Making a move across town

So many people have done it, my little family included. Back in 2012 we made the bold decision to shift our life from beachside Aspendale to inner-west’s Yarraville. The move was not a consideration we took lightly. Our friends, my husband’s work, our daughter’s school, my family… they were all around Aspendale. But after a horrid daily commute to and from my work, (in North Melbourne at the time) and in particular, a newfound love of this friendly little former-industrial area, I couldn’t resist the call. Convincing my family was another matter, and “let’s try before we buy” was the strategy that imminently secured the move, (and the new school Principal’s recommendation to bribe with a huge trampoline).

We weren’t on our own, though.

Many people make a decision to move across town, and for so many reasons. Some decide to move out to the ‘burbs to capture a larger plot of land, while others think about high school options, (more abundant in our city’s leafy east), some do it for work, and many do it for family.

Today’s amazing auction adventure for a beautiful family reminded me of the importance of a well-thought out ‘across-town move’. We helped secure this stunning home at the foot of the Dandenong’s for a family who had consulted with us multiple times about a significant move, and it was joyous to see them roll out their acquisition in perfect harmony with their plans.

So many steer themselves off course when contemplating such a move. After all, ‘across-town’ can mean almost anywhere. To decide on where, how much to spend, when to move, what to buy is not as easy as it seems. So many things must be taken into account, including:

• Commute times to work
• Friends/family proximity
• Public transport links (if required)
• Affordability
• Schools and zones
• Maintenance and upkeep
• New neighbourhood and the newcomer’s willingness to immerse themselves in a new community
• Future-proofing ability of the purchase

And it is this last point that is so poignant.

Such a move needs to be the right move for so many reasons. Aside from the avoidance of paying stamp duty twice on a regretted purchase, across-town movers also like to have the comfort of securing their family home for multiple years, not just the short term.

The critical things that our successful movers did hinged around a willingness to tackle many reconnaissance trips around town once their radius of options had been determined. We started with family proximity and work commute; the two must-haves. From there, we focused on land size minimums and the remaining options that fitted their desired budget.

Our list of options quickly reduced to leave a remaining host of eligible suburbs.

From here, they could check out the character and feel of the suburbs of interest. It became abundantly clear that the foothills of the Dandenong’s was beckoning them.

Sometimes these journeys take months of planning. The best laid plans can lead to the happiest of moves, and we truly wish this family decades of wonderful experiences and memories in their new neighbourhood.

But the inner-west will miss them.