How to buy a property in Sydney when you live overseas
Ah, expat life. You spend most of your life bouncing around the world, then all of a sudden, you feel the need to buy your own home and have a base where you can lay down some roots.
Now, it’s easy to fall in love with a property after seeing it in person, but what happens if you’re living overseas and want to purchase a house in Sydney?
Well, you could ask me to help with your search. I know the kind of support an expat needs when buying a home because that’s a big part of my story.
Globetrotting girl
I was four when my dad got a job in Tunisia in my uncle’s factory. We lived there for nearly five years. I spoke Arabic and French and went to the local French kindergarten, and so I became a little bit of everything. When we came back to Holland, I felt like the weird kid who spoke French and Arabic, and it took a lot of work to fit in. Then, my dad got another job – in Libya this time – and we lived for five years on a compound with English and Dutch people.
At twenty, my job saw me travelling around the world, but I knew I wanted to put down some roots at some point. I probably put more value into owning a house than other people because we'd moved so often when I was a kid.
I can relate to anyone who wants to have a connection to a community and a stable base, especially if they’ve never had that before.
How I can help with the process
You might have moved around a lot and are finally looking to create a more settled life for your family back in Australia. Or maybe you've never set foot in the country before. Deciding on the best property for you can be difficult if you can't make it to Sydney. That's where I come in.
When you work with me as a Buyer’s Agent, I'll do the essential research for you and guide you through the process of finding the perfect property. If you’ve never been to Sydney before, or if it’s been a long time since your last visit, I’ll start with an education session to fill in the gaps. You can also expect:
A focus session where we drill down into all the facts and figures of a particular suburb, giving you all the data that you need
Chat via video to keep you up to date
An online portal for easy access to all the information we collect along the way
Information about school catchments, flight paths and transport options
A shortlist of properties based on your requirements
A short synopsis of what’s good and not so good after viewing each property
Information about developments coming up in your selected suburb
I don't take my responsibility lightly, and I'd rather give you too much information than not enough. It's all about making the process as easy as possible for you. But it’s about much more than just the property. I get to know and understand your needs and your situation to give you all the support you need.
My top tips for expats
It can be a daunting experience buying property when you can’t attend a viewing. If you find yourself in this position, here are my top tips for making it work:
Take the time to find the right location. You’re not just buying a house; you’re buying into a community, and you have to make sure it’s the right one for you.
Don’t buy based on old information or wishful thinking. If you’ve been away for a long time, the property landscape will have changed a lot. We can help you understand today’s Sydney and get you up to date on information about suburbs and developments so you can make an informed choice.
Find someone you can trust to help you. Buying a property is a significant and costly decision. If you’re living overseas, you need someone based in Sydney who you can trust to help you with the process.
As always, please get in touch if we can help with your search.