Moving to New Zealand despite the credit crunch
The current economic climate means that moving to New Zealand may not be as easy as it once was.
How selling your home affects your move
Due to the current global financial crisis, many householders are struggling to decide how to validate their visas in New Zealand. Because of the downturn in most housing markets and its effect in individuals looking to make a significant move, migrants are considering a number of options, including:
- Flying to New Zealand to validate their visas and then returning to their home country
- Making a loss by reducing the price of their property to try to better attract a buyer
- Obtaining a second mortgage so they can leave their house on the market and buy a second property in NZ
- Letting/renting their property out and renting accommodation in New Zealand
- Going to New Zealand, renting accommodation and leaving the sale of their UK property in the hands of an estate agent
A problem to consider with the last two options, specifically, is that many agents will want you to rent out your house furnished, whereas in New Zealand the majority of family home rentals are unfurnished.
Beyond the sale of your home
The sale of your property is obviously your main concern, whereas moving your goods is likely to be a secondary issue. However, there are things that you can do now that can help you significantly when you do finally move.
It is advisable to arrange consultations with international removal companies an absolute minimum of three months before you plan to emigrate. Many migrants tend to put off having a removal survey because they are unsure when they are going to be in a position to move.
Invariably, when you do get a buyer you will need to move quickly and getting estimates for your removal at the last minute will considerably add to your stress. If you have already received your moving cost quotations, you can take it from there without having to wait for the estimators’ visits and the written quotations to arrive.
International removal companies calculate their quotations based on the list of items and the amount of space those items will take up in a container (volume). Obviously the list of items you decide to take and the cost of moving them may change between the time of the estimators visit and the time you actually leave. However, if the estimate has already been completed and all items recorded, changes can be easily recalculated without another estimator’s visit.
Most people immigrating to New Zealand tend to take the majority of their household goods with them because it is typically so much cheaper than starting from scratch again in the country. It is not only a wise economic choice to take everything with you, it also saves you a lot of time, money and the aggravation of having to spend quality time shopping when you could be investigating your new city, local sights, jobs, schools, houses, etc.
What does it cost to move goods in a recession?
The cost of moving your household goods to New Zealand will vary according to the volume of items you send. While it can seem expensive, you are almost guaranteed to save money by sending virtually all of your possessions overseas.
Most associations agree that it is best to have at least three international removal companies visit you to provide a quotation for your removal. Any more than three, however, and it can get confusing. You will, of course, get a variance in the prices quoted; however, in most cases these will be only small variances.
Freight costs are very similar, if not identical, for all international removers, so the only area of variance is in the quality and quantity of the packing materials used and the experience and quality of the packers.
Be wise
As we are all watching the pennies at the moment, bear in mind that if you get a really cheap quotation and want to go with it, make sure you get a valid IMMI certificate showing the name of the company you are proposing to use. This is your only assurance that your payment is protected.
Do not underestimate the importance of packing and loading household goods safely into an ocean container for transportation to the other side of the world; this requires experience and expertise. International removers need to ensure their standards are maintained to protect both your goods and their reputation.
Unfortunately, in the last recession several removals companies went out of business leaving their customers to find that the freight costs they had paid to the remover had not been passed on to a shipping company. This resulted in the customer having to pay the freight and some additional costs a second time.
The British Association of Removers (BAR) devised the IMMI scheme to protect customers against this possibility. With the current economic climate, it could never be more important than it is now for you to ensure you obtain a current IMMI certificate covering the international removal company you are using.
-written by Nick Witham, PSS International Removals Nick Witham is Managing Director of PSS International Removals. He started PSS 27 years ago, and has now spent nearly 40 years in the industry. The family business employs Mr Witham’s wife, two daughters and son. Nick has written countless articles for the migrant press and has featured in various DVD and other media products.
