Moving Overseas – Could you do it?

This is a collaborative post

Those of you who follow my blog regularly will know that I am lucky enough to friends living all over the world. Friends who were born and have grown up in the UK, but for one reason or another decided to move somewhere new, packing up their belongings and starting their family life in a new country – in my best friends case, quite literally on the other side of the world in Australia.

Could you do it, and if so where would you go?

I am a very homely person, and therefore for me, the decision to leave my friends and family behind and make a life in a new country is one that I definitely couldn’t make easily. If I was going to live somewhere else, one of the most important factors for me would be the location – It would have to be somewhere that was only a short plane journey away and somewhere that if necessary, I could get home from in hours and not days.

I love the idea of a warmer climate, and as a Birmingham city dweller born and bred, the idea of living closer to the white sand beaches definitely holds some appeal. But where would you even begin in terms of looking for a new home abroad, and post Brexit is this even going to be straightforward?

After chatting to my friends who live in Europe, here are their tips for buying a new home abroad:

• Do your research – this may sound obvious, but once you have a location you want to consider, find out as much about it as possible and this should obviously include taking a visit. Learn what it is is like to be a local in that town – including how busy it is, where the locals hang out, what employment opportunities there are and socially how you can expect to spend your free time. You should consider things like schools and transport networks, locality to shopping centres and hospitals, nightlife and the more obvious pulls such as the beach or harbour. Remember that when you aren’t local, you want to feel as connected as possible, which normally means living centrally or close to a central point in your location of choice.
• Cost of Living – One factor to take into account is not only the general affordability of your location (e.g. salary levels, cost of property / living expenses and exchange rates) but also the cost of flights home, as chances are, living away from friends and family you will be taking regular flights back to visit (or they will be travelling to you). Don’t forget that in school holidays (which is when you might be limited to travelling if your children are of school age), the cost of flights can increase fairly dramatically, particularly for long haul destinations! It is also worth looking at whether these flights run directly to your local airport, as connections may bump up the cost. My friends in Milan was gutted to learn that they no longer fly directly to Birmingham, as she now has to get off at East Midlands instead.
• Hire an expert – If you are looking to buy (in my case it would be property for sale in Portugal Argarve or a Marbella Estate Agent) then consider using an estate agent rather than attempting to look for properties yourself. Remember they are the experts and they will know the area inside out. Send them a list of your requirements and let them do the hard work for you. This also takes away the stress of interpreters or having to seek independent legal advice!

Have you ever lived abroad? What tips would you give to someone who is thinking of taking the plunge?