FOX

Hi all,

Well we've been here 6 weeks and we now have our computer back and set up so thought I would give you an idea of what life is like when you finally get here!!

Hectic, would probably be the word I would use!! Although having said that we have achieved a lot. We decided to settle in Mandurah, just decided the suburbia of Perth wasn't for us, and although Mandurah is growing fast it still has a "small town" feel to it. We have bought a house, and it is certainly more than we could have hoped for in England although quite a modest 4X2 compared to a lot of our new neighbours! We decided before we got here that we would buy asap rather than rent, just couldn't bring ourselves to waste that money. We did our homework on the area and if, worse case scenario, we have not chosen quite the right area for us we certainly won't lose out in the next 6-12 months if we sell, property prices are soaring. For those interested, we needed a mortgage, it is possible to get one as soon as you get here without a job, it is what is known as a low doc loan, basically we had to put 35% deposit down and you take the responsibility for the loan. They wanted to know what jobs we had had in the UK, they took some work references, and that is pretty much it. You sign to say that you believe that you will be able to get an adequate income to service the loan, and ultimately if you don't, well you know what happens!! It is a relatively new type of mortgage I believe, we found out about it through a mortgage broker (Mortage choice, they are throughout WA) I don't think it is the kind of thing the banks will readily tell you about.

On the jobs front we are still applying for things like mad, although we have both had quite positive interviews in the last couple of days so fingers crossed, it is just a case of constantly "tweaking" your cover letters/resume till something works!! Something I have started doing now is adding a line to the letter stating that I am a permanent resident in Australia, don't know if this made the difference, just got the feeling often our resumes were being disregarded assuming we were travellers. Although I know a lot of people on here advocate completely removing all reference to UK. As far as I can see there are no hard and fast rules just keep trying!!

We have had a crash course in the medicare/health insurance system as we found out shortly before we arrived that I was pregnant! Only thing to say on that is that it will give you a headache when you first get here!! Shop around we were quoted very different amounts for health insurance! We plumped with HBF, they were by far the most competitive for this and car insurance!

Home sickness really hasn't been an issue, admittedly we haven't been here that long, we have made a couple of friends already and been invited out to dinner. Getting jobs and settling into our new house and neighbourhood will hopefully add a couple more to that list! People on the whole really have been unbelievably friendly, everyone seems genuinely interested and helpful! It really is a most amazing country and we certainly have no regrets, it is not all plain sailing and can be fustrating at times when you first get here, it also seems really cold at the moment, it is about 18c min in the day and the lowest it has been at night is 7c, so don't through away all those fleeces as I did!

Other possibly useful things, we used pickfords for removals, they were excellent and the only casualty in the whole move was one small dish. The dog coped with the whole trip incredibly well, and came out of quarantine fatter than he went in there!

There is a lot more I could say but don't want to bore you all!! If anyone has any questions or anything that I may be able to answer, please feel free, I know how it feels to be sat in the UK waiting for it all to happen!

Sarah

paulf

Congrats on your pregnancy, looks like you will soon have a "native" australian in your new house

chris-t

good to hear its going well

the doc loan sounds interesting. after renting in london for several years im getting a bit fed up of lining various landlords pockets.

also, being an immigrant to Oz, were there any restrictions on what type of house you could buy?

ta chris

CROSSY

Thanks for that, it's always good to see peoples first post after arrival, we would be interested in your opinions on the pet shipping co you used and how much etc as we have a labrador sized mutt to ship to Adelaide :scared: anyway hope things continue to go well for you
Crossy

Atticus

Thanks for that.

It was really nice of you to take some time out and up date us guys all chomping at the bit waiting for our turn!!

Congratulations on the pregnancy and please continue with the updates.

All the best

footie chick

Thanks for your post and good luck with the baby to be


footie chick

carolerussell

Thanks for taking time for the post when you are abviusly so busy with your new life. The house which you have bought, how long will it take to complete before you can move in, or are you already moved in. We have also thought about buying immediately but because we are going to be initially be staying with friends we won't be able to buy straight away if it takes too long. Can you rent on a monthly basis until the paper work is through when buying a house?
thanks and good luck with everything, also congratulations on your pregnancy.

tinaj

Thanks for all the info. It sounds like you are glad you made the move out there, even though it must be mad when you first arrive.
Have you noticed a lot of new immigrants or Brits out there? I was wondering what the percentage of the population is British?

Please keep posting as it is good to hear how things progress for people.

Great news about the pregnancy.

karawara88

This is what we need, honest realistic posts from people who are there. Thank you, feel free to add more information.

pockygoes

great to hear that you have arrived & seem to be settling in well - congrats on the baby too.

We are not long into the process although we are a good way in already. appln ack on 3/3/03 - had our medicals on 27/5 * police checks sent as requested. so the wait is on.

We are undecided between Perth & adelaide. Hubby prefers the sound of Perth & we are hoping to visit both at Easter to the get the visas stamped (if we get them that is). Hubby is in Air con & is worried about work in both places as he works on the commercial side - running the projects etc. What is the work situ like in Perth? To make matters worse - we know 2 famillies that have moved out in the last 12 mths & one has returned alreday & the others (in Adelaide) cannot find work after 5 mths & thinks they may be returning. It worries you doesn't it? It was great to read such a positive post & so informative. What is the town like that you are buying in? We are not city people so think that we would be more suited to somewhere out of suburbia. Also hubby wants some land after being couped up here in the UK for so long. Are you north or south? Have you found that Perth has been over-run with Expats - so much so that it doesn't feel like OZ?

Sorry for all the questions, but you know what it is like!!!!!!!

GOOD LUCK

crabtree

Hi Sarah,

Nice to see that you are getting settled in Mandurah, things are moving fast for you. You have been very busy, How did you find time to get pregnant? haha Congratulations.

I have a few questions you may be able to help with.

* What part of Mandurah have you bought in? My wifes brother lives in Dawesville.

*What is the cost of medical insurance like and the type of cover you have gone for with HBF?

*Which bank are you using? I am thinking of HSBC but no branch outside Perth.

*Have you moved in to your home yet? if not how long does it take to go through the process?

*Who did you use to ship your dog and what was the costs like?

Enough questions for now.

We have got our 457IE visa's and we will be in Mandurah in September. We will be looking for a Cafe or Restaurant when we arrive. I was in Mandurah in January and enjoyed every minute.
While I was there I went in to Kent business brokers in the Mall near the promenade. Unfortunately they dont have a web site and dont answer any e-mails.
Anyway best of luck with the job hunting and keep us upto date.

Tony C

Bella

Thanks for the post and CONGRATULATIONS on your pregnancy!
A little Bruce or Sheila! Aaahh ........

karlos

Nice post Sarah. It's good to hear that you are settling in. I hope it works out well for you. My wife and I hope to be in Perth this time next year.

Regards
Karl.

Bella

Thanks for the post and CONGRATULATIONS on your pregnancy!
A little Bruce or Sheila! Aaahh ........

suffolkdiva

Congrats to you both on your pregnancy!

Thanks for the post. I always enjoy reading about peoples' first few weeks as I know it will only be a few months before we will do the same.

Good luck and keep 'em coming.
Posts that this, not babies!!!!!!!!!!!