joyousjoy

If you sold your home to move to canada, how early in the immigration process did you sell it and where did you stay as you waited to land? Eg family or rent?

As we're not sure whatll be the best time to advertise house for sale and to rent/stay with relatives (even though this may torture us all)???

Cheers all joyous

snowshoveller

For us selling the house was the catalyst for the process - we had been thinking about it for a while. Sat in rented till the paperwork was sorted.

Dave n Ailsa

We are lucky to be in the situation where my parents have a holiday house in Spain. They spend winter there, so Ideally we would sell our house in October, and move into their house over winter, then head over to Canada in the following spring.

If that falls through, we will sell up, move into rented accomodation and head over asap.

We have out-grown our house, so even if we change our minds at the last second, we need a bigger house anyway.

Deeny

We put ours on the market when we received a PER, expecting it to take a while.

We planned to move out of the area if Canada fell through so were happy to rent if needed.

It took 8 months to sell, we found a rental house and one week after moving into it our medical requests arrived. Our initial renal period is 6 months but then it is on a monthly basis so we are basically good to go as long as there are no hiccups with the medicals.

Our plan was to get to Canada as soon as we were able; we really didn't want to have those shiny visas in our passports and be stuck here desperate to sell our house. We did accept a low offer but again, we expected to.

Good luck to you, I assume you are at the start of the process?

TheThornes

We came via PNP so knew things shouldn't take too long. After getting husband's job offer, we submitted application in the March and, at the same time, put the house on the market. House sold and we moved out in the September and stayed with my sister whilst we awaited visas. Visas arrived at the start of November so we booked our flights and flew over the following week. We stayed with my sister a total of 8 weeks. Once here, we again stayed in temporary accommodation for 7 weeks whilst we found a house to buy and move in.

LucyLovelock

Just something to note, its never advisable to sell your home without either a visa in place, or knowing that you shouldnt have issues getting one in whichever category you qualify.
You absolutely need to be ready to move when the time comes, but just be cautious that you dont sell up before being certain that you will be able to move to Canada!
Good luck!

R I C H

Sold a few months into the PR application process, which ultimately took 3 years to complete. Lived with MIL for 2 months, then moved to BC as a tourist, shipped everything over and started the process of applying for a TWP on the basis of starting my own business.

'Never advisable to sell without a visa in place...'? Some people are more risk tolerant than others. Broad statements like that don't work for everyone.

snowshoveller

I don't really hold with this advice, If you are lucky enough to sell your house you can always rent somewhere. if it turns out you dont get a visa, you can just buy something else where ever you are. It is likely that by being chain free buying will be simpler and you might even get a deal - I was offered nearly 20% off a property in the north east recently because I was chain free, and that was before I pushed them on price.

What you don't want to be doing is wasting your visa trying in vain to sell your house before you leave. I wouldn't recommend trying to sell after you have left the UK, 'cos your not in a position to motivate the estate agents, and it will just sit on the market.

emmabell

I would think you would need to look at how the houses are selling in your area, we have 2 houses, still for sale and been here 3 years now. Have dropped the price on both quite a lot, but nothing moving much in the area.

LucyLovelock

All I am saying is be sure that you want to sell your home, before you are sure you can make the move! Its like any advice, some will take it, others wont!
Sure you can rent somewhere, but I know of people who have sold up, either haven't gained a visa in the first place, or come out on a one year work visa and then havent had it renewed for whatever reason, and have lost their family home in the UK. Those people kicked themselves for doing something so final, before being sure.
Just advice!
x

joyousjoy

Thanks for all the replies

I'm hoping we won't have too much if any issue with visa as were coming over on my occupation as a nurse - time will tell I guess!

Just worries about proving funds as well need house equity to help with done of it.

Starting process if gathering all the paperwork together so early days yet.

Cheers again joyous

snowshoveller

but they havent "lost" a home they have swapped it for a pile of cash, with which they can buy another - either in the UK or Canada if they wish.

If I were embarking on the paper trail agin, I would sell at my leisure hopefully for a (half)decent price before coughing up the visa fees etc. Thus avoiding the temptation of having to put a house on the market at the last minute at a very low price as I am about to jump on a plane.

If the OP need capital from the house to finance the move, it needs to liquid because as most of us know moving is expensive, Sobeys dont care if your money is in a 3 bed in chipping sodbury, you need cold hard cash when buying your groceries.

Actually the win win situation would be to sell your family house, and assuming you have some capital, trade down to a small flat, which you can live in while waiting to move and then rent out after you have gone. thus providing a small income, which might offset your canadian rent.

LucyLovelock

And I guess a lot depends on your perspective in life. I absolutely agree that if you know you want to move, then you certainly dont want the sale of your home holding you back.......just my own advice is to be cautious before selling everything, its been the standard advice for years!
Mind you, whats standard about emigrating!!!
x

Geordie Lass

Well we are awaiting LMO and put our house on the market over 6 months ago and have just taken it off to rent it.

I wanted to sell it before we moved but we couldn't. We stood to lose a heap of cash if we did (and I am talking too much to throw away).

We have been advised to rent it out and then sell it when the UK market picks up.

Thinking positively in my scenario it means if it all goes wrong out there and we don't get TWPs renewed or indeed we don't like it enough we have somewhere to come back to.

Thinking negatively it may hinder our chances of buying as we still have too much cash/equity tied up in the UK.

Like someone said earlier - a lot of it depends on your aversion to risk. I hate risk - hubby doesn't.

I think with the way the UK market is - decisions are getting made for some people for them (like us) so it actually makes the decision easier!

LucyLovelock

Hey you,
Hope the waits not driving you too nuts! Ya know the ideal solution is for sure to rent for at least a year in the UK, rent for a year out here, and then decide after that! We did that, and it worked out well for us!
Plus renting means you get to be sure of the area you want to buy in!
x