Visa in hand , selling house timeline vs leaving - animals and child in tow!

[Paul1Perth]

We sold our house and moved in with my wifes Mum & Dad for a few weeks. Like you we needed the money from the house sale and we didn't do a reccie trip. We'd never been before and knew nothing about Perth, other than what we'd read. Pre internet days.

Have you no understanding relations?

 I think the in-laws liked having us and the 2 year old. Worked well for us.

[scubacam]

Wow that all sounds amazing.

I hear that it will be very difficult to secure a rental with animals regardless so I was worried about finding air b&b for instance out there and our time in it running out before we find a rental and it being booked up and just not having anywhere to go with a child and animals before our rental is ready /found ? Our pets will spend 10 days in quarantine , 2/3 days flying so we’d end up putting them in kennels here ; do able definitely but an added cost and stress for them.

I talked to my husband about selling early to take the pressure off but because of Brexit he thinks we should give the housing market as much time as possible as he imagines things may change next year before we leave and he doesn’t want to lose out on what we can bring over in terms of equity.

 

I notified spmeone quoted research on site manager jobs, my husband is a project manager , is there a way for me to find out how that profession has done on employability ?

 

[scubacam]

We sold our house and moved in with my wifes Mum & Dad for a few weeks. Like you we needed the money from the house sale and we didn't do a reccie trip. We'd never been before and knew nothing about Perth, other than what we'd read. Pre internet days.
Have you no understanding relations?
 I think the in-laws liked having us and the 2 year old. Worked well for us.

Hi if u see my post below yours, they have a huge house , 7 beds , they are retired and live 10
Minutes away but said no due to our animals. Which really upset us because when we lived there as a couple before getting married we had a dog there. They don’t want us to go and I think are being difficult on purpose. No other family is an option

[Paul1Perth]

14 minutes ago, scubacam said:

 

 

Hi if u see my post below yours, they have a huge house , 7 beds , they are retired and live 10
Minutes away but said no due to our animals. Which really upset us because when we lived there as a couple before getting married we had a dog there. They don’t want us to go and I think are being difficult on purpose. No other family is an option

 

 

They probably don't want you to go but put to them the positives of seeing you and the youngster every day before you leave. You could put the animals in kennels early if that's their only gripe.

Personally they would have to go. You can get cats and dogs here.

[scubacam]

They probably don't want you to go but put to them the positives of seeing you and the youngster every day before you leave. You could put the animals in kennels early if that's their only gripe.
Personally they would have to go. You can get cats and dogs here.

Just not an option for us; we’ve had them for 8 years - our dog has medical issues (nothing that stops her from coming) - no one would want her. Our cats are amazing and that’s why they are coming. Yes it’s a pain in the butt but we made a commitment when we got them and we plan on following through.

[Tulip1]

32 minutes ago, scubacam said:

Wow that all sounds amazing.

I hear that it will be very difficult to secure a rental with animals regardless so I was worried about finding air b&b for instance out there and our time in it running out before we find a rental and it being booked up and just not having anywhere to go with a child and animals before our rental is ready /found ? Our pets will spend 10 days in quarantine , 2/3 days flying so we’d end up putting them in kennels here ; do able definitely but an added cost and stress for them.

I talked to my husband about selling early to take the pressure off but because of Brexit he thinks we should give the housing market as much time as possible as he imagines things may change next year before we leave and he doesn’t want to lose out on what we can bring over in terms of equity.

 

I notified spmeone quoted research on site manager jobs, my husband is a project manager , is there a way for me to find out how that profession has done on employability ?

 

The UK housing market is in a downturn, even in the south east and London area. Some areas have dropped by up to 20% in the last 8 months. Not sure why your husband wants to give it as much time as possible, all indications are the downturn will continue, mainly due to brexit uncertainty they say.  I'd be tempted to get what you can now as next year you could be getting far less. 

Are your cats house cats? I've heard very few cats in Oz wonder out and about and nearly all are house cats (no idea on figures just seen and heard that many times). Doesn't mean yours can't go out i'm sure but thought I'd mention that as it's a shock to some that take cats over. It's a shame the inlaws won't put you up but it's up to them, it's not you they won't have but the animals and that's fair enough if they feel strongly enough not to want animals in the house. Do they have a descent sized garden? Could you put one of those wooden portacabin things in it? you could sell it afterwards and get much of the money back.  Wouldn't need to be a posh one, just a cheap, old, basic one. You humans could all live and sleep in the house with the animals sleeping in the portacabin. Wouldn't be nice to put them in kennels but a cabin in the garden means you can all spend time with them,  easy to stick some chairs/beanbags in it and hang out in there.  Not ideal but worth thinking about as getting a rental won't be easy. Inlaws may not agree anyway, they probably have got the hump you're leaving!

Edited October 16, 2018 by Tulip1

[scubacam]

So I feel like I need to summarise my issue because I didn’t give enough information before;
Visa is in hand, animals are coming - not negotiable and we have started the process. All our money is tied up in our house and hopefully if the market is kind to us we could take £265,000 equity from it’s sale.
My husband is tied into his job until October 2019 but a big bonus coming November 2019 so we are staying until then. Because of his timeline we have to take a trip to activate our visas in April and we will use this time to narrow down where we will live so that as November draws near my hubby can start looking for a job nearby. As a teacher I can’t do much more until I land with an address to register with.

We have a small amount of savings by the time we go , I don’t take the big bonus into account because I don’t want to depend on that and you never know , so we need that savings to get us there and pay a Bond on arrival , we need our equity to get a car , perhaps cover a few months rent who knows. So leaving with it on the market is not an option, we can sell early but we risk the price and then paying for short term rental here . I realise as I write this that I don’t think there’s a magic perfect answer unless our in-laws cave and trust me this is not prefect either! My father in law is an absolute pain in the backside and as someone who works with SEN children he definitely has some type of undiagnosed social condition!

So perhaps I’m just using you lovely people to rant at (apologies) my husband didn’t wanna talk about it last night as typical me I bring these things up about 20 minute before bedtime hoping for a magical solution and then get annoyed when he doesn’t have it!



Has anyone used a relocation agent before ?

Thank you for reading and offering all your advice - more is always welcome but I’m afraid no more advice about leaving animals behind

[scubacam]

The UK housing market is in a downturn, even in the south east and London area. Some areas have dropped by up to 20% in the last 8 months. Not sure why your husband wants to give it as much time as possible, all indications are the downturn will continue, mainly due to brexit uncertainty they say.  I'd be tempted to get what you can now as next year you could be getting far less. 

Are your cats house cats? I've heard very few cats in Oz wonder out and about and nearly all are house cats (no idea on figures just seen and heard that many times). Doesn't mean yours can't go out i'm sure but thought I'd mention that as it's a shock to some that take cats over. It's a shame the inlaws won't put you up but it's up to them, it's not you they won't have but the animals and that's fair enough if they feel strongly enough not to want animals in the house. Do they have a descent sized garden? Could you put one of those wooden portacabin things in it? you could sell it afterwards and get much of the money back.  Wouldn't need to be a posh one, just a cheap, old, basic one. You humans could all live and sleep in the house with the animals sleeping in the portacabin. Wouldn't be nice to put them in kennels but a cabin in the garden means you can all spend time with them,  easy to stick some chairs/beanbags in it and hang out in there.  Not ideal but worth thinking about as getting a rental won't be easy. Inlaws may not agree anyway, they probably have got the hump you're leaving!

Ha ha so they have 2 of those cabins in the garden (large ish) garden and of course my father in law has filled them with his stuff , he over takes areas with his ‘work’ or boxes of stuff to sort and doesn’t hugely care about others.

 

In terms of property- can only go on what our local agent who sold us the property said and it’s all good at the moment but not as good as initial growth. We bought for 460 in 2015 and now we are looking at 500-515

 

Our cats do go out but are also litter trained as they don’t go out at night. My husband wants to make them house cats but can’t imagine living in a place where you constantly have to watch the doors being opened

[Marisawright]

14 minutes ago, scubacam said:

Our cats do go out but are also litter trained as they don’t go out at night. My husband wants to make them house cats but can’t imagine living in a place where you constantly have to watch the doors being opened

In your shoes, I'd be putting the cats' happiness ahead of your own. If they come to Australia, they will need to be confined in your garden at the very least, and possibly in some kind of run. If you let them roam, especially in a rural area, they are liable to get shot.  While they will miss you, cats adapt well to being rehomed and they'll be happier if they can continue to be outdoor cats in a climate and environment they know.

Besides, it does sound as though the cats are causing most of your problems:

• You can't stay at your in-laws because of the cats (they accepted a dog before so you could shoot down their argument if they tried to say they wouldn't take a dog). 
• You can't stay in an Airbnb or a holiday apartment because of the cats (I have a niece who uses Airbnb all the time with one dog, it's the multiple that is the problem). 
• You'll have major difficulties finding a place to rent because of the cats (again, landlords now are fairly accepting of one animal but not multiple animals)
• You'll have three times the shipping bills with three animals - you'd save several thousand dollars which it sounds like you could use.

 

I love cats too but I can't imagine putting my family to such inconvenience and expense for their sake.

Edited October 16, 2018 by Marisawright

[scubacam]

In your shoes, I'd be putting the cats' happiness ahead of your own. If they come to Australia, they will need to be confined in your garden at the very least, and possibly in some kind of run. If you let them roam, especially in a rural area, they are liable to get shot.  While they will miss you, cats adapt well to being rehomed and they'll be happier if they can continue to be outdoor cats in a climate and environment they know.


We are living about an hour outside Sydney - many people have cats that live happily and live outside

[scubacam]

In your shoes, I'd be putting the cats' happiness ahead of your own. If they come to Australia, they will need to be confined in your garden at the very least, and possibly in some kind of run. If you let them roam, especially in a rural area, they are liable to get shot.  While they will miss you, cats adapt well to being rehomed and they'll be happier if they can continue to be outdoor cats in a climate and environment they know.

I’d be interested to know other people’s experience of cats as I saw many cats in Sydney suburbs

[ramot]

13 minutes ago, scubacam said:

 

 

I’d be interested to know other people’s experience of cats as I saw many cats in Sydney suburbs

 

 

Of the many people I know on the Sunshine Coast who have cats only 2 have a set up in the garden to allow them fresh air and a bit of freedom, but they are confined in them. 1 couple have 2 very expensive Bengal cats and the others are in a retirement village that doesn’t allow them to roam. Some people with cats prefer to keep them in, others let them roam.

I do think cats should be kept in at night, and if you have a cat flap it is likely that cats will bring snakes in. My sons cat has bought in several, and it’s not funny trying to find where it is hidden in the house. Would scare me silly.

Edited October 16, 2018 by ramot

[scubacam]

Of the many people I know on the Sunshine Coast who have cats only 2 have a set up in the garden to allow them fresh air and a bit of freedom, but they are confined in them. 1 couple have 2 very expensive Bengal cats and the others are in a retirement village that doesn’t allow them to roam. Some people with cats prefer to keep them in, others let them roam.
I do think cats should be kept in at night, and if you have a cat flap it is likely that cats will bring snakes in. My sons cat has bought in several, and it’s not funny trying to find where it is hidden in the house. Would scare me silly.

Jesus that would terrify me. Our cats here don’t seem to bring stuff in, a few years ago they brought in a bird and a frog but not happened in ages. Wouldn’t a snake kill them?!

[ramot]

58 minutes ago, scubacam said:

 

Jesus that would terrify me. Our cats here don’t seem to bring stuff in, a few years ago they brought in a bird and a frog but not happened in ages. Wouldn’t a snake kill them?!

 

Not if it’s a tree snake, but The cat wouldn’t know the difference!!

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Hi again, seriously hun, take a deep breathe and work things out one at a time. 

‘I have had experience with a number of your concerns, for example we had to sell our house before we had even been granted our visa, we needed to put $100k in a bond to gain extra points. It was frightening as I would have probably continued living there for life if we weren’t moving to Oz. Here are a few things to consider.

‘We put the house on the market and used that time to reduce our belongings, selling them on eBay, loot and car boot sales. We took out a 6 month rental. If the visa had come early we would have broke the lease. The visa came just after the 6 months was up and we had gone on to a rolling tenancy so we were very lucky how it worked out.

I agree it sounds like your in laws are making things more awkward but then at least they are still talking to you, my mother didn’t speak to us for 4 years. You could move in to the in laws and either find a foster home for your pets or find a local Kennels so that you can visit on a daily basis. They would probably do a reduced rate especially if you took your own food in, took them for walks etc. 

‘As I said look in to house sitting, it will probably be harder in the UK but plenty here allow you to take your pets. 

A relocation agent can be expensive. I know there was one on the forum a while back now and they charged $500 to view each house. Also a lot of realestate agents won’t allow people to view on your behalf as they had too many people breaking the lease because it wasn’t as described when they got here. I owned my own agency in Melbourne and agents were terrible to deal with because the market was so tough they didn’t need to go out of their way to be helpful.

Why not go for a long settlement if the house sells prior OR you could sell on the condition they rent the house back to you until November.

In regards to cats people are correct in that Australia is very anti cat. Every council has their own laws and guidelines on what you can and can’t do, so check the council websites on the areas you are thinking of settling. There was a news article yesterday saying a council was banning cats altogether and those who had one could keep it but once it had died they couldn’t replace it. I can’t find the article now typical, but here is one that was in the news at the beginning of the month https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/pets/sydneys-randwick-council-wants-to-stop-cats-going-outside/news-story/ecbbf0c619b179d850d297ff4aa1f5ef I am surprised it’s even in The news as it was like this in most of Melbourne anyway. 

‘We have 2 bengals and we have a large enclosure built with the cat netting which joins on to the house so they can come and go through the kitchen window. 

‘If I am still around next year and still living where we are (we own an ex greyhound Boarding and Training Kennels) I am more than happy for you to ship them over and they can stay with us free of charge until you arrive. 

 

Edited to add: I found the article it was an old one that’s why I couldn’t find it, published in August this year and for New Zealand not Au https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/plans-to-ban-all-domestic-cats-from-a-new-zealand-town/10189138

[rammygirl]

I think Pom queen has given you some good advice.  You need to think a bit more laterally and flexibly. 

Yes the animals will cause additional issues but you have committed to taking them so you will need to work around this. Plenty of people have brought and own cats and dogs so it is doable.

Re cats I know the councils around us in the Adelaide Hills are considering much stricter cat laws and many SA councils have also now imposed neutering, registration and confinement.  There is a movement to ban cats but councils are reluctant to go that far.........yet.

Landlords are wary of cats as they are more likely to cause damage to door frames etc, and few rentals (if any) will have enclosed outdoor runs.

Any extra you make on a house sale could be wiped out by fluctuations in exchange rates too.  You need to take some control, speak to agents and negotiate hard with buyers have an ideal settlement date in mind and work towards it.  Find an agent that understands your position and the sort of buyer you need.  Don’t however come across as desperate to sell! Just committed  

We had to remind our agent who they were working for as our buyer wanted to move in before we were ready to go.  The buyer was a nightmare and a bit of a princess (daddy was paying lol) and had intimidated the agent.  The agent was pressuring us to move out  we stood our ground and took the risk of her pulling out. Not sure anyone had ever dared say no to her before!  After many tantrums she finally agreed.  Felt sorry for her new husband though...................

 

[scubacam]

Thank you yes we have spoken to our agent and he knows that we won’t move without the right price which is another reason why we are activating the visa in April so that we aren’t rushed by the visa time.
I saw someone’s note about cats being picked up by neighbours and taken to the pound and now I can’t find the post - but why on earth does that open???

[AJ]

1 minute ago, scubacam said:

I saw someone’s note about cats being picked up by neighbours and taken to the pound and now I can’t find the post - but why on earth does that open???

Why not? I dont mind cats but I dont have them and I wouldnt like anyone elses roaming about shittin in my garden and climbing on my car!

[scubacam]

Hi again, seriously hun, take a deep breathe and work things out one at a time. 
‘I have had experience with a number of your concerns, for example we had to sell our house before we had even been granted our visa, we needed to put $100k in a bond to gain extra points. It was frightening as I would have probably continued living there for life if we weren’t moving to Oz. Here are a few things to consider.
‘We put the house on the market and used that time to reduce our belongings, selling them on eBay, loot and car boot sales. We took out a 6 month rental. If the visa had come early we would have broke the lease. The visa came just after the 6 months was up and we had gone on to a rolling tenancy so we were very lucky how it worked out.
I agree it sounds like your in laws are making things more awkward but then at least they are still talking to you, my mother didn’t speak to us for 4 years. You could move in to the in laws and either find a foster home for your pets or find a local Kennels so that you can visit on a daily basis. They would probably do a reduced rate especially if you took your own food in, took them for walks etc. 
‘As I said look in to house sitting, it will probably be harder in the UK but plenty here allow you to take your pets. 
A relocation agent can be expensive. I know there was one on the forum a while back now and they charged $500 to view each house. Also a lot of realestate agents won’t allow people to view on your behalf as they had too many people breaking the lease because it wasn’t as described when they got here. I owned my own agency in Melbourne and agents were terrible to deal with because the market was so tough they didn’t need to go out of their way to be helpful.
Why not go for a long settlement if the house sells prior OR you could sell on the condition they rent the house back to you until November.
In regards to cats people are correct in that Australia is very anti cat. Every council has their own laws and guidelines on what you can and can’t do, so check the council websites on the areas you are thinking of settling. There was a news article yesterday saying a council was banning cats altogether and those who had one could keep it but once it had died they couldn’t replace it. I can’t find the article now typical, but here is one that was in the news at the beginning of the month https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/pets/sydneys-randwick-council-wants-to-stop-cats-going-outside/news-story/ecbbf0c619b179d850d297ff4aa1f5ef I am surprised it’s even in The news as it was like this in most of Melbourne anyway. 
‘We have 2 bengals and we have a large enclosure built with the cat netting which joins on to the house so they can come and go through the kitchen window. 
‘If I am still around next year and still living where we are (we own an ex greyhound Boarding and Training Kennels) I am more than happy for you to ship them over and they can stay with us free of charge until you arrive. 
 
Edited to add: I found the article it was an old one that’s why I couldn’t find it, published in August this year and for New Zealand not Au https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/plans-to-ban-all-domestic-cats-from-a-new-zealand-town/10189138

That’s an extremely kind offer thank you very much re our animals.
When you say if I am still around next year - are you considering leaving aus?

[scubacam]

Why not? I dont mind cats but I dont have them and I wouldnt like anyone elses roaming about shittin in my garden and climbing on my car!

But you’d put them in your car and take the time to take them to a pound even though you know their owned??
I just don’t understand that, wild animals roam.
Here you see cats everywhere

[AJ]

25 minutes ago, scubacam said:

 

 

But you’d put them in your car and take the time to take them to a pound even though you know their owned??
I just don’t understand that, wild animals roam.
Here you see cats everywhere

 

 

Nope but I would put the hose on them!  Owners need to be more responsible and keep them on their own property, domestic cats are not wild animals!

 

Edited October 16, 2018 by AJ

[scubacam]

Nope but I would put the hose on them!  Owners need to be more responsible and keep them on their own property, domestic cats are not wild animals!

 

Hose I can understand , domestic yes but it’s innate for cats to roam and climb in order to roam.

[Tulip1]

4 hours ago, The Pom Queen said:

Hi again, seriously hun, take a deep breathe and work things out one at a time. 

‘I have had experience with a number of your concerns, for example we had to sell our house before we had even been granted our visa, we needed to put $100k in a bond to gain extra points. It was frightening as I would have probably continued living there for life if we weren’t moving to Oz. Here are a few things to consider.

‘We put the house on the market and used that time to reduce our belongings, selling them on eBay, loot and car boot sales. We took out a 6 month rental. If the visa had come early we would have broke the lease. The visa came just after the 6 months was up and we had gone on to a rolling tenancy so we were very lucky how it worked out.

I agree it sounds like your in laws are making things more awkward but then at least they are still talking to you, my mother didn’t speak to us for 4 years. You could move in to the in laws and either find a foster home for your pets or find a local Kennels so that you can visit on a daily basis. They would probably do a reduced rate especially if you took your own food in, took them for walks etc. 

‘As I said look in to house sitting, it will probably be harder in the UK but plenty here allow you to take your pets. 

A relocation agent can be expensive. I know there was one on the forum a while back now and they charged $500 to view each house. Also a lot of realestate agents won’t allow people to view on your behalf as they had too many people breaking the lease because it wasn’t as described when they got here. I owned my own agency in Melbourne and agents were terrible to deal with because the market was so tough they didn’t need to go out of their way to be helpful.

Why not go for a long settlement if the house sells prior OR you could sell on the condition they rent the house back to you until November.

In regards to cats people are correct in that Australia is very anti cat. Every council has their own laws and guidelines on what you can and can’t do, so check the council websites on the areas you are thinking of settling. There was a news article yesterday saying a council was banning cats altogether and those who had one could keep it but once it had died they couldn’t replace it. I can’t find the article now typical, but here is one that was in the news at the beginning of the month https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/home/pets/sydneys-randwick-council-wants-to-stop-cats-going-outside/news-story/ecbbf0c619b179d850d297ff4aa1f5ef I am surprised it’s even in The news as it was like this in most of Melbourne anyway. 

‘We have 2 bengals and we have a large enclosure built with the cat netting which joins on to the house so they can come and go through the kitchen window. 

‘If I am still around next year and still living where we are (we own an ex greyhound Boarding and Training Kennels) I am more than happy for you to ship them over and they can stay with us free of charge until you arrive. 

 

Edited to add: I found the article it was an old one that’s why I couldn’t find it, published in August this year and for New Zealand not Au https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/plans-to-ban-all-domestic-cats-from-a-new-zealand-town/10189138

What a lovely, kind offer that is 

[Bulya]

3 hours ago, scubacam said:

Thank you yes we have spoken to our agent and he knows that we won’t move without the right price which is another reason why we are activating the visa in April so that we aren’t rushed by the visa time.
I saw someone’s note about cats being picked up by neighbours and taken to the pound and now I can’t find the post - but why on earth does that open???

Roaming cats here are seen as an obnoxious pest.  They destroy the wildlife 

[scubacam]

Roaming cats here are seen as an obnoxious pest.  They destroy the wildlife 

Interesting because surely all cats are different; ours used to be a nightmare with frogs but now older and lazy, like to sunbathe , eat and sleep!