applying well after us actually got grants before we did. not saying this will happen but I have decided to wait to apply. We meet the new rules in Jan 2018 anyway. Son finalised his application on the 20th, before any info was on the site at all. So it is in the old pile, hopefully near the top! We only met the old rules in June as we had been out of Australia for longer in total than he had. As there was no warning on the site, nothing appeared till later in the day, when he applied I will expect a refund if they reject the application as not meeting the new rules. He has had no communication at all since applying. I do not find that acceptable at all.

You do not need to upload medical and police checks when you lodge the application. You can wait until asked to do so by the CO.

Yup when the 10 and a half hour difference kicks in we will switch from the evening calls to the morning calls. Still works OK you just have to remember and plan.

We wanted a leather sofa and they always take time to order, even from Ikea. We got a real bargain by asking places what they had to go now, in other words floor stock or display items. We could check the actual sofa out and got it delivered the next day. Mind it took a lot of driving round to find "the one" COSTCO also good, not much choice but you can take it straight away ( may need a van as they don't deliver). Best thing is their guarantees, no quibble money back and often longer than manufacturer. Our fridge freezer, TV, microwave and coffee machine all Costco. We hired a cheap van to pick up and it was still cheaper. Aldi do a lot of household stuff too and worth a look at the ' muddle in the middle' Freecycle works in many areas too. Also look out on forums like these in the for sale sections. Many people heading back home are selling stuff.

We usually face time or Skype. Virgin mobile gives an international call allowance too. We also have very cheap UK calls from our landline with Optus. Hubbie calls his elderly dad the old fashioned way once a week and chats for up to an hour. Costs usually about $5 extra a month for this. There are lots of options depending who you want to call and how. Conversely my sister has a phone contract in U.K. That allows her to call our landline for free for calls up to an hour. So can be worth sorting people before you go. If someone wants to Skype or face time us they usually text to set it up. They even remember the time difference...........usually!

Yes some people we know who lived on the last row of development on the Melbourne outskirts, went to Switzerland for a couple of years for work. when they returned to their home it was surrounded! They had several more blocks already built behind them and being lived in and more to come. Their commute was already a pain, all those extra people now are making them consider moving again.

Even plots of land with decrepit houses on go for eye watering amounts in some areas. Add to this the cost of removal, especially if asbestos is involved ( common ). Even on the outskirts of Adelaide, the supposedly cheaper market I have seen plots of land around 600-700 m with run down properties only worth bulldozing go for $700-$900k. Madness. Although wish we had bought there and not in the Hills. Although I love it here the house has not risen in value nearly as much. At least not yet, families are looking further out for more affordable homes and prices are definitely creeping up, especially for turnkey properties.

Depends on how fussy you are and what the local market is like. Are there lots to look at at the moment? When we arrived in SA it was a quiet time and it took so 5 weeks to find somewhere we liked, then the owners were away and it took a further three weeks to get the keys! Most people get fixed up in 2 or three weeks it would seem.