Advice &/or tips on upcoming Sydney move in 2021
#16
Re: Advice &/or tips on upcoming Sydney move in 2021
A top tip in life - make friends with a builder/plumber/tiler/electrician etc. If you move in social circles that don't include tradies, find one that does. Even if the friendship precludes them doing work for you, they'll know someone who can
#17
Auntie Fa
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Seattle
Posts: 7,344
Re: Advice &/or tips on upcoming Sydney move in 2021
#18
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: Advice &/or tips on upcoming Sydney move in 2021
This is a good point. I am lacking a sparky mate, but the sparky I have seems fair. My plumber mate is a rip off, but not as bad as other plumbers I have had quote. My plumber mate does me a flat $100 per hour which is a rip off but cheaper than most others and charges cost price for materials. I would hate to be without a plumber mate. I also have a builder mate who only does the waterfront mansions and charges accordingly. I never use him, too expensive, and he even says as much, but he is great for advice.
#19
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 706
Re: Advice &/or tips on upcoming Sydney move in 2021
I don't get involved in the local politics - in fact, I can't be arsed about politics anywhere, period. The sun's great (but I hate the humidity), the connectivity beyond reproach and did I mention that the taxes are ridiculously non-existent? Oh, I did? Well, it's worth mentioning again.
The missus and I did have a discussion about moving back to the UK - but Brexit was a disappointment to her. For some reason, it made her feel decidedly unwanted - moreover, she wasn't entirely happy with the idea of being so many miles away from her family in Singapore and Malaysia, as much as she loves our nephews and nieces in the UK. So, an acceptable compromise was to move to Sydney - where both of us have family. Singapore's great (with low taxes and all - oops, I did it again), but it's not exactly a place I can contemplate retiring. Once my economic potential is spent, Singapore will chew me up, spit me out and leave me to wilt and wither in her unrelenting sun with that horrible humidity.
Having said that, the benefits of a Singaporean passport cannot be understated - visa-free travel is a given to more countries than I care to visit, and it was necessary for me to become naturalized as we wanted to keep our investment properties in Singapore, whilst living in "landed residence" (the latter which could only be purchased by Singaporeans). After decades of paying income taxes and CPF (the Singaporean version of a private pension fund) as a permanent resident, it made economic and financial sense to become a Singaporean and reap some of the benefits of the system.
Anyway, all that's water under the bridge now. What has been done cannot be undone - but as it stands, I have no regrets (yet). I've not tried before, but some of my mates have successfully gone on to obtain Australian citizenship while still keeping their Singaporean passports on the quiet. And, if for whatever reason I were that desperate, I could call up the Home Office and beg/steal/borrow any excuse to get my passport back.
#20
Auntie Fa
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Seattle
Posts: 7,344
Re: Advice &/or tips on upcoming Sydney move in 2021
I know all about those taxes! Though you pay for it in other ways. We gave up our PR and got our CPF out; I was really glad when I got my Oz passport and SIN immigration stopped looking in my UK one, scowling at me, and referring to this as if I was a traitor
It's an expensive place to retire. I have older friends setting up Plan B in Malaysia. Anyway - let us know how yours to Sydney progresses. We'll be back there sometime too, this US thing is just an adventure.
#21
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: Advice &/or tips on upcoming Sydney move in 2021
Yeah but your salaries are crap. Pretty much the reason I base my team out of Singapore. I can drag in immigrants from all over Asia, show them the bright lights, and pay them bugger all. I have no care for what their income tax is. I just need to make sure they can pay their exuberant rent, put food on the table, get an Air Asia flight back to the Philippines every so often, yet keep a car and the tax it costs in owning one in Singapore, a luxurious dream.