Moving abroad tips to help you find your dream home
Ever since I was a little girl I knew I would live abroad. I always knew I would spend time living in France and I was lucky enough to spend my third year at University living and studying in Paris. It was one of the best years of my life. But I’m pretty sure I am not done with foreign adventures yet and living abroad is still part of my future.
There is no denying that moving abroad is one of lifeโs big challenges. Moving house in your own country is hard enough. But dragging everything you own across oceans and through the sky is ten times the hassle!
But the pull of living abroad is hard to ignore. There are so many dream homes to live in, landscapes to explore, cultures to experience and amazing neighbours to discover. There is a whole world out there for you to adventure through and so much to learn.
Thatโs why, if youโre interested in living abroad, you shouldnโt let the complications hold you back. You can handle each one in turn. The tips below will help you get started on the right foot! Here are our moving abroad tips to help you find your dream home abroad before you sink all that money into your decision.
Moving Abroad Tip 1: Choose the Country
The first thing you need to do is kind of obvious. Our first moving abroad tip is to decide which country you want to move to. In my case, this will most likely be Poland. My husband is Polish and we have family there so this is where I imagine our moving abroad adventure to take us.
When choosing the country you’d like to move to, consider whether you know anyone living there already, how well you know the area, how far away it is from your friends and family, what your job prospects are there and how expensive housing is. You want to make sure that the decision you make is practical.
Moving Abroad Tip 2: Get Legal Advice
It’s worth bearing in mind that the country youโd like to move to isnโt going to have the same housing laws as the one youโre moving out of. Getting acquainted with these before you head over is key. Otherwise, you could end up making a very costly mistake.
Even when youโre moving from the UK to Europe, now that weโre living in a post-Brexit era, things are more complicated. You should probably talk to a real estate lawyer for increased assurance.
Moving Abroad Tip 3: Look Online First
Itโs hard to find a suitable home just off your own back. This is why you need to maximise your network. Ask friends and family who have made similar moves and decide if you want to follow suit. If you don’t know anyone who lives where you want to move to, youโll need to spend plenty of time on real estate websites instead.
Not only is it fun to flick through interior images and measure out how much garden space youโd get, but youโll also get the lowdown on what kind of properties and prices are popular right now. The more you know, the better youโll be able to spot a good deal!
Moving Abroad Tip 4: Take a Mini Break
This is going to be the most fun you have when looking for your dream home abroad! House hunting online is one thing but in order to really get a good insight into your chosen city you really need to explore in person. So I recommend you organise a series of mini breaks to give you in-person experience.
Say youโre interested in moving to France; you can touch down at Charles de Gaulle airport, check your things into a luggage storage in Paris, and then explore the neighbourhoods youโve scouted out online.
I can tell you from experience that house hunting in Paris is exhausting. Getting public transport from one side of the city to the next is time-consuming. If you’re a confident driver, you can hire a car to take you round the city.
Try to spend as much time as you can in your chosen locations. This is the only way you will get any real insights into what it could be like to live there full-time. If you’re not in a rush, try visiting at different times of year so you can really understand what it’s like all year round.
In fact, before you commit to buying a property, it might be worth moving there and renting to start with. Then you can really experience life as a local. It also gives you much more time to scout your dream home and you’ll be more available to visit properties as they come onto the market so you won’t lose out because you’re not there for viewings.
Moving Abroad Tip 5: Make a Budget
Now comes the boring bit: how much money do you have to move with? If youโve already been pre-approved for a mortgage this is going to be an easy question to answer. If you havenโt, itโs time to look into that. And if you donโt need a mortgage at all, this will be super easy to answer.
You need to put together a hypothetical budget. This will help you to stay grounded about the amount of property you can buy. If your max budget is ยฃ500,000, not all of that will be spent on the house itself; youโll need to pay fees and taxes too. Separate your budget into these columns and make sure you know both the minimum and the maximum you can afford to allocate.
Moving Abroad Tip 6: Assess the Local Market
The last of our moving abroad tips is to assess the local market. Itโs not the best choice to buy a home abroad when the market is at an all-time high. Itโs a good sign, as it means real estate investments are doing very well right now, but youโre buying to live. As such, you donโt want to pay extreme prices to secure something simply for its high value.
Instead, you want to buy something thatโs comfortable to live in, will grow with you, and wonโt cost you a fortune. This isnโt going to be cheap, as you well know, but it doesn’t have to be anywhere near as expensive when you understand how the local market moves. Depending on the country you want to live in, there are still bargains to be had.
Fancy moving to another country? Itโs best to do so with as much information as you can possibly get. So take a few mini breaks, get real-time updates from foreign housing markets, and always keep your budget in mind. Do you have any moving abroad tips to share? If so, please share below.