Sarahb1986 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Hi All, I haven't posted in a while as it has been a very busy 8 weeks! Myself and my husband emigrated on the 8th November 2015 on a PR visa and have now been in Aus for 8 weeks. We spent the first 3 weeks on holiday in Melbourne and then flew to Perth were we have settled into life here. We have spent our first Christmas away from the UK and I am now about to start my job! Our first christmas away was a strange experience as we had decided not to really do Christmas this year. So me and my husband didn't exchange gifts or have a tree up. We had spent so much money emigrating that it just felt silly to then buy gifts on top of that! Our gift to each other was Perth! Luckily we have some friends and family out here. The family are my husbands 2nd cousins, born and bred Aussies, who we know quite well as they have been to the UK a few times. Our friends emigrated about 8 years ago. So it was really nice having friendly faces around us. Our first hot Christmas was spent at the beach in the morning having a dip in the clear blue Indian Ocean, then food and festivities with our friends and an evening with the family playing games and drinking. Don't get me wrong it was lovely but it was also really hard to not be in the UK and Skype on Christmas Day to family was difficult, seeing my mum upset was particularly hard but she has already said she will be out to visit this October. Once we got to Perth we had 11 house viewings arranged for over 2 days, desperate to find our feet and get our own space so we could unpack! We found a really nice new build, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom in Spearwood, for $425/week. We chose Spearwood as it seems to be quite central to most things we wanted, and also friends of ours live 5 minutes away. It is 10 minutes to Freo, 5 minutes to Coogee beach and 15 minutes from a massive shopping centre. We don't think we would buy here, but for now it is right for us. Within in the first couple of weeks we had found a house, furnished a house, set up bank accounts, sorted Medicare, bought a car and remembered to enjoy Perth!! We we are now at the point of the next big thing, which is our gorgeous dog coming over from the UK. He has been staying with family until he flys out on the 27th Jan then he will be in quarantine for 10 days in Melbourne after which he will fly to us in Perth. We will officially pick him up on the 8th Feb. I keep thinking about the journey he has ahead of him and how I wish I could explain what will happen to him but I know in the long run he will be better off here with us. Tomorrow I start my first Aussie job, nervous is an understatement! I left my UK job on the 16th October to then have 12 weeks off, 8 of which have been spent in the sunshine here in Aus. It's been amazing having that time off, I don't know when I will ever get to do that again, but I now have to start back up into a routine of work. The amazing thing is, I will have a 7 minute commute, I used to commute for an hour, will finish work around 4pm, I have decreased my responsibilities from my UK position and all for more money! Happy days. To anyone who is thinking of emigrating or who is in the process of, I would say to you...it's worth it, it's an amazing achievement, it's stressful, it can be upsetting, it's difficult, it's exciting, it's expensive but after all the emotions you go through once you are here it is totally worth it. The sunshine instantly makes you feel good. Good of luck to everyone and if you have any questions let me know! Sarah P.s you never get used to sweating whilst you are getting dressed for the day ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Lovely update Sarah! Try getting dressed in front of a fan :cute: Might help keep you cool until you get your clothes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahb1986 Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Thank you! Oh yes, a fan has been purchased!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceri Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Lovely to read this Sarah. We are due to arrive in Perth on the 20th Jan. Feeling very excited but so much to do before we arrive, and no doubt once we arrive. Can i ask how was it arranging to view and apply for properties? i have been looking at rentals via the internet and wondered how easy it is to rent. We are staying with friends for the first few days/weeks but we are keen to get something sorted as to not impose on them for too long. What sort of info/documentation did they require etc. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahb1986 Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Thanks Ceri! Arranging viewings was super easy to be honest. I just looked on real estate website and saved properties I liked then rang the estate agent to find out if I could either have a private viewing or if there were any open house viewings coming up. We were quite lucky that a lot did private viewings for us. It's a renters market in Perth so you have so much choice and you can also ask for money off. The property we are renting was meant to be $430 a week and I said I had seen a similar property for $425 and they agreed, not much but it's $20 a week in my pocket! To to apply for a property you just have to fill in an application pack, which they will give you at the viewing. It's all the basics, info about the people renting the property, they will want to see your employment contract and will ask for a personal reference so you can just put your friend down. We were really lucky with the property we got as it was through a friend who knew the owner and they just asked when we could move in! You wont have any problems though, rent is coming down and there is so much choice!! X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceri Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Thanks Ceri! Arranging viewings was super easy to be honest. I just looked on real estate website and saved properties I liked then rang the estate agent to find out if I could either have a private viewing or if there were any open house viewings coming up. We were quite lucky that a lot did private viewings for us. It's a renters market in Perth so you have so much choice and you can also ask for money off. The property we are renting was meant to be $430 a week and I said I had seen a similar property for $425 and they agreed, not much but it's $20 a week in my pocket! To to apply for a property you just have to fill in an application pack, which they will give you at the viewing. It's all the basics, info about the people renting the property, they will want to see your employment contract and will ask for a personal reference so you can just put your friend down. We were really lucky with the property we got as it was through a friend who knew the owner and they just asked when we could move in! You wont have any problems though, rent is coming down and there is so much choice!! X Thanks so much for the advice it really helps. We had noticed that the rent prices appeared to have come down quite a lot as we have been looking for the past few months. My only concern at the moment is the employment contracts needed to rent as we are both yet to secure permanent jobs (hopefully this will be done before we arrive) but i may be on a temp contract initially. We have savings etc which will see us through for a while but were unsure of whether some letting agents might not accept this. But, as you say there seem to be a lot of properties, some of which have been listed for some time so fingers crossed we can get a good deal. xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahb1986 Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 It always helps if you can prove your funds so just have a print out with your name and address on as proof. It should be fine, as there is so much choice. Good luck with the big move! X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Ceri - If you have yet to find work, a copy of a healthy bank account and paid up UK utility bills are accepted.. All the agent wants to know is you have funds to pay the rent until you get work. Sarah - Great post and good to hear youve got so much done whilst still having fun !! lots of luck with the new job Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceri Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Thanks both Sarah and CalNgary - this forum has been so useful in settling any concerns and questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Smith Clan Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 We are just at the start of it all but found your post inspiring. Let us know how you get on with the company bringing your dog over as we have 2 dogs that will be moving with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Smith Clan Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 We are just at the start of it all but found your post inspiring. Let us know how you get on with the company bringing your dog over as we have 2 dogs that will be moving with us. Also good luck in your new job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahb1986 Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Also good luck in your new job Aw thank you. Hope everything goes well for your move. We are using Golden Arrow, their facilities were great when we went to visit. Can't wait to have our hairy baby here with us! X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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