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Tree change? Why to think twice about selling up in the city.

June 29, 2020 Leave a Comment

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By Rebecca Jarrett-Dalton

Many metro-dwellers across the country have flirted with the idea of a sea change or tree change at some stage or another. The dream of escaping the rat race, the grind of the commute, the crushing mortgage and just slowing down sounds wonderful doesn’t it?

Mortgage broker Rebecca Jarrett-Dalton says think carefully before selling up and moving to the coast/country.

I too hear the calling and would love nothing more than to relocate to the coast one day, but I do have some real estate decisions for you to consider before packing up everything you own and setting off.

I know that look: the one where your eyes widen at the value for money your real estate dollars will get you in your new regional community. As appealing as the property prices might be, before you jump in and purchase have you considered renting where you want to call home first?

By renting a property in your new suburb you are allowing for some flexibility if you find the town is just not right for you. I’m not necessarily saying that this means you want to move back to the city, but you might have realised that a suburb a couple of kilometres down the road would have been better for you. 

By renting, you are giving yourself the benefit of flexibility until you really find where you want to settle down. It’s also important to consider that the real estate market may be slower in your new region, meaning your property could remain on the market for an extended period of time before it sells should you choose to re-list it.

For Sydneysiders, we have the honour of calling Australia’s most expensive city to live in home. Our property prices are on average, the highest nationwide. For the potential sea changers, it might sound like an absolute winner to sell up while pricing is at a peak and then settle into a new neighbourhood for a fraction of the cost. 

Be really honest with yourself though. What if you don’t like where you move to and isn’t as simple as just moving back? With property prices in our capital cities considerably more expensive than our regional counterparts, you don’t want to see yourself priced out of the option to return to the metropolitan life if you want to.

My suggestion is, if possible, try to hold onto a base that you can come back to. There are a couple of ways you could tackle this: if feasible, why don’t you consider renting out the property you currently own? By offering the property out to rent rather than selling it outright, you are ensuring you have a foot in the door should your situation change and you need to return to the big smoke.

If keeping your current property isn’t an option, maybe you can sell what you have and then purchase an investment property still within your current capital city? OK, if you do it this way it’s not your whole foot in the door, but it is still creating a footprint and allowing yourself an exit strategy if you need it. You don’t want to see yourself with very limited options if you change your mind because you can’t afford to buy back into the city real estate market.

I definitely think there are some major advantages to taking on a sea or tree change, but just take the time to consider all your real estate options before you jump in. By making informed decisions and leaving yourself some wriggle room if you can, you’re ensuring that you get the outcome you want, rather than having to compromise because you are tied in or priced out of the alternatives.

–Rebecca Jarrett-Dalton runs mortgage brokers Two Red Shoes.

Before & after: Front
Before & after: From country cottage to modern coastal
Located in the beautiful bayside town of Mount Eliza, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, this former country cottage style house was renovated recently by its owner, interior designer Kristy Gathercole of…
AFTER kitchen
Before & after: Country kitchen gets classic makeover
Located in Orange NSW, this kitchen renovation was completed just prior to last Christmas when the project’s interior designer Christine Ghrayche, of One X One Interiors, handed it over to her…

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Before & after: Renovating a kitchen while keeping Before & after: Renovating a kitchen while keeping ALL the character!

What a great example this is by @huntingforgeorge 

See all the details, and the laundry, on the blog now, via link in bio.
The patient has very much bounced back! Letterbox The patient has very much bounced back!

Letterbox kinder egg deliveries from a friend, dressing changes without a flinch and refusing to nap despite all the bribes (check the face on him in pic 3!).

Thanks for all your care and messages/comments for this tired and shaken up mama! Now very relieved and grateful 🙏
Before & after It's not just the award winning de Before & after

It's not just the award winning designer houses that get us excited here. It's also the beloved family homes which are renovated and extended to make them fit for purpose so people can continue to live where they love 🤗

@inspiredspacesaus helped her clients with teenage kids transform this house in Sydney's Hills District inside and out, making it their forever home. 

Due to the nature of the block they could only extend sideways and then gave it street appeal with render, new windows and doors.

See inside on the blog now, via link in bio. It was completely overhauled!
Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into Charlie doesn't recommend running head first into tiled steps 🤕

Oh what a night. Thankfully Hornsby Hospital were as amazing as always and we avoided stitches. All taped and glued  back together and now to keep him calm for the next few days (🤪) and watch for signs of concussion. 

Bravest little patient ever. Yes I've had a 🍷

Funny how we go into super organised mama mode in times like these. Grabbed dinosaurs, textas and scrapbook on the way out in case we had a long wait!

UPDATE: thanks for all the love! Charlie is so well this morning after a big sleep!
Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressi Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressive!

The new @studio.xox ONLY sells Australian brands. Like @nood_co coloured basins, lead-free eco brass from @faucetstrommen and @lindseywherrett's  ceramic basins made by hand in Tassie.

And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

#interiorsaddict #theinteriorsaddict #jenbishop
#creatingbeautifulspaces #homestylingdesign
#designbywomen #homestylingtips #sydneycreatives
#homestylingsydney #interiorstyling #interiordesignsydney
#everydaydesign #interiortrends #renovationinspiration
#homedesigninspo #lovemyhome #stylingdetails
#loveinteriors #homeimprovements #interiordesignaustralia
#dreamhomeinspiration #homemakeover #personaldesign
#interiordesignaus #creatingbeautifulspaces
#creativehomes #housestyling #sydneyhomes
#interiorinspiration #myhomedesign
I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new @madeinaustshow in Sydney this August.

🦘🐨Forget every tacky association you ever had about touristy Australian made and prepare to see a showcase of the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and beauty made right here. If the pandemic has made you appreciate buying local even more, this is for you.

It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers🙏

Apply to exhibit or find out more at their website, via their bio, now!

Are YOU buying more Australian made post covid?

#madeinaustralia #australianmade #aussiemade #aussiedesign
Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! 💧 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!🤗

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap 🥴) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon 😆

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!💪🏻) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too 😉

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

✔️ I'm English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008😆 

✔️ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. 🛁 

✔️ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) 📓 

✔️ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London 🚔 

✔️I had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife 😁

✔️ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK ❤️ 🇬🇧 

✔️ At school, my favourite subject was French 🇫🇷 and I was head girl 🤓🤓

✔️ I'm addicted to ☕️ , long hot baths and💄 (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

✔️ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message 😁

✔️ My favourite cuisine is Japanese 🍣 🍜 and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

✔️ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

✔️ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or🍷 

✔️ Cheesy as it sounds, 💁‍♀️being a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life 🧒👦

✔️ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view 📖 

✔️ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

✔️ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker 😯 🅿️

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better 😘

📸 @vanlowvanlow
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About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. Interiors Addict has been her full-time job for more than 8 years. She is married to Damian and mum to Sebastian and Charlie.

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