No matter how much you love your current home, there may come a time when you get the opportunity to move to a new country. This could be a work-related move, or it might be a chance to live closer to family. Either way, you should embrace the opportunity. It will be a wonderful experience!
First, though, you need to organise the move. Moving to a new home is usually stressful. Even if you can afford to pay people to take care of all the little details, things can and do go wrong. Being as organised as possible is the key to a successful home relocation. And if you are moving to a new country, you’ll have to be even more organised!
In this article, we are going to outline some helpful tips to ensure your home relocation goes as smoothly as possible.
Find a Suitable Home
Once you have made your decision to relocate to a new country, you need to start looking for a new home. It is often wise to move into a rental rather than buy a place immediately, as it gives you a chance to familiarise yourself with the neighbourhood and check out where you want to put down roots.
Begin your search online. Be open to different styles of accommodation and have a budget in mind. If your employer is subsidising your new home, consider whether supplementing the allowance is worth doing so you can have a nicer place to live in.
Once you have found some homes you like the look of, consider booking a preliminary trip to your home country to conduct property viewings and find a property you want to call home.
Hire an Experienced Moving Company
Hopefully, by now, you have a new home waiting for you. Perform a quick Google search and you’ll soon discover that there are dozens of home removal companies operating in your area. However, many of them will only cater to local or national removals. Most won’t be able to handle overseas or cross-border removals. For this, you will need a specialist removal company.
Moving overseas or cross-border requires extra expertise. There are long distances to cover, customs regulations, and paperwork. Whether you are moving from a small one-bed apartment or a ten-bed mansion, you need to know the experts have your back.
An experienced removal agent such as Phillips cross-border moving company who’ve been operating since 1923 are a part of an international network of movers, who can support each other both sides of the border, or overseas. They can handle all kinds of items, from everyday furniture to valuable antiques, so you have one less thing to worry about.
Obtain quotes from at least three removal companies and make sure you meet the rep in person. This gives you an opportunity to ask questions and make sure you feel confident in their ability to handle your move.
If you don’t have a home waiting for you, check whether your belongings and furniture can be placed into storage when you move out of your current home. Do bear in mind, however, that it can take a couple of months for goods to be shipped overseas via boat, so this could be all the time you need to find a suitable rental when you arrive.
Organise Your Visas Well in Advance
You and your family will almost certainly need visas or permits to live in another country. In many cases, the paperwork can be extremely complex and may take months to sort out. This is not a job you can afford to leave until the last minute.
If you have any doubts about your ability to handle the visa application process, hire a visa agent to take care of it for you. They are experienced and will often expedite the process on your behalf. Even if your employer is handling the visa paperwork for you, don’t sit back and forget about it. Chase up the appropriate person/department to ensure nothing is left to chance. People sometimes make mistakes and forget to file documents. Don’t let someone else’s oversight delay your move and cause chaos with the schedule.
Start Decluttering Your Life and Home
Moving anywhere is a good opportunity to declutter your life. Throw out anything you don’t need or want. Anything with a value can be sold online or via a garage sale. Unwanted clothing and toys can be donated to charity or given away to family and friends. The rest can be recycled or disposed of in an appropriate way.
By the time you have finished, all that remains will be items you need, or you can’t bear to live without. These items can all be packed up prior to the move.
Once you have your finances organised and healthcare set up, it’s time to get excited about the move. Good luck!