Our 1st week in Melbourne was...interesting. We were lucky enough to have Marty's parents staying in Melbourne for the 1st 5 days we were here, so they had organised accommodation in South Yarra which was very, very convenient. Our 1st couple of days they also had a car so for a few house inspections we were able to drive there. I will say though, if you're not planning on having a car for a while, DON'T drive to inspections. You need to be able to see how good the public transport is in the area and how you're going to get around - to and from work/play/home/friends, and how long this is going to take you from door to door. The other thing is - and I know I'll bring it up again - take the opportunity when you're not working to see as much as you can, because when you're working it is harder. In the same vein, you need a job to get a place! More to that later.
We hit the ground running the 1st day because there were inspections already lined up - aah the power of the Internet. I'd spent weeks looking at rentals, running back and forth from our map to get a sense of locality. Nothing prepares you completely for the real deal though, especially from somewhere small like Christchurch to somewhere large like Melbourne. I'd also applied for a few jobs and got a very positive email back from the recruitment agent. I emailed her as soon as I had a new number - purchased at the airport - and she contacted me that day to set up the initial interview. The one you go to the recruitment agency for and they go through the CV, all the questions and then match you up with some jobs and set up interviews, and it was the next morning!
And then began our manic rushing around looking at places! The positives that came out of that week of manicness were that we had a very good understanding of what not to do, I learnt the public transport system very quickly, and we got exceptionally good at reading the map book. Melways, like London's A-Z, is indispensable. A real must-have that is as important as your toothbrush and train ticket!
The pure and simple fact about house-hunting in Melbourne is: No job=No house. They don't care if you're textbook, model tenants with the best references, if you don't have a job, you can't show a steady income and therefore can't pay the rent every month. Even if you have enough in savings to pay your bond and 1st months rent, they want to be able to see that you'll be paying the 2nd, 3rd, 4th.... because you're signing a 12 month lease. It's that simple, and not something anyone ever told us. Maybe everyone else had a job before they got here, or neglected to mention it. It was actually a property manager at a property we really wanted that said our application was good, and had better references than he'd seen; but simply, with no fixed income he had to decline it. Harsh reality began to set in.
The other truth about property in Melbourne is, it is more expensive than Christchurch, unless you're very, very lucky. For us to have what we had in NZ for $300 a week we'd have to pay $450+. And when something is in a fabulous area and very cheap, there is something wrong with it!
There are some faults we can deal with, and some you just can't! I have to start by telling you about the 3rd place we looked at because this was just a doozy! The 3rd place we got to look at that week was very reasonable and on a lovely street, in a lovely area - Armadale. Think: beautiful tree lined street with gorgeous, well-maintained Victorian homes. and then think of the ugliest 4-storey apartment block on the corner. The property manager hadn't been there for months, and there was still supposed to be tenants in it for 2 more weeks. She unlocked the door and you could see the horror on her face. Firstly, she was so apologetic and told everyone that the move-in date would need to be shifted 2 weeks to give them time to repaint, clean and relay carpets. Secondly, you could smell it was going to be damp and disgusting before you even walked in. But it was 3 bedrooms for around $320 a week and we were curious. Overall the place was huge, but being on the ground floor in a dark corner, with trees hiding the windows and only a small terrace, you knew it wasn't going to get much natural light. There'd obviously been 1 clean person in the house, because 1 room was fine. There were rubbish bags in every other room, graffiti on the wall, filth, food and disgustingness in the kitchen, a dirty bathroom and the final nail in the coffin - someone's business in the toilet! If I could have run screaming I would have. I think I dissolved into a fit of giggles from the shock when we got back in the car!
Actually, the 1st place we looked saw was just as bad. Very cheap (under $300 for 2 bedrooms), dark, damp but cleanish. The 2nd place was the one that scared us the most because it ticked all our boxes. It was well-priced, right in the mid-range for us and well-maintained. What scared us was that it ticked the boxes for almost 90 other people inspecting it. The property manager had to be a door-bitch and only allow 5 people in at a time. I didn't like our chances to say the least.
To be continued ...
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Preparation - Final Steps
Our next step was to get our cats organised. We used Donquest on Jessons Road in Christchurch http://www.donquest.co.nz/ and they were fantastic! They have a great boarding facility which was crucial for us as we didn't know when we would have a place and where. They kept the cats and we were to email when we were ready for them. Then they popped them on a flight and we just picked them up. For New Zealand cats there is no quarantine when coming into Australia, just all the normal shots and vaccinations that are required when putting them into boarding. It was also important that the cats weren't at home when it was being packed. They are helpful little monkeys who LOVE boxes! Can you just imagine if 1 got stuck in a box? Too terrible to even think! But, I digress. I cried like a baby when I said goodbye to them, and was overjoyed when my troublemakers finally landed in Melbourne. When it comes to moving pets, be aware that it is not a cheap exercise, and you have to be prepared to keep them inside for a couple of weeks - cats mainly, dogs probably can't climb the way they do! They need to adjust, and if they were like ours who had been in boarding for ages, they needed to get back to everyday life with us.
The rest of our preparations involved a lot of Trademe hours, lots of sorting out of what we were or weren't taking, and finally a major wardrobe cull with my besties. On top of that, we tried to fit in as many catch ups with friends as possible, but also decided that a big barbecue the weekend we were leaving would actually be the easiest to ensure we got to see as many people as possible.
After our house was packed we cleaned like demons, then had The Kick-ass Garage Sale. Whatever was left needed to be sold, donated or thrown out. We could have sold a hundred fridges, but Trademe got those, probably about 50 washing machines, but that was a loaner. We did sell a kettle for $20 and then 3 hours later our old tumble dryer for about $10! Bags of clothes were heading out the door for $5, boxes of magazines likewise. There were the professional bargain hunters out there also, a few that tested one's patience. My favourite was the young couple (reminds me of us when we first moved in together 8 years ago) who came with his parents and a trailer. They got old cupboards, brooms, crockery, all kinds of things for just $25. Good day I say! Considering much of what we were selling was $1, and at most a bag full of things for $5, we made almost $200. That paid for a little duty free, our departure taxes and eventually a SIM card when we arrived. Everything that wasn't sold was taken straight to the recycling station at the dumb. We packed a big Subaru station wagon from top to bottom, back to front with everything left over.
After that was the fabulous BBQ with our friends to say goodbye. With all the prep, work and excitement don't forget to get everyone together to say goodbye, relax and have a drink! We couldn't take any opened spirits with us and there were some bottles of wine there too - perfect excuse to get through everything. Lots of laughs were had and plenty of teary goodbyes, but it was well worth it.
And the next day? A hangover, an early dinner and a good night's sleep before we were off in the morning on our biggest step yet.
The rest of our preparations involved a lot of Trademe hours, lots of sorting out of what we were or weren't taking, and finally a major wardrobe cull with my besties. On top of that, we tried to fit in as many catch ups with friends as possible, but also decided that a big barbecue the weekend we were leaving would actually be the easiest to ensure we got to see as many people as possible.
After our house was packed we cleaned like demons, then had The Kick-ass Garage Sale. Whatever was left needed to be sold, donated or thrown out. We could have sold a hundred fridges, but Trademe got those, probably about 50 washing machines, but that was a loaner. We did sell a kettle for $20 and then 3 hours later our old tumble dryer for about $10! Bags of clothes were heading out the door for $5, boxes of magazines likewise. There were the professional bargain hunters out there also, a few that tested one's patience. My favourite was the young couple (reminds me of us when we first moved in together 8 years ago) who came with his parents and a trailer. They got old cupboards, brooms, crockery, all kinds of things for just $25. Good day I say! Considering much of what we were selling was $1, and at most a bag full of things for $5, we made almost $200. That paid for a little duty free, our departure taxes and eventually a SIM card when we arrived. Everything that wasn't sold was taken straight to the recycling station at the dumb. We packed a big Subaru station wagon from top to bottom, back to front with everything left over.
After that was the fabulous BBQ with our friends to say goodbye. With all the prep, work and excitement don't forget to get everyone together to say goodbye, relax and have a drink! We couldn't take any opened spirits with us and there were some bottles of wine there too - perfect excuse to get through everything. Lots of laughs were had and plenty of teary goodbyes, but it was well worth it.
And the next day? A hangover, an early dinner and a good night's sleep before we were off in the morning on our biggest step yet.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Preparation - Getting packed and moved
We started researching moving companies, my parents had moved with someone else, and I had a friend who worked for Crown, so we decided to get a quote from them. Their 1st quote was a little expensive so we thought we'd think on it and look at other options, but they came back to us with a significantly reduced 2nd quote and we made the decision to go along with it. They also advised us on who to was a good pet carriers.
There are definitely mistakes we made in our preparation and in the move to Melbourne, but going with Crown was not one of them. The Christchurch branch was amazing to deal with, and on the moving day all we had to know was what we wanted packed. 2 Guys came in and packed it all. Yes, everything except our suitcases and any valuables we wanted to take with us when we flew over. It was the easiest 'moving day' I've ever had! To make their lives simpler, and ours too we put everything that was staying/being sold/getting thrown out in the garage and left everything else in the appropriate room to be packed. Advise from my mother that was greatly appreciated by the packers. They told us some stories about how they've packed houses with the kids still asleep in bed! We must have been a better organised day for them!
The bonus of all this is that although we weren't transporting a whole house of furniture, we still had a significant amount of belongings to fill part of a container, and if they pack it then yo don't have to deal with customs. And it's a door-to-door operation. You can actually pay extra for them to unpack and assemble for you too!
There are a couple of things that we should have thought of more clearly, and if you're doing the same as we are, pay heed:
There are definitely mistakes we made in our preparation and in the move to Melbourne, but going with Crown was not one of them. The Christchurch branch was amazing to deal with, and on the moving day all we had to know was what we wanted packed. 2 Guys came in and packed it all. Yes, everything except our suitcases and any valuables we wanted to take with us when we flew over. It was the easiest 'moving day' I've ever had! To make their lives simpler, and ours too we put everything that was staying/being sold/getting thrown out in the garage and left everything else in the appropriate room to be packed. Advise from my mother that was greatly appreciated by the packers. They told us some stories about how they've packed houses with the kids still asleep in bed! We must have been a better organised day for them!
The bonus of all this is that although we weren't transporting a whole house of furniture, we still had a significant amount of belongings to fill part of a container, and if they pack it then yo don't have to deal with customs. And it's a door-to-door operation. You can actually pay extra for them to unpack and assemble for you too!
There are a couple of things that we should have thought of more clearly, and if you're doing the same as we are, pay heed:
- We didn't take any of our large furniture, in particular our bed. Our bed was only 18months old, recently paid off and amazing, but it was going to cost an additional $500 to bring over. Quotes from Crown are not based on weight but space. We were hoping to sell it for a lot more, but ended up desperate and selling it for $500. We made this decision partly based on reports that furniture was drastically cheaper and also that it would take 3 - 12 weeks for our boxes, etc to arrive. We ended up paying more for an average bed here - where furniture is cheaper, beds seem to be relative - and our boxes arrived in 4 weeks.The moral of the story is if you have expensive, good quality or antique furniture that you can afford to bring over, do. It's still going to cost you on this side. You may get a great deal, but it's inconvenient, and not that much cheaper. the other option is quite simply sell everything and start fresh. That way you're not paying any shipping costs.
- We didn't read the fine print/weren't told that there would be additional costs on the drop-off side for a 'harder job', e.g an extra man or a double storey. They ended up not charging us for an extra man, because there wasn't one, and waived the 2nd-storey fee for something else because most of it was stored in the ground floor garage. Be strong, make sure a bill is accurate.
- What we learnt most from the movers, regardless how good, you need to bargain with them. They are like car rentals at airports, they throw in hundreds of dollars of hidden and extra charges, so make sure you're upfront with them and get them to do the same.
The Preparation - Taking the 1st step, booking that flight.
For anyone looking for a few tips, hints and some real help on their move to Melbourne this could be it, for others hopefully it'll be a good read. Although this is about our move so specifically from Christchurch, New Zealand to Melbourne, I'm sure there is some sound advice you can glean from this! Plus it feels good to write about it! We got a great deal of help and information from http://movetoaustralia.net/, the information is more specific for New Zealanders, but it is clear, concise, practical and well-organised.
This is more anecdotal in large, but helpful I promise. Even if you do nothing more than read it and NOT do some of the things we did, it'll be helpful. There is a lot of information, facts and figures out there;and some of them, especially government websites, are quite difficult to muddle through or understand. There are a lot of fantastic sites out there to help too, as mentioned before, and also for those moving from the UK there is http://www.moving-to-melbourne.co.uk/ which offers some very practical help.
So where to begin for us? A long time before we actually set sail that's for sure! In 2007 we decided we needed to make a change, and that Melbourne was going to be our next step, however we had just booked a trip back to South Africa, with a week stopover in Oman, and then got engaged to so we couldn't leave in the July of 2008 as planned. Instead we got married in October 2008, and after our honeymoon set about planning the next step. The 1st stop was the Internet where we searched forever for information and came across the 1st website I mentioned. Next, I started checking out flight deals. One morning there was a particularly good special for us to leave in January '09 and I promptly booked a ticket.
We had been researching and savings for this, but something needed to happen. The last thing I wanted to be was one of those people who others would say - "I'll believe it when I see it" about. I wanted us to take the leap, and booking a 1-way ticket to Melbourne was how we were going to!
Marty had just been there for work, and had set up a bank account for us. This is really easy by the way as you'll only need:
This is more anecdotal in large, but helpful I promise. Even if you do nothing more than read it and NOT do some of the things we did, it'll be helpful. There is a lot of information, facts and figures out there;and some of them, especially government websites, are quite difficult to muddle through or understand. There are a lot of fantastic sites out there to help too, as mentioned before, and also for those moving from the UK there is http://www.moving-to-melbourne.co.uk/ which offers some very practical help.
So where to begin for us? A long time before we actually set sail that's for sure! In 2007 we decided we needed to make a change, and that Melbourne was going to be our next step, however we had just booked a trip back to South Africa, with a week stopover in Oman, and then got engaged to so we couldn't leave in the July of 2008 as planned. Instead we got married in October 2008, and after our honeymoon set about planning the next step. The 1st stop was the Internet where we searched forever for information and came across the 1st website I mentioned. Next, I started checking out flight deals. One morning there was a particularly good special for us to leave in January '09 and I promptly booked a ticket.
We had been researching and savings for this, but something needed to happen. The last thing I wanted to be was one of those people who others would say - "I'll believe it when I see it" about. I wanted us to take the leap, and booking a 1-way ticket to Melbourne was how we were going to!
Marty had just been there for work, and had set up a bank account for us. This is really easy by the way as you'll only need:
- ID (Passport is best)
- An address - we actually used our New Zealand 1 and we had 3 months to get back there and change it to a Australian one. Perfect.
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