Advice needed for long distance move

pommummy1

Hello all, I really need some advice! I live in Scotland with my family but I am originally from Hampshire. I am desperate for us move back down. We have lived in Scotland for 10 years. We own our home with a mortgage. We both work full time and have 3 kids. I don’t even know where to start! How would we get a mortgage? Would they use our current salaries (even though we would need to find new jobs in Hampshire)? I don’t think any employer would be willing to wait for us to sell our current home before we could start? Houses in Hampshire are a lot more expensive than where we are, but we would have a decent deposit. There just doesn’t seem to be a clear answer when moving long distance, but there must be a way! Please help! Thank you 😊

sheramber

We moved Scotland to England and later back to Scotland.

My husband got a job and moved  down to stay with his brother. 

He was able to travel home at weekends. 

Before he started his job we visited a local estate agent and got details of how much mortgage we could get my and what house prices were. 

He looked at houses and when he found one that he felt would suit I intended to go down at the weekend to view. But houses were selling so quickly  that. I agreed to buy  on his say so. . 

It was 4 or 5 months until we were able to move in .  We stayed with my husband’s brother until then as we had sold our house. Furniture went into storage. 

Moving back was the reverse process. My husband moved up and stayed with my parents until we sold  and were able to move up. 

We were staying with my parent’s on a holiday when he was offered the job with his previous employer so we viewed houses and had an offer accepted on one before we returned home. 

peterhjohnson

I would start my research online. Get ball-park figures for salaries, mortgages and houses. Then see if your move is easy/maybe/difficult/impossible
That is what I did some years ago although my distance was much less than yours. I quickly established that I was very likely to be able to move somewhere nice and that it was worth multiple trips to the area

gwynlas

You obviously need to work so first you look at the reality of getting jobs  near to your chosen area.

You need to look at  schhols for your kids and how easy will it be to get into those of choice

Looking  at houses is probably the least of your worries as everything is online.

Do you have friends or famiy in the area who could accomodate the main earner if they move first?

You could consider selling and renting if you want to try and time events for the start of the new school year

Cairnpapple

We moved from Gloucestershire back to Scotland a number of years ago, but it was easier since we were were renting. 

I worked in quite a niche job so my new job in Scotland gave me a relocation package that paid for the moving costs. They would also have paid for a rental for 6 months but only a 1 bedroom since we were a couple without kids. We wanted more space so got our own rental then bought a year later. I think they also offered house selling and buying assistance as part of relocation but we didn't need to sell and we wanted to get familiar with the area before buying. 

Spouse's employer at the time was really good and let him work out of one of their Scottish offices till he got a new job locally (the Scottish office didn't support his job role at the time so a permanent transfer wasn't possible).

Timescale for selling your house is going to be dependent on where in Scotland you are. If you're in a hot market, price to sell and find a buyer without a chain, I don't think it's unrealistic to sell in 3 months. 3 months isn't an unusual notice period for someone in a mid-career job so certainly employers in my current sector would be OK with waiting that long. 

I do think you'd be best to go into rented when you first move, especially if you're still lining up the second person's job. A cross-border chain is a nightmare at the best of times. 

DullGreyGuy

Many people would move to rental first which then puts them in the right place for house viewings etc. 

Depending on how your incomes are split, if one is easier to move or such then look to at least one getting a job in your target area and then moving down  or spending working days there and weekends back. Do you have family to crash with? 

Bonniepurple

My brother is (hopefully-so long as his vendor stops making excuses) moving from Staffordshire to Gloucestershire in the next few weeks.  The biggest issue he’s had is that Staffordshire is much cheaper than the part of Gloucestershire he’s moving to, so his future house (an older end terrace) is nearly £70,000 more expensive than his current place (1960s semi).

In terms of location, he is a frequent visitor to the area and I have settled in the same village, so I’ve been able to guide him as to areas to avoid/potential issues.  If you have family/friends who know the area well ask them, otherwise I’d suggest renting for a bit/buying but being prepared to move if the area is not what you expect.

Murphybear

Have you thought about renting for 6 months in Hampshire which would give you a chance to find a job and somewhere to live.  You would probably need to pay 6 months up front and possibly a guarantor if you want to stay on.  

Do you have a specific area in Hampshire that you want to move to?  Obviously Southampton will have more properties and jobs than the New Forest for example.  

Good luck with the move.  I love Hampshire but I’m a bit biased as I was born and brought up there 

Andy_Mc_2

Hi there,
We were in the same boat last year — moving from Scotland back to the south with kids. It felt overwhelming, but honestly, it can be done!

We sold our house first, rented for a few months near Hampshire while job hunting, then bought once we were settled. A good mortgage broker really helped us figure it all out.

For the move, we used London Man Van and they were fantastic — really affordable and handled the long-distance move without any stress. Definitely recommend getting a quote early!

It’s scary at first but so worth it. Wishing you loads of luck with your new start! 😊