NatalieB

Purely out of interest, do the majority of people tend to use agents? We applied to NZ over 10 years ago and did the application process ourselves without an agent, it seems such a big expense although if your situation is complicated I can see the benefits.

Thanks again all, many more helpful comments that I am very grateful for We have just emailed the company that offered the sponsorship, thanked them for the offer but advised that we simply cant afford to move to Sydney We are very lucky though, we have a great life here and we can just visit Aus in the future Thanks again for all your help and advice

Thank you so much for all of the replies, they all have really good points to think about in them. We are originally from Manchester but have lived in Lincolnshire for the last 10 years and we don't have much family around us but we are very happy here. I run the village post office and my husband has his construction business. We don't earn mega money at all but we live comfortably and have a good standard of living. After reading everyone's comments I am worried that we will not be able to continue this in Sydney. I would not move to London if a job offer came up here because it is too expensive and too busy! I wouldn't mind living on the outskirts and this is what I was thinking we would do in Sydney but honestly, a couple of million for a house?! How do people afford it?!!? My husband has been offered a job as a skilled worker on a 186 visa with the potential for promotion if all goes well but to start with we will just be earning a normal salary (comparative to what he earns here but I'm thinking not enough to live in Sydney!) I don't have any qualifications and would sell my business before we move so I would be looking for admin / shop work until I decided exactly what work I wanted to do. Part of me thinks, its a permanent visa, just go and it will all work out in the end! and the other (main!) part of me thinks we would be absolutely crazy to give up our businesses and house here to go to the other side of the world and struggle financially, never be able to buy or if we did then be in millions of dollars of debt! My husband is 44 so we would have to get a mortgage over a shorter term to ensure it was paid off for retirement. Its really interesting to read about the commutes from further out / long drives to the coast and the massive effect this would have on lifestyle, lets be honest, some of the main attractions of Australia are the beach, weather and lifestyle so if 'the simple things' in life are hard work then it sounds more of a nightmare than a dream! You have all given me lots to think about and as sad as it makes me (because I love a good adventure and the thought of moving to Australia really fills me with glee!!) I think it more than likely wont happen due to house prices :-( Thank you very much though, a really helpful and informative forum :-)

We are looking at a move to Sydney as my hubby has been offered sponsorship from a construction company based in the cbd. We are a family of 4 (we have 2 boys age 11 and 12 years) and currently live in a village in Lincolnshire, uk. As we aren’t able to come over to do a reccy I am trying to research as much as possible online. Rental properties are expensive but they are here in the uk too so no deal breaker but I can’t seem to find any houses for sale in or around Sydney for a reasonable price. Most of them are auction (I can’t see a guide price anywhere on the adverts) or they are millions of dollars….. how do people afford to buy in Sydney? We can’t rent forever, we would like to retire one day and not have to worry about paying rent / mortgage! am I panicking about nothing or am I seeing things as they are? any help or advice would be much appreciated!! thank you, Natalie