Major Tom Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Hi all, Has anyone on here had any dealings with companies that organise and secure you a rental property before you land, so it saves you on the costs and hastle factor of temporary accommodation when you first arrive? Have you any details of companies that specialise, as this to me seems like a good option, obviously there are costs involved, but when you are half the world away (I'm a Oasis fan, couldn't resist!) and you have a young family in tow, paying a few $$ is better for your sanity!! ;-) Cheers MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I don't know if they're still popular. Would you trust someone to know exactly what it was you wanted and you'd be tied into a lease if you got here and found it wasn't quite what it said on the tin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 I've read some details on one company, they spend a lot of time talking to you, getting to know you, taking a brief and requirements, and you send them details of properties that you like the look of. I've been looking on realestates.com and I think between myself and the Mrs, we could 80% give the nod on a property with the use of the photos, floor plans, street view and google maps, and then if you have someone with a Skype whilst walking around the property, I could sign it off 98% complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I have come across relocation agents as they have sometimes being used by companies I have worked for - I work in an industry where getting moved around the world is common. Personally I wouldn't. First, their fees are not cheap and likely to be no different in a total budget to finding short term accommodation. Second, you don't really get a feel for a area until you visit. We, like most, had spent hours pouring over web sites and were certain we had narrowed it down to 3 suburbs. However, on visiting, we found that the three were the three we disliked the most! Also, be aware that online pictures can be very deceiving - my old rental is still on the market and the pictures being used are the ones taken when it was brand new - 10 years ago! Also, individual properties can have things you just cant see until you visit. For example, we visited one which in every way seemed great. Except, when we got there we quickly realised the next door neighbour had 3 massive dogs that were kept in the yard all day and spent it barking day and night. Another we went to, only to spot the massive amounts of tyre marks on the road showing it is a popular hooning spot - young guys doing burn outs all night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgies2Oz Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I highly recommend Opal relocations if they cover the area you are going to. Speak to Shelley, Google Opal relocations in Brisbane. Using her has cost axsmall amount and she has been amazing, taking away a lot of stress. Worth every penny. Give her a call or email and see what she can do for you. They are also on Facebook. Anne-Marie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 I highly recommend Opal relocations if they cover the area you are going to. Speak to Shelley, Google Opal relocations in Brisbane. Using her has cost axsmall amount and she has been amazing, taking away a lot of stress. Worth every penny. Give her a call or email and see what she can do for you. They are also on Facebook. Anne-Marie Hi Anne-Marie, I've looked at their page on Facebook, and have seen some recommendations, plus the cost of all the temp accommodation is very high, I think that money could be used to better effect getting someone to organise for you. Verystormy has some very valid points, but it's nothing that someone with experience in this field could not spot themselves, plus with the added bonus of someone actually showing you it in realtime is Skype, takes all the worries away whether it was good enough for your family. Cheers MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you are looking at unfurnished long term, what will you do for furnishings? If you are shipping then it can take up to 13 weeks door to door (even if they say 8). Ask for the ship details and timetable to be more accurate and add a couple of weeks for customs. you can hire stuff, we hired a house pack in SA until our stuff arrived. But it all adds up. We secured a rental from the UK by having a friend view for us. BUT we knew the area well as we had visited on a number of occasions. I really would not recommend it if you don't know the area at all. short term does seem expensive but it includes all bills and you can usually negotiate a cheaper rate for longer stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Another point. Consider the ages of your kids and if schools are zoned or not. If you opted to rent a house unseen in an area and didn't like the zoned school or preferred one elsewhere in another zone, you may be a bit stuffed. For me I'd never let someone else look around for me like that. Too many aspects about a house that can be hard to see in pics or on Skype. Plug sockets, light in the windows, feel of sn area, noise at different times of the day. All the little things that would irk after a while perhaps. Also being on the ground for a few weeks, able to take yourself around, visit play parks, check local facilties for yourself and kids, view schools etc. If your long term rental is set and you find the area not appealing once there its a tough one. Also you could end up with a horrible commute to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 I understand the points you have all raised, they are valid points. We have completed a serious amount of research, picked out schools, and play school for little ones, we are on a Facebook site specifically for the area, have asked lots of questions. We are shipping furniture from the UK 4 weeks before we leave, some pieces of furniture we are leaving behind, and are willing to 'camp' it in our house until we leave. We need to buy some things, and we have resided ourselves to that fact, so kids beds mattresses we can get and put on the floor until frames arrive etc........the cheapest 4 week rental that will suit us would be nearly £3k GBP, I think I could use that money to better effect. Cheers MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you are happy with the process, go for it. More people seem go the short term accomodation route (well, from what I read on here and other forums it seems to be the most popular way of going about it) but I do read of the odd person using a relocation company. I still don't think any amount of research online makes up for seeing it all in person and checking it all out after you arrive. Same with schools, kindys etc. But that is me. We started off in a very popular highly sought after suburb when we arrived. However, it was soon clear to us it wasn't for us nor was the nearby local zoned (and very popular) school. So we went with a school further afield and moved 10km up the road up into the hills. And this was with us knowing the area pretty well before moving, but the reality of living there was not one we liked so much and soon we began to rethink what we wanted from an area. I'd not visited the school in person till we moved here either. Was left sorely disappointed in it and opted to not send our son there as we had hoped we might. End of the day, you seem to have made up your mind, are happy with your research and hopefully will be happy with the outcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 As I said we did rent long term from the UK once. But not this time, we booked holiday accommodation so we could see things ourselves as we were looking in a different area we did not know as well. We didn't have schools to worry about just work commute. we still rejected quite a few rentals that looked perfect on line................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 We used one seven years ago when we came over. The reason was that I hadn't been able to secure holiday accommodation for the area/time that we needed and I was getting a bit desperate! To be honest, although it was expensive it was definitely worth it. The lady that we dealt with sorted out the rental, furniture hire and also did a welcome pack sort of thing, which included lists of local doctors etc, where to go shopping and so on, and also a basket of practical stuff like loo roll and cleaning products. She also did the pre-rental inspection with us which was great. We spent less on the relocation agent and rent for the property that we rented than we would have done for a holiday rental, had we been able to find one so for us it was worth it. I think the company were called 'Elite Executive Services' or something like that. It is a long time ago now! ETA: When she looked around the properties that we had seen she took about 300 photos of each, took measurements and we based our decision on that. It worked well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiKaye Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I understand the points you have all raised, they are valid points. We have completed a serious amount of research, picked out schools, and play school for little ones, we are on a Facebook site specifically for the area, have asked lots of questions. We are shipping furniture from the UK 4 weeks before we leave, some pieces of furniture we are leaving behind, and are willing to 'camp' it in our house until we leave. We need to buy some things, and we have resided ourselves to that fact, so kids beds mattresses we can get and put on the floor until frames arrive etc........the cheapest 4 week rental that will suit us would be nearly £3k GBP, I think I could use that money to better effect. Cheers MT i understand the issue of wanting to maximise what you get for your money, and that temporary accommodation for a bigger family is expensive, but I agree with others who have said you never really know a place until you are there. W are in the process of moving our kids from one school to another as we are moving suburbs. I looked at the websites online for school ratings, and though I knew which primary school I wanted, but it wasn't until I went to see them, that I realised that the school I had "chosen" was all wrong. If you are happy to try a place for six months knowing you may have to move either school or houses, or both, after that initial period, that is fine, but if you haven't seen an area and the schools first hand, it is a possibility you need to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 i understand the issue of wanting to maximise what you get for your money, and that temporary accommodation for a bigger family is expensive, but I agree with others who have said you never really know a place until you are there. W are in the process of moving our kids from one school to another as we are moving suburbs. I looked at the websites online for school ratings, and though I knew which primary school I wanted, but it wasn't until I went to see them, that I realised that the school I had "chosen" was all wrong. If you are happy to try a place for six months knowing you may have to move either school or houses, or both, after that initial period, that is fine, but if you haven't seen an area and the schools first hand, it is a possibility you need to consider. I should have added this caveat to my reply above. When we moved over, both of our children were too young for school (they were 1 and 2), I didn't need to work, and so the only determining factor was commute to OH's work. We always intended to scout around and find our preferred area after six to twelve months, and actually we did buy a house in a nearby but different area almost six months to the day after moving to Australia. This would of course have been more disruptive had our girls been at school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 We used one seven years ago when we came over. The reason was that I hadn't been able to secure holiday accommodation for the area/time that we needed and I was getting a bit desperate! To be honest, although it was expensive it was definitely worth it. The lady that we dealt with sorted out the rental, furniture hire and also did a welcome pack sort of thing, which included lists of local doctors etc, where to go shopping and so on, and also a basket of practical stuff like loo roll and cleaning products. She also did the pre-rental inspection with us which was great. We spent less on the relocation agent and rent for the property that we rented than we would have done for a holiday rental, had we been able to find one so for us it was worth it. I think the company were called 'Elite Executive Services' or something like that. It is a long time ago now! ETA: When she looked around the properties that we had seen she took about 300 photos of each, took measurements and we based our decision on that. It worked well. I have heard good reports about this way, but obvious concerns if it goes wrong, it's a risk you have to take, it's a big tick off the list of jobs to do, and transporting 4 kids around to viewings etc is stressful enough, plus some have looked at rentals and even they have said they made a mistake, so it can go wrong in both scenarios...............for me, I feel this is the best option, we've seen some lovely properties within our budget, I have searches on realestate.com that tick our boxes, plus you can go through the area on the Facebook page that current resident are on...........I think we can near get it right with a little help from everyone. Cheers MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you are intending to rent in an area where there is high demand for rentals, you may find the rental agent will not rent to you unless she/he has seen you in person. I know a rental agent we had was very fussy about this - particularly where kids are involved, and even more so I would think with four kids. Unless they can see that your kids are well behaved and respectful of the property..... well, let's just say as a landlord, I wouldn't be impressed with my agent renting to a family with four kids who she had never even seen! Also Brits have a bit of reputation amongst agents as often breaking their leases, so many would be reluctant to take the word of a relocation agent that you would definitely like the house and area and would not be a high risk of breaking the lease early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you are intending to rent in an area where there is high demand for rentals, you may find the rental agent will not rent to you unless she/he has seen you in person. I know a rental agent we had was very fussy about this - particularly where kids are involved, and even more so I would think with four kids. Unless they can see that your kids are well behaved and respectful of the property..... well, let's just say as a landlord, I wouldn't be impressed with my agent renting to a family with four kids who she had never even seen! Also Brits have a bit of reputation amongst agents as often breaking their leases, so many would be reluctant to take the word of a relocation agent that you would definitely like the house and area and would not be a high risk of breaking the lease early. I understand what you are saying, but every parent would say my kids are well behaved. We have a lovely Barn Conversion in the UK, I have my kids take off shoes on our carpet, don't eat in the living room, sit at the table, keep their toys tidy etc etc...........but, they are kids, you will have some accidents. For us, my OH is Australian, so I don't know if they will see us in a different light, this is a permanent move, not some rose tinted glasses lets move to Oz and go surfing every day scenario. Cheers MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I understand what you are saying, but every parent would say my kids are well behaved. We have a lovely Barn Conversion in the UK, I have my kids take off shoes on our carpet, don't eat in the living room, sit at the table, keep their toys tidy etc etc...........but, they are kids, you will have some accidents. For us, my OH is Australian, so I don't know if they will see us in a different light, this is a permanent move, not some rose tinted glasses lets move to Oz and go surfing every day scenario. Cheers MT Please don't get me wrong, I wasn't saying your kids weren't well behaved at all - just that if that can't be seen by the letting agent, they won't know. A friend of mine used to run a relocation assistance company here in Adelaide and I know a couple of times I spoke to letting agents on behalf of their clients and pretty much all of them were very reluctant to let to (a) people they had never met themselves (a good agent after all recognises they are dealing with a large investment on behalf of the owner) and (b) people who hadn't seen the property and the area in person because of the lease-breaking risk. I don't know what city you are heading for, but if your OH is Australian, could you perhaps stay with inlaws for a week or so? Doesn't take long to secure a long term rental once you've on the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Please don't get me wrong, I wasn't saying your kids weren't well behaved at all - just that if that can't be seen by the letting agent, they won't know. A friend of mine used to run a relocation assistance company here in Adelaide and I know a couple of times I spoke to letting agents on behalf of their clients and pretty much all of them were very reluctant to let to (a) people they had never met themselves (a good agent after all recognises they are dealing with a large investment on behalf of the owner) and (b) people who hadn't seen the property and the area in person because of the lease-breaking risk. I don't know what city you are heading for, but if your OH is Australian, could you perhaps stay with inlaws for a week or so? Doesn't take long to secure a long term rental once you've on the ground. I didn't take it that you were saying that Diane, just saying that all kids can stand in front of a Real Estate Agent pretending to be good for 5 minutes. We are heading to Melbourne, OH has no parents with us anymore,, and siblings are in Brisbane. One more reason to go this way. I've had a quote back for a 3 bed today, it's £350 per week, plus will need to add extra cost of dog kennels on top of that bill, you are looking at over £2000 I think. Cheers MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpingjellybean Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 we could 80% give the nod on a property with the use of the photos, floor plans, street view and google maps Honestly places are NEVER exactly what they look like in the photos. I marvel at the way Real Estate Agents have the knack of photographing a place, to make it look one thousand times bigger or nicer than it really is. We had a look at a place that the agent promoted as a "quite country cottage with a view" Well he must have been dangled out a window by his feet and swung violently to the right to get THAT photo. Even using photos, floor plans, street view and google maps, we only found out it was next to a 24 hours pig processing plant and on a main highway once we got there. And due to privacy laws not sure Skype would be allowed or tolerated. We were stopped from taking photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpingjellybean Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 short term does seem expensive but it includes all bills and you can usually negotiate a cheaper rate for longer stays. This is spot on. Short term like a motel, executive apartment, bed & breakfast, or even better a cabin at a caravan park, is really the best and cheapest option. And you can sort all this out before you arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpingjellybean Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Have you tried anywhere like this: http://www.boutiquestays.com.au/long-term-melbourne-accommodation http://www.punthill.com.au/long-stay/ http://www.mantra.com.au/live-at/ http://www.melbournestay.com.au/ Stay in somewhere like this for maybe a few weeks or months whilst finding your perfect place. They are furnished. No bills. Some take pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpingjellybean Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 google maps. If using Google maps what year was the image captured. The pig farm in question was built the year after the google map image was taken. And on the street view it just looked like a long private drive way. Not sure how it could have been "whisper quite" (agent words) when slap bang next to a 24 hour access road for big lorries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 I have rented for nearly 10 years now. The quality of family home rentals in Brisbane anywhere near the CBD (< 10K radius) is often really really poor - people who rent are very much seen as second class citizens and agents assume that your expected standards are much lower than if you were buying - e.g. looking at a house being sold on realestate.com recently I read 'House would need full refurbishment before living in, currently tenanted.....' You are expected to tolerate any old crap if you're renting - even at the 'top' of the market. I have seen houses that deeply shock me - and I'm a working class gal from a poor background who rented some absolute dives in the '80's when I was a student and first in work. So if you are coming from a nice house in the UK (we have a lovely well maintained house in the UK that we let) prepare yourself! My husband looked around a house which had 'lurkers' in the loo and had been rented by students who hadn't tidied up - this was $700 a week in Brissie so not a cheap rent, but the agent no doubt thought this was totally acceptable to would be tenants Not to say that a quality rental can't be found - but it takes a LOT of effort to find a good rental - even when you have the $$ and you need to be fast to secure it.... A good rental goes on first open as they are so rare.....Often they go before the open (and this is possibly where a relocation agent MAY have a way in....) BUT I would say that I have discounted most rentals on drive by's - as others have said busy roads, industrial areas, dodgy neighbours, asbestos etc etc so you are taking a huge risk on sight unseen as photos really don't describe houses accurately and are often out of date ... So it is tricky, but to be safe (and deciding on when you come over - a good rental much easier to find outside of peak period (peak = Dec - Feb - you may even snaffle a pool if you come in May - Aug), I'd recommend renting a furnished place first and making sure you view where you want to live..... It's your first impression of Oz, and you don't want to be stuck in some dive..... Areas are very different here and you'll soon find what suits you and what doesn't... edited to say - I know you are looking in Melbourne and rental market may be different - but suspect if anything more competitive and expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 We have spoken to Opal Relocations, really good, know their stuff, put at ease about this way, as it's not the normal way people complete, but it suits us best, they even given us an guarantee that if we don't like it, they'd give our money back, they are that confident (but not cocky) I liked them, and so did my Aussie OH! :-) Partner visa (subclass 309/subclass 100 lodged 02/04/2015, CO (VF) allocated 06/05/2015. Police ACRO Check completed 24/09/2015, Medical Check completed 01/10/2015, currently completing a C100 removal from jurisdiction for my Stepson, looking to locate to Melbourne Berwick area with my family of five in early 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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