Lenmil

We did this to go to NZ. We got dragged back as the house did not sell. Now i am here in Tassy by myself while the wifey and kids sell the house. Was the only way to do it.

emelems

We had an offer back in July, got basically to literally about to exchange (sept) and the 1st time buyer at the top of the chain pulled out and the chain collaspsed as such..

We are going back on the market this weekend and hoping.. we need to be in Oz by May, but I think if we don't actually get an proper offer again (or our buyer doesnt sell his house again) by Feb we might have to leave and either rent the house out or leave it as a vacant for selling.. either way, we need to be in Oz by the beginning of May...

This is all turning into a bit of a nightmare! :curse:

*starts muttering about the trials of life and such like.....*

Em x

eddie007

Our house is on the market in the uk, we are in Rockingham WA...

no serious offers since we had a silly offer before we left which we rejected, but now regret rejecting the silly offer... if that makes sense

but no worries... our values are changing

we were lucky enough to have a small enough mortgage that we have changed to interest only and have a tiny amount to pay there.. and enough 'cash' in the bank to keep it going for 3 -5 years empty.. and family at home who are keeping their eye on it and parents who are powers of attourney to sell it for us...

the housing market in the uk is being hit by a, buyers packs and b, the american situation... the aussie dollar is rising against stirling and we are in theory loosing money hand over fist....

However,

we have a new life in a beautiful country, the kids started school and for the first time EVER our school refuser gets up and is first out the door to get there... we have a freebie lifestyle with parks and beaches and open spaces and amazing weather... we have each other ... and the thought of another miserable winter cooped up indoors in a terrace in Ipswich was more than I could bear... that and the crumbling nhs which I felt I was single handedly trying to save...

we never 'had' the money we are 'loosing' as it was tied up in bricks and mortar, it wasn't real... we will sell the house eventually, and everything will be ok... even if we can't afford the cash purchase on the dream house we wanted here... wow... what a scary thought... having to work and not being mortagage free? Some things don't change, but IF you vcan leave the house to be sold and aren't going to damage your health by stressing about it, then I would say immigrate and be damned... and then get on with your new life here...

In fact not having sold the house in the uk has prevented me from making a rash purchase here which I may live to regret, I have no money to buy right now so I will have to experience all four seasons before I decide where we will be buying... I am reknown for my impulse buys which I regret later... ask me about the horse I brought when I lived in a bedsit in Norwich City Centre ....)

On;ly you know your circumstances fuinancial and stress related and only you can make the decision what to do.... My decision I can live with... what did that french bird sing? Non je reggrete rien ... or something like that

Whingin Pom

We moved out to Cairns back in 2004 without selling the house, eight months later we were back in the UK and in tears, two years on we decide to go back to Aus but sell the house first.

Its been on the market now since April and had one offer last month, they pulled out a week after and its gone silent again.

I so much want to be in Aus now and time is passing by so fast, its been the worse part of my life this last 5 years from applying to now and I have to be careful not to drag close ones down into my moods.

But I am not going until the house is sold, no way not ever.

rockpeblar

We had a free place to stay for the first three months near Perth and so we have rented out the house and have now moved into our own rental in the hills. We haven't yet decided where we want to live and this gives us the chance to live in different areas. At least we have a foot on the property ladder even if it is on the other side of the world!!

on a mission

What I like, guts and balls, non of this fussing about dithering crap that i keep reading of....



Edith Piaf it was.... BTW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqTLq...elated&search=

Jamesfam

Hi all, There seems to be so many of us in this situation of not being able to sell a house. Our has been on the market since May 07 and although we had one silly offer we now wish we had taken them up on it.
We wanted to be in Brisbane March 08 but as the market is so quiet and hardly any viewings for the last 2 months, our plans are having to be put back until we sell the house. Have thought about renting but we really the capital to move to Oz with. Chin up guys we'll get there eventually.
Clare

tony s

we left ours to sell. been in oz 6 days.just had a cash buyer come in 10 k less than we sold before, as its fell thru twice.i think a cash buyer is worth having no chain to break.so fingers crossed

pentaxpro

Hi all,
This is my 1st post. We also moving to Oz early next year but have not sold our house. We are considering a buy to let mortgage and taking out the equity, and using the rent money to pay back the mortgage over 5 years.
This way you have a property in the Uk, to sell at a later date, and hopefully it should appreciate in value.
Anyone tried this method of raising the cash?

Grayling

....but you will have to pay Australian tax on the rental income and may then have to pay CGT on the house if you buy one in Australia.

G

gillysm

We rented our house out initially to a housing corporation (offering cheaper homes to low income earners) for a fixed period of 2 years. It wasn't the best rent we could get but it gave us peace of mind as they paid every month whether the house was let or not. After the 2 year period they return the house to you in its original condition. This meant they repainted a couple of bedrooms and recarpeted one that had a burn in it (I had my parents check it out). After that we sold it, we didn't leave Oz for anything, all paperwork was mailed to us or dealt with by my parents who had Power of Attoney but it was very straightforward. By the time the 2 years had passed we weren't in such a tight spot financially so although we couldn't buy it Oz until we had sold it worked out well for us in the long term.
Gill

smithg22

We came out here in 2004, with UK house unsold. Thankfully, we had no mortgage that needed to be maintained, but we were still quite hard up when we arrived here. We stayed with rellies for a short while, and then moved to a rented place before wearing out our welcome, but 9 months later, our UK house was still unsold. The agents weren't exactly pushing it very hard because we weren't there to nag them, and winter is a bad time to try and sell anyway - there just wasn't any interest. Having stood empty and unheated over winter, there were now problems with damp, and the roof had leaked. Eventually, we took a pitifully low offer from a developer - then the exchange rate dropped like a stone and we managed to lose even more on the deal while moving the money over here. To start with, we felt bitter and cheated, but now - it's behind us in another life. My advice to anyone would be to just take the first offer that comes along, get rid of the house, and move on. During those 9 months, we just didn't feel able to move on with our new lives, as it was constantly nagging away in the backs of our minds. It was also a pain in the neck keep ringing the agents to chase them, and the solicitors, etc. You've made a huge commitment starting a new life here in Australia, don't ruin it by having a millstone round your neck back in the UK. Cut all your ties, just take whatever you can get as soon as possible, and make a fresh start - we've not regretted it.
(OK - I recognise that not everyone will be in the same position we found ourselves in - so my advice won't suit everyone. Just my 5 cents worth )
Graham

markinhull

has anyone thought about going through one of these companies who buy your house for 75 - 90% of its value or is that just madness?????

Mark

Whingin Pom

I spoke to someone yesterday and they want to buy at 20% below market value, in my case thats a loss of over 45k, not an option.

tripawaymars

Hi to everyone on this thread

I know just how you all feel. We are also trying to sell our house!! Just had to sack the agents as had been on the market for 2 months and not one viewing..and not one phone call fromn the agents. just gone on with a different agent and have 2 viewings lined up..not holding our breath though! We have dropped the price £5,000 and would probably accept £5,000 less than that..even though we can't afford to. the thought of going to Oz and not having sold the house scares us to death. I ahve a job start date in March 2008..providing visas all sorted by then. I may have to go to Oz alone but that makes me feel guilty about leaving my OH to sort out the house..a huge responsibility alone. If we sell, we will move in with in-laws and save a bit of dosh.
If we don't sell we are going to take a mortgage break for 6 months and leave house empty, keys with neighbours and do power of attorney to in laws. We also need money to move but I will have to sell my new motorbike if need be..now that would be a disaster as then I wouldn't be able to buy one there for a while...I would have to just dream of the North Queensland deserted roads...

Good luck to all of you with house selling, the market really is SH..E at the moment.