Any advice for moving to a new area?

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Any advice for moving to a new area?
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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 12:11 pm Post subject: Any advice for moving to a new area?

Many people have moved into an entirely new area, either within the UK or abroad. I'm interested to know what people did when they started looking for a property and when they moved. I know you should get to know an area before taking the plunge and it's important to learn the language (that may prevent me from moving oop north

) but what other things would people suggest doing and what mistakes would people suggest are best avoided?

Aled

Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 123
Location: Anglesey

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 12:14 pm Post subject:
I've never moved to an "unknown" area myself (never lived outside Wales!), but upmystreet.com may be of some help

ele

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 12:18 pm Post subject:
It's a tricky one because on one hand it's good to get advice from locals about what areas are good and what areas are bad but on the other hand locals have lots of prejeudices that may not be based in real fact, that's the good thing about relocating, like going on holiday, you see the place with fresh and unjaded eyes.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 12:31 pm Post subject:
If you are not changing job then do some journeys at peak times to see how long it will take to get back and forth. Get an OS map and explore the area in depth and while you do that you can check out the local pubs / shops and get chating, most people are friendly and helpfull and it will help you to get a "feel " for places .

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 12:37 pm Post subject:
Do your searching from October through to March. See the places at their worst, rather than when the sun is out.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 12:41 pm Post subject:

All good advice I think. It's important not to assume that you'll be able to get full-time work at a sensible rate of pay in a more rural area so you need to make sure that you can live on one salary/be mortgage free. For most people it's worth checking out things like local schools. It's worth checking local shopping facilities for everybody (one of our main reasons for moving here was that it had no supermarket and proper butchers/bakers/greengrocers). And try to be really sure that you're moving somewhere that's right for you, you can only cash your SE England equity in once. It doesn't mean you won't be able to move again but you'll only have the financial leverage once.

ele

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 12:45 pm Post subject:

Judith wrote:

Do your searching from October through to March. See the places at their worst, rather than when the sun is out.

yes that's one of the most important ones, also don't do what me and my hubbie did for several years; going from one extreme to the other! For us it was tiny suburban box to rambling farmhouse to urban flat to medium suburban box

if you're going to be changing where/how you live, trial runs without rose tinted glasses are the best

though if you just go in feet first it does add to the mad rollercoaster adventure of life so don't necessarily follow my advice here

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 1:22 pm Post subject:

Judith wrote:

Do your searching from October through to March. See the places at their worst, rather than when the sun is out.

Totally agree with this one - we are off to the coast the second week in January for a good mooch about

Our other option is New Zealand - unfortunately a bit difficult to keep popping over there

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 1:26 pm Post subject:
Joining a Church is a great way to integrate with the local community, honestly.

ele

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 1:34 pm Post subject:
Also when thinking about how far away to relocate remember to take into account any older relatives you may have, it sounds a bit pesimistic I know but you can't assume they'll always be well enough to travel to you so you need to know that visiting them is going to be do-able within your new scheme of things.

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 1:40 pm Post subject:
That is the biggest problem we have. MIL is close to rettiring and wants to be near grandchildren (both in Yorkshire) so is actively considering moving here. However we may move anywhere in the next ten years.

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 1:44 pm Post subject:
This is also the problem we have - both sets of parents live near us at the moment and despite us both having brothers and sisters nearby we appear to be the ones they ask for help. Does worry me about moving to the other side of the world, although both sets of parents would be mortified if they thought we were not taking up opportunities because of them

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 1:59 pm Post subject:

I lived in london almost all my life and last year moved to grimsby. I had been here a few times about 10 years ago but didn't really know the area. If we left london the chances of us being able to go back were very slim.
My dad drove up to see the house and have a look around and my step mum has some family here so we were able to ask them about what the area was like and there was a choice of a few schools. when we saw the house it all just fell into place and we moved a week later and haven't looked back. since then my sister moved up here too and I think my stepmum and dad are coming too

I would like to move again, to one of the villages in this area but finances won't allow it

which is a real pain as house prices here are rising all the time

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 1:59 pm Post subject: Re: Any advice for moving to a new area?

Treacodactyl wrote:

...but what other things would people suggest doing and what mistakes would people suggest are best avoided?

Before we moved to West Wales, Gervase was all for finding somewhere really remote - middle of nowhere, with nearest neighbours at least two miles away. But I wouldn't budge from wanting to be on the edge of a rural village, or some sort of community, mainly because of Jack, our youngest, who was 9 at the time. Subsequently we moved to the rural village where we are now and 'Im Indoors now admits that it was a good idea. We could never have achieved half of what we have done without all the help and advice from our near neighbours (who subsequently became friends), local farmers and others in the locality. So many contacts have been made simply by chatting to people walking past the yard gates who stopped to have a look and to say hello. We know that in this area, which is mainly farming, many people have shifted up here in to remote farmhouses with a dewy-eyed dream of 'The Good Life' only to pack up and return to 'civilization' within a couple of years because it was too remote...usually getting divorced along the way.

So I guess my main piece of advice would be - don't go too remote!

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 2:11 pm Post subject:

Judith wrote:

Do your searching from October through to March. See the places at their worst, rather than when the sun is out.

But beware of moving to somewhere which is nice and quiet in winter and HEAVING with ****** tourists (and their vehicles) in summer. Even living en-route to a tourist haven could be horrible. Unless of course you intend making money from the visitors....

Maybe rent for a while while you look round? It's not wasted money if it stops you making a ghastly mistake and being a cash-buyer is good leverage when you come to buy.

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