Jemvin Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 We have just started the application to return to the uk and my partner thinks we need to allow a year to sell our stuff and rent our house etc? This to me seems excessive. How long did it take others? I was thinking if we are accepted then maybe 6 months is realistic? But a year seems a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 If you meet the requirements for a spouse visa, then the process is quick. We allowed three/four months to get ours and it came through in two months. For your stuff - advertise on Gumtree, take some care with photos and descriptions, and ask a realistic price. You can also put postcards on supermarket notice boards and advertise on Facebook. If your prices are fair and the stuff is in good condition, you'll empty the house in less than a month. Be prepared to get peanuts for everything, though Do consider shipping rather than selling stuff, unless your "stuff" is about to fall apart. I know shipping sounds expensive, but replacing it all is far more so - not to mention the hours and hours of shopping needed to replace everything. As for the house - it depends where you are and what price you're seeking. You can put the house up for auction, then you have a fixed 6 or 8 week campaign and the house is sold at auction at the end of that time. The only catch is that you might not be happy with the price achieved - but if it doesn't sell at auction, it's unlikely you'll do much better trying to sell at a fixed price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 Thanks very much, most major items of our furniture are huge lol like dining table and couch. But thanks for the tip will try to be wise with what we bring. can I also ask as you applied too we finished the online applicatation and have an appointment booked in Sydney, I can’t seem to locate a list of supporting documents we need. The link to the website is very unclear. Any help please??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 We also intend to rent our house out incase we decide to return. So hoping that process won’t be hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 15 minutes ago, Jemvin said: We also intend to rent our house out incase we decide to return. So hoping that process won’t be hard Even easier. Find a good agent (ask for references). They will tell you how long it's likely to take to find a tenant in your area, and you can plan from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 It can be done very quick. We made up our mind on a Tuesday evening and I flew the Saturday and my wife and dog the following Friday. The house sold after we were back in the uk. We sold most of our things and only used a small movecube for personal things. We used gumtree for somethings, but actually had a better result from the old fashioned poster put up in the local IGA. It was a mad week and I was still having a garage sale to get rid of the last things in the hours before I headed to the airport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 2 hours ago, Jemvin said: Thanks very much, most major items of our furniture are huge lol like dining table and couch. But thanks for the tip will try to be wise with what we bring. can I also ask as you applied too we finished the online applicatation and have an appointment booked in Sydney, I can’t seem to locate a list of supporting documents we need. The link to the website is very unclear. Any help please??? It may have changed since we did it, but we had to print off the whole application and take it with us (when I say we, I really mean my husband who is the applicant - i didn't need to be there, I just came along for moral support! Also recent passport photographs (I can't recall if he needed two or three), passport, bank statements. As well as that, we had to bring the separate form (I think it was called Appendix 2) where you have to fill in your address in the UK, financial evidence, etc. I think that might be part of the online application now? We nearly missed it because it wasn't mentioned in the online application and we only found out about it by accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 It took us about eight months, but that included time to finish the renovation on our house and decorate it throughout (walls, ceilings, woodwork, doors etc inside, plus outside) in preparation for selling it (which only took 19 days from first on the market to the auction), sorting a UK job for OH, organising a five bedroom house (lots of selling on local Facebook pages and tip/charity shop runs), garden makeover, all the research for our UK move (we moved back somewhere different to where we'd come from), organising four cats etc. If we'd been leaving the house to be rented, we could have cut that time in half easily. we brought a container back, but hired a storage unit in the months before we moved, so that we could progressively pack things up and store them which definitely made things easier at the latter end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 A year is too long. When will you start to sell your things? How long do you want to live without them? You will find there isn’t a lot you can do a full year before the move except de clutter everything will be done in the last few weeks. Seriously consider the cost of replacing versus shipping. We decided to move back to the UK just before Christmas and sorted shipping and letting of property even over the holiday period and moved in January less than a month. Back in Australia now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvieV Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 We decided to move back 5 months ago. Sold the house in 9 days and that has been the hardest part so far - getting the house ready, tarting it up, decluttering, organising shippers, pet transport etc. Now we're just waiting for settlement & for the children to finish school. We leave on 30th Dec, 6 months from having made the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Do you have kids or pets? That can also influence the timescale and timing of a move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 7 hours ago, rammygirl said: A year is too long. When will you start to sell your things? How long do you want to live without them? You will find there isn’t a lot you can do a full year before the move except de clutter everything will be done in the last few weeks. Seriously consider the cost of replacing versus shipping. We decided to move back to the UK just before Christmas and sorted shipping and letting of property even over the holiday period and moved in January less than a month. Back in Australia now! Thanks! Wa shipping better than replacing? Did you not enjoy being back in the uk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 7 minutes ago, rammygirl said: Do you have kids or pets? That can also influence the timescale and timing of a move. No pets but a cheeky 3 year old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 5 hours ago, EvieV said: We decided to move back 5 months ago. Sold the house in 9 days and that has been the hardest part so far - getting the house ready, tarting it up, decluttering, organising shippers, pet transport etc. Now we're just waiting for settlement & for the children to finish school. We leave on 30th Dec, 6 months from having made the decision. Thanks! Did you use a shopping container or cube? So you mind me asking what sort of price It is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 57 minutes ago, Jemvin said: No pets but a cheeky 3 year old Ah, the best sort of 3 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 6 hours ago, EvieV said: We decided to move back 5 months ago. Sold the house in 9 days and that has been the hardest part so far - getting the house ready, tarting it up, decluttering, organising shippers, pet transport etc. Now we're just waiting for settlement & for the children to finish school. We leave on 30th Dec, 6 months from having made the decision. Pretty similar to this. About 6 months from decision to getting on the plane. I needed time to declutter and get the house ready for sale, then the lull whilst the house sale went through. Then the final mad rush at the end getting everything in a movecube, on a plane or in a skip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rammygirl Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 We shipped. Some of our stuff has made the journey all three times. Cost of shipping far less than replacing. You do have to live without stuff for a while though. We rented furnished, stayed with family or rented furniture to fill an unfurnished long term rental until ours arrived on our various moves. when our son joined us he used a small move cube to bring personal items (not furniture) still worth it, some things can’t just be replaced and he had several musical instruments too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Thanks- our main furniture items like our bed and couch need replacing anyway and our dining table is a 10 seater and way to big for what kind of property we would get. and everything else is aus plug socked although I know can use adapter it would be worthless over there so thinking sell then and get new there. Probably from Argos/ the range/ikea. So it will mainly be personal items and probably my sons bed and drawers. I do wonder if I keep things like his cot and bring it incase baby number 2 happens in the future or just sell and buy there again to give us more space. We do have a lot of de clutter to to!! Did anyone also keep things in storage- either here or in the uk?? my partner has a drum kit and an extensive model car collection that I have no idea what to do with! We would have no room for it and it currently takes up a whole room at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BacktoDemocracy Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 17 hours ago, Jemvin said: Thanks- our main furniture items like our bed and couch need replacing anyway and our dining table is a 10 seater and way to big for what kind of property we would get. and everything else is aus plug socked although I know can use adapter it would be worthless over there so thinking sell then and get new there. Probably from Argos/ the range/ikea. So it will mainly be personal items and probably my sons bed and drawers. I do wonder if I keep things like his cot and bring it incase baby number 2 happens in the future or just sell and buy there again to give us more space. We do have a lot of de clutter to to!! Did anyone also keep things in storage- either here or in the uk?? my partner has a drum kit and an extensive model car collection that I have no idea what to do with! We would have no room for it and it currently takes up a whole room at home. You can just replace plugs on electrical items so long as you take care and use the correct 'amp' fuse in the plug, as UK is on same voltage, our Australian fridge and washing machine work here and our Australian tv works with a £35 set top box which gets main free to air channels. If you put stuff in store make sure it is insured there have been a couple of serious storage facility fires where people have lost heavily, even with removals companies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 17 hours ago, Jemvin said: Thanks- our main furniture items like our bed and couch need replacing anyway and our dining table is a 10 seater and way to big for what kind of property we would get. and everything else is aus plug socked although I know can use adapter it would be worthless over there so thinking sell then and get new there. Probably from Argos/ the range/ikea. So it will mainly be personal items and probably my sons bed and drawers. I do wonder if I keep things like his cot and bring it incase baby number 2 happens in the future or just sell and buy there again to give us more space. We do have a lot of de clutter to to!! Did anyone also keep things in storage- either here or in the uk?? my partner has a drum kit and an extensive model car collection that I have no idea what to do with! We would have no room for it and it currently takes up a whole room at home. I'd say, only keep stuff you know you will need. It's not worth keeping stuff "just in case" - so unless you're determined to have baby number 2 in the near future, the cot should go. I'd suggest shipping the drum kit and model car collection with your other stuff, assuming he's not ready to get rid of it. You could leave it in a self-storage place in Australia, but then it will cost you a lot more to ship separately later. Cheaper to ship everything together - then get a self-storage unit in the UK when you get there, if necessary. I suggest you do a "trial shop" on the Argos/IKEA/the range websites now, so you can compare what it will actually cost you. You may be surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted December 6, 2018 Author Share Posted December 6, 2018 Please help... So my partner done the application we got lots of our supporting documents together along with the appendix 2 form. He went for his biometrics appointment in Sydney. They took his passport to send to the uk told him to post the application form himself. And nothing else... said non of the other forms are needed but nobody looked at any of the documents we supplied. So I am confused if there is no need to send them why are they required and surely we need them all to shower our savings etc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Jemvin said: Please help... So my partner done the application we got lots of our supporting documents together along with the appendix 2 form. He went for his biometrics appointment in Sydney. They took his passport to send to the uk told him to post the application form himself. And nothing else... said non of the other forms are needed but nobody looked at any of the documents we supplied. So I am confused if there is no need to send them why are they required and surely we need them all to shower our savings etc! This is a thread about time needed to sell and pack up. Maybe start a new thread as this is likely to be missed by people who know this stuff. Good luck and sorry I have no idea as to an answer for your question. ETA sorry just seen that you are the OP! Hopefully someone will know the answer! Edited December 6, 2018 by Amber Snowball Added info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemvin Posted December 6, 2018 Author Share Posted December 6, 2018 I know it was my threat but I had responses from those who also when through the same process and figured they may be able to help 56 minutes ago, Amber Snowball said: This is a thread about time needed to sell and pack up. Maybe start a new thread as this is likely to be missed by people who know this stuff. Good luck and sorry I have no idea as to an answer for your question. ETA sorry just seen that you are the OP! Hopefully someone will know the answer! I know it was my threat but I had responses from those who also when through the same process and figured they may be able to help So my partner done the application we got lots of our supporting documents together along with the appendix 2 form. He went for his biometrics appointment in Sydney. They took his passport to send to the uk told him to post the application form himself. And nothing else... said non of the other forms are needed but nobody looked at any of the documents we supplied. So I am confused if there is no need to send them why are they required and surely we need them all to shower our savings etc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 2 minutes ago, Jemvin said: I know it was my threat but I had responses from those who also when through the same process and figured they may be able to help I know it was my threat but I had responses from those who also when through the same process and figured they may be able to help So my partner done the application we got lots of our supporting documents together along with the appendix 2 form. He went for his biometrics appointment in Sydney. They took his passport to send to the uk told him to post the application form himself. And nothing else... said non of the other forms are needed but nobody looked at any of the documents we supplied. So I am confused if there is no need to send them why are they required and surely we need them all to shower our savings etc! Yeh sorry about that. I saw you have started another thread as well. Someone will be able to help I’m sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumblebee Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 On 17/11/2018 at 11:43, EvieV said: We decided to move back 5 months ago. Sold the house in 9 days and that has been the hardest part so far - getting the house ready, tarting it up, decluttering, organising shippers, pet transport etc. Now we're just waiting for settlement & for the children to finish school. We leave on 30th Dec, 6 months from having made the decision. Safe travels! Not long now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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