Where’s mummy’s house gone?

We handed our house keys over last Saturday and since then my eldest daughter has been asking me several times a day if we can ‘go back to mummy’s house now’.  I tell her that mummy’s house has gone to a new family, showing her photos from moving day and reassuring her that we’ll be getting a new house in Australia with a lovely new bedroom for her and all of her toys.  She then immediately starts chanting ‘Australia Beaches Parks Sunshine Aeroplane New House’.  Although she is definitely aware of the impending changes in our lives as we’ve been showing her photos of Australia and reading her books about flying and travelling, it’s really hard for her to fully comprehend the enormity of it all at such a young age.

So with all of this recent talk of houses, my attention has turned to real estate once again.  I have become pretty obsessed with RealEstate.com.au and researching possible houses to rent and buy.  Through my research and talking to fellow expats and locals, when it comes to securing a rental property in Perth, a rental pack is the best way to prepare for open houses and viewings.  We have already put together our rental pack which consists of the following:

• A Cover Letter with a little information about ourselves and a photo of our lovely family of four!
• References from our previous landlords in the UK and Ireland
• Character references from two Australians
• My husband’s previous Employment Reference
• Copies of all of our Birth Certificates
• Copy of our Marriage Certificate
• Copies of all of our Passports
• Copies of 3-6 months of UK Bank Statements
• Copy of our Commonwealth Bank Statement showing our Savings 
• Copies of our UK utility bills
• Copies of our Medicare Cards
• And possibly a copy of a new job contract if one of us secures work prior to our move! Fingers crossed!

As the mining boom in Perth slowly unwinds, the rental and housing markets seem to be following suit. This is great news for our impending arrival and I have already noticed a rising number of vacant homes and lower rental prices in our desired suburbs online.  In the past 10 years, we have lived at 19 different addresses between the two of us and so I really hope that Perth works out for our family and we are able to finally put down roots and buy a home in the 9th most livable city in the world…. 

‘There’s no place like home’ Dorothy – Wizard of Oz xxxx