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Original poster

Mumsnetters Please with Experience of Re-locating ? HELP

12 replies

TreadmillMom · 20/01/2008 16:18

DH, DC and I need to re-locate to be closer to family.
Obviously working and having a young family does not allow for house viewings in another town during the week.
So we were wondering from Mumsnetter?s who?ve experienced this, how do you go about selling a home in one town to buy one in another taking into account good local schools?
DH thought as it can take anywhere from 3 months plus that it would make sense to sell our house first THEN start looking for a new property.
Any tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. DC3 due in exactly 9 months so would like to move in time for his/her arrival.

OP posts:
bellabelly · 20/01/2008 16:26

Could you sell your house first and rent for a bit - would help you get to know the area properly before you commit to buying? I know that would entail two moves rather than just one but would give you time to suss out the "best" roads etc and you'd be in a great position to snap something up quickly when a brilliant place comes onto the market.

WendyWeber · 20/01/2008 16:26

Never done it but I think I would sell ASAP and then move into a rented house in the area where you want to be - that gives you time to check out all the local information you'll need to make a decision.

(Exactly 9 months, LOL? You mean you haven't done the deed yet?)

VanillaPumpkin · 20/01/2008 16:28

I second (third?) the advice about selling up and then renting in the area you want to be in. My friends have just done this and it was def the best idea.

blisscake · 20/01/2008 21:07

In the process of relocating to be nearer family. We are selling ours first and then staying with my parents until we find a house that we really like. Have tried property hunting from a distance and its a nightmare - exhausting and ineffective.

TellusMater · 20/01/2008 21:11

Yep. We sold and then rented for 6 months before we bought. We didn't know the area at all so it seemed the best bet. If you're moving near family it might be different for you I guess.

And we moved one month before ds was born,and then again when he was 5mo, so I sympathise with that too.

stripeytiger · 20/01/2008 21:13

TreadmillMom, I would agree with your dh in that I think it would be sensible to sell hour house first and then start looking for a property. It will mean either staying with relative/friends or paying out rent but it will put you in a much stronger position when you come to buy and hopefully help you secure the house you fall in love with.

Being very nosey, where are you re-locating from and to?

Good luck

ChippyMinton · 20/01/2008 21:17

Have moved twice to a new area. First time we rented until house was sold and we'd found a new one. Second time arranged to sell and move in with family.IME you need to be on the spot to build up a relationship with the local agents and to be able to view new properties at a moment's notice. You will also be in a strong position as a chain-free buyer. You must factor in the addition removals (you are effectivly paying to move twice over), storage (v-expensive) and rent into your costs.

Original poster
TreadmillMom · 20/01/2008 22:08

stripeytiger we're moving from South B'ham to North Staffordshire, exactly where we're yet to decide but both sides of the family knowing us well will be able to make good recomendations.
Thanks everyone for your feedback.
We figured that renting may be an option if we sold without finding somewhere to buy.

OP posts:
WendyWeber · 20/01/2008 22:41

TM, honestly, renting first would be easily the best thing to do; it would stop you possibly opting for a less than wonderful house just because nothing else was available at the time.

If you rented on a 6-monthly basis, deciding to buy a house and subsequently dropping out at some point before the lease was up would cost you possibly 2-3 months' rent but would give you far more choice and breathing space.

bellabelly · 21/01/2008 00:23

And if the house you end up buying needs some doing up, you can get all the work done while you are still living in the rented place instead of having to live with the chaos of builders / decorators / plumbers / electricians etc turning your house upside down and demanding endless cups of tea...

Egypt · 21/01/2008 05:17

renting sounds like a good idea, but if you really want to buy straight away, at least you have family who know the area and can look at places for you.

go to aboutmyplace.co.uk for an aerial map and satellite pics of the areas/house as well as showing you schools in the area and links to their ofsted reports. we're in the process of doing this now. we are in singapore and want to buy around our home in leics, so at least we kind of know the area, just not all the schools. dh's mum is doing the viewings for us!

Original poster
TreadmillMom · 21/01/2008 09:12

Wow Egypt, that is a fab tool, I've never heard of it before. Nice one.

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