pondhopper2014

Yep... we're there... it's time to purge and sell the house! The realtor was just here, and I'm a BUNDLE of nerves. It's just getting so real! This is it... we're doing this. Someone please hold my hand!

Just wanted to share with people who would understand how excited and scared we are right now... countdown is just over 4 months... time to get to that To Do List, eh?

Blessings!

between two worlds

Good luck, pondhopper! It is hard and there's lots to do and a big scary thing (tho as we still own a small place in USA I haven't been through the purge-sort-and-sell-up-everything ordeal, tho others have and have lived to tell the tale!) but---how wonderful and exciting!!

brits1

It will fly by, try and do one thing at a time and try and have a "day off" now and again. Good luck with everything.

cappuccino

Good luck with everything Pondhopper - I can totally empathise as I am doing exactly the same at the moment. I've done umpteen car bootsales/online sales/friends/charity shops etc.as I just want to be left with a couple of suitcases of clothes and personal belongings. It's quite hard to detach emotionally from possessions but it has to be done. All the best.

lgabriel73

Good luck with everything. Having just made the move I can completely understand how you are feeling. At times it will seem like the 4 months is dragging on but it will be here before you know it.

r0briley

Know the feeling-The house is not mine to sell but I had that same moment when I sold one of my two couches-I have about 11 weeks before I fly and have got rid of about half a house worth of stuff!! Good luck :-)

r0briley

Same here-Me and my son are taking two suitcases each (that's it) we're leaving in 11 weeks and the house just isn't emptying fast enough-How long have you got before you leave and how much stuff do you still have to get rid of?

pondhopper2014

That's us too... we're storing any sentimental furniture to be shipped if everything works out on that side of the pond (not a lot, but it was my Nana's stuff and I would really kick myself if we purged it and then came back), but the rest is all going... we're packing two checked bags for each of us, divvying up the important neutral stuff like our schoolbooks among them. Then I'm letting the Littles back on carry-on bag of THEIR personal stuff. What doesn't fit, goes. It will bless them in the end as most of what they have they don't need - or use. We're going to bring only our best condition clothes and hit the charity shops when we arrive. I'm giving away so much, and I feel very little attachment to most of it, so that speaks volumes to me right there.

There are about 600$ worth of "lipstick and rouge" we'd like to do to the house before we list (the papers are being filled out, we sign and list next week - lots to do!) and it's odd that it's when we are ridding ourselves that we invest most easily, eh? I guess it'll come back in returns on the sale, just seems strange. There's this window in our kitchen that has been making me crazy since we moved here 6 years ago... and NOW we've order the replacement. Ya...

I don't even want to see the numbers in weeks... I'll panic for sure. Four and a half months sounds nicer... rounder... longer. LOL! Leave me in denial.

I'll be thinking of you r0briley as I go through my stuff...

lindseymac

Hi there we have made the decision to head back home to the UK from Perth. Our plan is to do a tour of the East coast for a month then head back at the end of November. We came out with a 40 foot container but 20 on the way back. I would love to travel lightly but just to much stuff we love.

Stuff on gumtree and FB daily and going steadily with hubby doing a car boot weekly.

Despite being sure this is what I want I do have a wobble every day about it. All the what ifs ...

Think it's about 5 months for us.

pondhopper2014

For us we want a clean start - and our furniture is rather bulky. Nothing is new, so it's not like we've spent a fortune and will take a huge loss...

If we travel icelandair, they have two checked bags for each person plus carry-on - so that's like three bags in one shot PLUS carry-ons AND that doesn't even include what my Hunny will take over when he goes job-hunting ahead of us! I'm sure I can get everything we really need over. And if not, we'll send some stuff to family who always check an empty bag when they go to the UK (so they can come home with stuff from the charity shops - instead they can pack the bag with our stuff and over the course of a year, we should have everything over there that matters.

A lovely holiday on the coast... that sounds wonderful!!! I think we might take a week in Bath when we get there (I love Bath, and I want to share my favourite place with my children as soon as possible when we get there!)

brits1

As much as you know deep down your doing the right thing those pesky doubts start entering your mind, when that happened to me, even the flies did not seem to bother me as much lol (and boy after 12.5 years of a Perth Summer those flies were my most "irritating" enemies) When we left we had done our travels through most of the Aussie States so we decided to stop off in Hong Kong on the way back for a while which was fantastic and was something to look forward to as well during all the selling and giving away times. Good luck

r0briley

Definitely having those "wobble" moments too with just 9 weeks to go. If it was just me I wouldn't worry too much but with a 12 year old son so much to worry about when we actually get there (finding work, housing, doctors etc and stretching our savings as much as we can for as long as we can) Even though we have lots of family there I feel so alone in all this. I take comfort from reading the posts of others on here.

pondhopper2014

Mine isn't pesky doubts right now, it's irrational fears of stupid things, like, did I mess up my passport application (my signature dipped just below the line, but I fixed it into the box, but now I'm second guessing if they are going to reject me or not... or will there be some of that wonderful British kindness... seeing as I applied as a British by Descent WITH my Hunny (Brit by birth) and my two children (Brit by descent) - I'm hoping they'll be kinder seeing we're a family package. I know I know... not likely, but a girl can dream, can't she?

SO stressful! I'm gonna need a truck load of curly whirlies when I get off the plane!

r0briley

Ha Ha-Thank you for making me laugh.......the thought of all that lovely British chocolate just waiting for us to devour is a good thing to hold on to :-)

brits1

I think I worried about the same things most especially our two Sons but for us it all went very well and quite smoothly, no problems with the Doctors, Educational Institutes and finding a rental was fine and I am sure you will be as well, we opened a bank account while in Aus and bought a car when we arrived back home (we hired one at first) I think the experience of moving to Aus helped really as we kind of tackled our return home in the same way, ie we decided to rent while looking at good areas and schools, hired a car until we knew what we wanted and was aware of pricing etc. Good luck, its not easy I know but when your home and settled it will all be worth it.