Hi Lenmil. Whereabouts do you live? Sorry to hear you're still not having much luck with your place. A lot of the houses around me that did have for sale signs up have now got "to let" signs up instead. Our house is off the market at the moment until we return from holiday 1st week in August, then we'll be putting it up for sale again. It's nice not to have to worry about it for a few weeks...
My OH took a phonecall last night from a guy that valued our house before we put it up for sale previously. Its an agent that we're strongly considering using next time although they do charge more than some of the other agents - but they say because they still use colour adverts in all the local papers etc etc, but we're going on the basis next time that it doesnt matter as long as they sell the house! last night he told Andy that he was amazed our house hadn't yet sold so i dont think it currently matters how nice your house is - you've just got to get that right person round that wants the place...

I do hope that you have some decent viewers soon....
I was reading recently that someone offered potential buyers to pay 5% towards their deposit for them....could you afford to do some kind of incentive like that with your place?

Oh and this agent last night reckons that people shouldnt be dropping their asking prices.... Andy asked what he thought our house might be worth 4 months down the line from when he valued it and he said we should advertise it again at our original asking price! Cant see that would work though seeing as all the other houses that were up the same time as ours have dropped between £10,000-£20,000 off their asking prices already.....

Oh well, not much fun selling houses is it....
Cathy

you know me why use one word when i can use twenty!

Hi Sam, hope you're writing lists and crossing things off one by one....
I'll be after tips on how to get organised and move within 2 weeks once you're settled in Tas!

I've had some great news this week. One of my closest friends is going to be buying a property near Sydney for a holiday home...she was hoping to emigrate with her daughter&her family to either Sydney or Brisbane - but following two years worth of holiday visits to both they've now decided that Oz isn't the place for them and wont be applying for residency visa's... My friend is very disappointed but now plans to spend 3 months a year out in Oz with her husband (she's planning on taking early retirement soon) just on normal visiting visa's..... I am so pleased. Just knowing she'll be just an hour or so away by plane from me for that time every year will be great...as ive always called her my 2nd Mum.
They've already booked to fly out in December this year through to the end of February so that they can look at potential properties to buy. I did try and persuade her to invest in Tas but she still reckons it's too cold there for her! But hopefully if we're out in Tas either before or during that time i'll be able to persuade her to come over and see the place...

Anyway, i hope you get on ok when the packers come on thursday. Your house will look strange wont it once all your stuff is gone!
Cathy

Great news Sam, good luck with everything and keep us all updated on how it all goes. You will love Tassie and Kezza is a great bird!!!!!!!!!!

Love Corinne

Hi Cathy, long time no post!!! he he. Been reading about your house problems, know the market is crap at the mo, hence why we have decided to rent for the short term before we decide when we are going back to Tassie next year. Is renting your place out not an option until the market in the UK picks up? Corinne x

Hi Corinne, hope you're all well. I bet you're well back into the swing of being an Essex lady again!
I know i've been whinging a bit about our house but to be honest as it was
only on the market for 3 months i shouldnt really. There are loads of other
people i know on BE that have been trying to sell for more than a year even For us though i know that it was just bad timing - as you know yourself - properties in the Romford area's are normally pretty fast selling as we get all the people moving out from inner London and places like Ilford etc.
It was just bad timing that we finally made the decision to sell the week the credit crunch got announced! Fingerscrossed we'll have better luck on the 2nd attempt once we get back from holiday.

Renting out isn't really an option - not without taking out a loan to make the move. We need to use some of our equity for shipping/flights plus a new car/rental accomodation and perhaps a month or two's living costs and initial expenses....and we dont fancy taking out a large loan to pay for it all - especially knowing in advance that Andy is going to be taking a big drop in wages and that we'll be a one-wage family which is something we've never been before. It will be nice to make a clean break and not have to worry about being landlords as such and to know that we're completely debt free when we arrive in Tas. I've also been put off of renting by a close-friend who rented out a house she owned - and the agent she used neglected to tell her that 2 months rent by her tenants had been missed - and eventually it took almost 6months - court orders and bailiffs to get the tenants evicted, and when they were evicted they'd virtually trashed the place....and she never got that 8months worth of rent back. This did happen in Leytonstone - which i know isn't a nice area - and chances are it wouldnt happen around here....but i dont think i'd want to take the chance!

Shame though as i imagine you know already - the price of renting a 3 bedroom house in the area is pretty good - most are well over £1,000 a month....

Whereabouts have you ended up renting? are you still in Romford?

Sounds like you've decided you're definitely heading back to Tas at some point then. Has your brother and family decided to apply for their visa's now?
It would be nice if you all got to go over at the same time wouldn't it...

Anyway, i'd better say bye - as i'm in work!
take care
Cathy

Bloody hell, we had quite a lot last week well like I said 16 mm in one day saw a fab lightning show over the sea though, Cracking .. excuse the pun

been beautifully sunny since Sat though

Isn't Timber warmer than stone? I find my weatherboard lovely and warm

that's so sad Kerry. How has the other one fared since?


Congrats to the new parent's here as well. Welcome to the world Heidi and Hollie.

Hope you've got your winter woolies handy.....

Think we might have to stock up on some fleeces when we arrive, that's the problem with winter clothes, they take up so much room in the suitcase!!

So, if you see some shivering Brits wandering around Hobart, that's probably us, weather is not so great here anyway, considering it is June, but it will be odd moving into another season completely, especially the length of the days.

Sam

Hi Sam, have you thought about getting any of those suction bags to pack some bulky stuff in? I bought some suitcase ones from my local Dunelm Mills store for when we go on holiday (for beachtowels) and they were only £1.49 each. You might be able to squeeze a few more bits in then!

Hi cathy, know where your coming from about the housing market locally, we have a choice of two rentals on local and one in Colchester area, not sure which one we are taking at mo, OH now works in Colchester so that would be nearer for his work. Things seem to be settling down with the scare mongering to a degree now with the housing market so you may have better luck in August, will keep all crossed for you.
Corinne x

Hi Corinne, i guess it would make sense for you to move nearer to your husbands work....but i imagine you've then got the hassle of moving the kids schools again? Some parts of Colchester are really nice - just make sure you're not near the Colchester Barracks! It will be nice for you all to settle somewhere and i guess once you've moved out of an area you've always been familiar with it's easier to do it a second time...
Good Luck with whatever you decide to do - and if you do stay in Romford we'll perhaps have to arrange that get-together one morning for a chat!

Hi Cathy

I bought some vacu bags from Lakeland a couple of weeks ago, had a trial run with them, didn't overfill them and they worked really well, left them overnight and in the morning they had all burst the seal - just imagine if that happened in the suitcase on the plane, my knickers would have been everywhere (
Especially as I don't want the shippers to pack my underwear, can just imagine them sniggering at my big pants, so am trying to take my entire bra and knicker collection in the suitcase, Angus thinks I'm potty and says they have probably come across far more interesting things than my big knicks

So they went back for a refund.

It is surprsising how little you can actually get in, especially with heavier clothes. I'll look a right scruff bag for several months in Tas!!

Right off to do shopping for my son's 10th birthday tomorrow!

Sam