House hunting in a new place – #ExpatWisdom – Paula

Expat Wisdom

May 11, 2019

This weeks blog post is another one under the Expat Wisdom Series. If you’ve been reading my blog posts for a while, you’ll know that every month I share the story of you guys! This month I’ve been working with Paula from TCK Mum Blog to share her expat story and her advice for moving abroad. In previous Expat Wisdom posts we’ve read about making new friends, finding a job, and this month Paula has shared her tips on how to go house hunting in a new place. I hope you enjoy this post!

My name is Paula, and I am an Australian born, dual passport owning expatriate; who has lived through 7 postings over 13 years. I have three beautiful TCK’s -1 boarding in Australia and two who are residing in Sydney attending university.
I have one extraordinary rescue dog, that has lived in almost as many countries as we have and I am married to a supportive husband who has allowed me to raise our three children in this very unconventional way.
In my past life, I was an Adult Educator, and now I am a trailing spouse who can now add travel and lifestyle blogger to her resume. My love of travel from a young age allowed me the luxury of developing my thirst for travel and in turn, I have given the gift of travel to my children. I have moved more times than I like to remember, but I do have some top tips for those about to embark on the move abroad.
Top tips for house hunting in a new country
1.  When moving with children ask the school where most children live in the year groups your children will be attending. When you live close to your children’s friends, it helps them to integrate faster into the community because playdates are so crucial for children and their need to belong.
2.  Figure out the route and distance from home to both school and

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 work, long commutes for either party makes life a little challenging.
3.  Ask loads of questions from the real estate and always go with more than one. Sometimes the real estate agent will not understand your needs, especially if they have never worked with either expats or expats with families.
4.  Have a good look around the area before deciding, whether it is the closest bus stop, a park for the dog and children to play in or where the nearest grocery store and medical centre is, all these are imperative to making your life easier.
5.  Try and connect through social media groups before arriving, reach out to people through connections, and never feel like you can’t ask for help as we have all been there.
If you want more advice, then check out my blog or follow me on Instagram , connect to my facebook group.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and be sure to take a look at the other posts in my Expat Wisdom series. If you’re interested in being featured feel free to reach out to me at LittleMissExpatBlog@gmail.com!
See you next week,
Little Miss Expat
  1. Paula says:

    Thanks so much for including me in this great blog segment!

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