Guest austindurrant Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Hi Guys, Myself, the wife and baby daughter are currently on holiday in Perth looking around with the prospect of migrating and would really appreciate peoples thoughts on 1. How much savings you would recommend we have before moving across and should we throw that into a mortgage ? 2. We are happy to live outside of Perth city and were looking around Wannaroo as we were told that was good for ex-pats , any thoughts on that or other places? 3. What are the mortgages like here and any advice would be great ? 4. Whats the job scene like , I am currently in I.T Sales to local government back in the UK but would be happy with any job around I.T 5. Any other advice would be great. Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Most of Perth is fine to live. The biggest issue is budget. A lot of expats live in the north around Joondalup and a fair few as far down as Mandurah (which is def worth a visit if you havent been to see the dolphins and things) How much is hard, but you should try to have enough to live on for at least 3 months and ideally more while you find work. That means rent, bills, food and daily expenses. Mortgages are similar to the UK, though rates slightly higher. The banks though are more happy to lend than the UK. However, i would recomend renting for 6 months in order to get to know where you would like to buy. I dont know your occupation, but you can check out seek.com.au But, the first thing is to see if you qualify for visas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Just trying to bump this thread Really interested in peoples views on this too - we are hoping to move over in July (house sale permitting) and any advice in this area would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jo and scott Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 id like to know what people think on this too. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 1. How much savings you would recommend we have before moving across and should we throw that into a mortgage ? The answer to the first part depends entirely on the kind of lifestyle you're wanting or are prepared for. As for property investment, I suppose that depends on how long you intend on staying and whether you have a preference to home ownership or renting, there are benefits to both. 2. We are happy to live outside of Perth city and were looking around Wannaroo as we were told that was good for ex-pats , any thoughts on that or other places? I'm not sure what makes any particular area better for expats than others, I'm not trying to be facetious but I don't know how expats have specific needs. There are expats all over WA, all with different perspectives, all satisfied by different things. I think it advisable that if you do move here you rent at first, get to know the different areas and choose somewhere that feels right for you. 3. What are the mortgages like here and any advice would be great ? No idea, sorry, we rent and we're not particularly interested in buying. 4. Whats the job scene like , I am currently in I.T Sales to local government back in the UK but would be happy with any job around I.T As has been said seek.com will give you an idea of the job market in your field. 5. Any other advice would be great. First port of call would be a registered migration agent to see if you qualify for a visa, then check out the job market and also browse through some threads on here, you'll find lots of answers to your questions in previous posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 No idea, sorry, we rent and we're not particularly interested in buying. How long have you lived in WA? Are you still sussing the areas out or are you just happy to rent long term? I think we would have to rent for sometime in order to save a deposit up but I'd be keen to own a home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 No idea, sorry, we rent and we're not particularly interested in buying. How long have you lived in WA? Are you still sussing the areas out or are you just happy to rent long term? I think we would have to rent for sometime in order to save a deposit up but I'd be keen to own a home This will be our third year here and we're happy living in Freo for the time being but we have explored so little of the state and the country, who knows if this is where we'll remain. Having owned property in the UK I've no interest in doing so here, I just don't see there being any benefit over renting. I might be interested in buying land or a holiday property here or abroad but I probably wouldn't do so for another 5 years or so, there's just too many other places to explore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 I can see myself becoming so undecided that I end up renting for quite some time too its a huge deposit to raise for those kind of house prices too isn't it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Something to remember also is the actual cost of migrating never mind the funds required once you get there. By the time we get there it will have cost our family of four the best part of £10000, this includes visas, skills assessments, medicals, flights, shipping some stuff. We are then hoping to take another £10000 to start us off when we get there. This is not a cheap process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Something to remember also is the actual cost of migrating never mind the funds required once you get there. By the time we get there it will have cost our family of four the best part of £10000, this includes visas, skills assessments, medicals, flights, shipping some stuff. We are then hoping to take another £10000 to start us off when we get there. This is not a cheap process! Absolutely! I have chosen to actively ignore the costs already spent, it soon clocks up doesn't it! Are you planning on a rental when you get there then? I think we will have similar start up funds to yourself upon our arrival, our agent had eluded to needing around £35K, but maybe this is a recommended target figure to ensure there isn't an over reliance on state support? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Absolutely! I have chosen to actively ignore the costs already spent, it soon clocks up doesn't it! Are you planning on a rental when you get there then? I think we will have similar start up funds to yourself upon our arrival, our agent had eluded to needing around £35K, but maybe this is a recommended target figure to ensure there isn't an over reliance on state support? the state nomination form stated a minimum requirement of $40000 for a family of four probably for the reasons you said, we will have more once the house is sold but intend to keep the majority for when we eventually decide to buy another house, we are hoping the budget of £10000 will last the first couple of months. We are going to rent for the foreseeable future until we are sure where we want to settle etc. The fact the exchange rates have improved the last few months means the £ will go further now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideshowdeb Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I vaguely remember having to submit a budget of our costs getting there and supporting ourselves for 3 months, as part of our application for state nomination? I think I also had to show where this money was coming from. Does anyone know if they would expect to see evidence of this and whether it's OK to leave it in sterling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 So that's roughly about £21,000 then? We are a family of four also (boy aged 4 and Girl aged 2). Fingers crossed a decent price for our house will cover us, but it will be all systems go in terms of trying to secure some employment ASAP Good luck with your move by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkft Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I vaguely remember having to submit a budget of our costs getting there and supporting ourselves for 3 months, as part of our application for state nomination? I think I also had to show where this money was coming from. Does anyone know if they would expect to see evidence of this and whether it's OK to leave it in sterling? I didn't have to provide physical evidence as such. I think it was more to demonstrate that you had given some thought into the cost of living and was prepared to support yourself rather than being reliant on the state Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkiwd Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I think they estimate that figure as some people may take a while to find work and they have to be able to support themselves in the mean time as you don't get any unemployment help from the state. At no time did we have to show evidence though so we could have just made up a figure above the one they suggested! Good luck to you too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest austindurrant Posted February 17, 2014 Report Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hi Guys, Thank you very much for all of your advise , we are now back in the UK missing Perth and planning to move out sometime in the next 2 years. Cant wait to make the move and get back to the lovely heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest6235 Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Something to remember also is the actual cost of migrating never mind the funds required once you get there. By the time we get there it will have cost our family of four the best part of £10000, this includes visas, skills assessments, medicals, flights, shipping some stuff. We are then hoping to take another £10000 to start us off when we get there. This is not a cheap process! Hi Nikki, Always nice to know other people are worrying lol. It will be costing us around $14k before getting there with some of the stuff you have listed. We are hopefully able to cover ourselves for at least 6 months just incase neither of us find work on our skilled visa. I think monthly living costs depend on what you want out of life etc. Many people on here put monthly costs way over our budget and then other people list exactly the same type of bills way under our budget, everyone is different. What do you and OH do? Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossmoyne Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Hi Nikki, I think monthly living costs depend on what you want out of life etc. Many people on here put monthly costs way over our budget and then other people list exactly the same type of bills way under our budget, everyone is different. Keith You have it in a nutshell Keith... We are all different and live different lifestyles.... Perhaps when emigrating, a quieter, slower lifestyle is good to start on until we know what we can afford and want in our new home/country. What you need to be aware of though is that it can take many many months before you get a job and you need to be able to support yourself and your family during that time. We emigrated in 1991 and it took 14 months for me to find a permanent job during the depression time that was happening in WA then.... we managed because we had savings and I had some temp work to supplement that, but the savings ran out about the time the permanent job came along thankfully! We went through $30,000 in that time and that was 1991.... cannot even hazard a guess at what you would need now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest6235 Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Ross, That happens in England too unfortunately. We have had to survive on some of our savings for several months in the past due to redundancy and we are a strong couple that can cope with this sort of thing. I do think for a move such as this that being in a strong relationship must surely help. England these days is not a cheap place to live and wherever you go people whinge about the cost of things. We are going out to OZ to as it's something that has been in our minds for the last several years. We have been to NZ in 2008 & 2011 and our hearts say NZ for the move but our heads say OZ due to the climate and better wage. My wife was actually offered a job in late 2009 after she had a phone interview with a principal in Marlborough but unfortunately we hadn't sold our house so had to turn it down. I tend to look at things in life now that you never know how long you have left so if you never try it then you might always regret it. I notice a lot of Brits on here moan about Australia (not you) but they still stay in the country, so something must keep them there. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Ross, That happens in England too unfortunately. We have had to survive on some of our savings for several months in the past due to redundancy and we are a strong couple that can cope with this sort of thing. I do think for a move such as this that being in a strong relationship must surely help. England these days is not a cheap place to live and wherever you go people whinge about the cost of things. We are going out to OZ to as it's something that has been in our minds for the last several years. We have been to NZ in 2008 & 2011 and our hearts say NZ for the move but our heads say OZ due to the climate and better wage. My wife was actually offered a job in late 2009 after she had a phone interview with a principal in Marlborough but unfortunately we hadn't sold our house so had to turn it down. I tend to look at things in life now that you never know how long you have left so if you never try it then you might always regret it. I notice a lot of Brits on here moan about Australia (not you) but they still stay in the country, so something must keep them there. Keith As a MOD i spend a fair bit of time on here and actually find there are VERY few people who moan about Australia - we all have an odd moan about something if we have a bad day. A lot are realistic about Oz and that is important as we do get members who think that Oz is some paradise. It is a wonderful country, but it is no paradise and it is important this is pointed out when people have a misconception. I once replied to a poster who wanted to move to Oz because he didnt believe in alcohol and thought this would protect his kids from the influence of booze - it was actually funny in a sad way. What we do caution particularly is the need to come prepared to have a long haul in finding the first job. There is a propensity for WA companies to insist on having local expereince and people can get into a chicken and egg situation. You would not believe the amount of people i have seen on here and PIO who are in a desperate situation because they have landed and not being able to find work quickly and didnt have enough funds to keep them going. So, i think most of us do say people need enough to live for at least 3 months and ideally 6 months and to remember that the first few weeks you leach money like you had a hole in your pocket. We also advise people to research their occupation - I was recently in a PM conversation with a geologist like myself who had his visa and was thinking of heading over in the view quiting his current job would be fine as he would get one easy in WA. I had to point out we have about 40% unemployment in the proffession at the moment and WA was a very tough place to be a geo. That may by some be seen as me been negative. I see it as making someone is well informed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest6235 Posted April 9, 2014 Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Cheers Stormy, Luckily we are not a couple coming across thinking we are going to walk into jobs, especially me. I have seen a lot of adverts for most of Australia and not just WA requiring local knowledge but this all depends what field I look at, not all are the same. It isn't all that good for it in England at the moment especially in the North of England. We have priced up to survive for a year without getting a job but from what people on here and people we know out in OZ (admittedly not all in WA) have told us my wife should not take a year (famous last words). I have seen many people on various threads who live in oz moaning about life over there and if they had their chance again etc would maybe think twice, but for whatever reason stay out in oz. Sometimes on the forums you do tend to get a mixed bag of info from people saying "you can survive on X amount" to others saying "no way can you survive on that" so unless people try it for themselves they will never know. You do get people that give you very good advice and information about things so I guess it's up to people to take from it what they want. We are always grateful for any helpful advice, hints and tips just like on this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verystormy Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 Hi Keefo Yes, it is a mixed bag of what people can survive on. As you have pointed out we are all different and our lifestyles different. We also have different responsibilities. My mortgage is probably bigger than some, so i would need more than some to survive but less than others, so i need less than them. I know a pom who lives in a older house in a rougher area of Mandurah and pays peanuts for rent as a result and would advise you can live on $40-50k. There is no way we could survive on that. At the same time i know people who live in huge ocean front houses and have massive loans for cars and toys and need $200k to survive. We are all different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest9824 Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 As VS says, it's horses for courses. As my mum would say, cut your cloth accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portlaunay Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I think is easier here if you don't have money but that may have a lot to do with my outlook. I've been out of work for six months now and we've been living on just Mrs p's salary which is around $60k. We live in an expensive part of Perth, paying $675 a week for our 3x2. Up until I was working we'd eat out at least three times a week, the wine rack was always stocked and the beer fridge bursting with cold ones. We've whittled our freezer contents down to almost nothing and have virtually no luxuries. I mentioned this morning that we were out of toilet paper and Mrs p joked that we'd have to wait until payday to buy more (actually she wasn't joking ) If we were still in London I'd be desperately worried. The first three months were a vacation and it's really only the last four weeks that I've been properly hunting. We took the dog to the beach last night and had a swim, we go on bike rides, enjoy the parks and still do loads of things that are free. It would be nice to have a little extra cash but we're living, healthy and happy and it won't be like this forever so we're just treating it like a challenge. Of course, we are pretty much established here, have a decent circle of generous and supportive friends and don't really need for anything of any great cost. I don't think we could have survived on this income if we'd just arrived but it's certainly possible to get by on very little and still have a good life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plimthing Posted April 10, 2014 Report Share Posted April 10, 2014 I came over with approx $26K. With that i bought 2 cars, got deposit for rental, bought project car, got extra furniture/essentials for until container arrived and lots of kids toys. We still had money left in Bank! Just don't go mad when you get here and buy everything everybody else has! I travel nearly 1000kms a week and don't see the need to buy a 26Litre 18 wheel drive chelsea tractor like the majority of WA. Can't wait till the price of petrol catches up with the rest of the world here! Anyway, be careful, lots of Aussies out there waiting with there hands open for us Poms to relieve us of our hard earned savings. The reason rentals are so high is that lots of people are willing to pay it! Try asking for a few quid off a week on a rental, you may be suprised! I do not wish to comment on Job scene as i have been stitched up like a kipper by my sponser ( a well known Australian airline!) and i may be bitter in my view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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