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'Forget panic buying, everyone I know is panic moving'
Panic moving is the latest housing trend post-pandemic that's seeing homeowners getting more bang for their buck.
Felicity Harley@felicityharley
I don't know about you, but since the pandemic hit I have daily chats with fellow mums who long to pack-up their life and move. I'm talking about uprooting their family, chucking all their stuff in boxes, hiring a moving truck and hot-tailing-it out of their town. Eliza LeMessurier, 34, from Newcastle in NSW, is about to relocate her winemaker husband and two young kids an hour down the highway to the Central Coast. Her reason for the move? To get more bang for their hard-earned bucks.
"When the pandemic happened we were coincidentally spending time on a farm in South Australia working on our business," she says. "We had a lightbulb moment and realised that space and nature can offer our kids so much more in terms of play, exploration and exercise that they currently get in our tiny townhouse. Our business has been hit by COVID, so to be able to move and live in a bigger house for a more affordable price...why wouldn't we?"
The pandemic has upended our days (RIP homeschooling), rearranged our social lives, messed with our travel plans, and is reshaping how and where we choose to live. The so-called "giant pause" has made us question what we truly value in life, and finding new neighbours is high up on many lists. This could mean leaving country-side for beach-side, or abandoning the city, or shifting closer to your kid's school/ in-laws/ friends, or finally living your best Pinterest board life and buying that dream house. From a panic-move, to a long-term goal that's simply been sped up, there's a mass exodus of families moving to wherever they reckon life will be better, calmer and - the clincher - cheaper.
Moving can be a great opportunity for the whole family. Image: Supplied
So, why are people moving?
The big reason: money. We're in a recession, which means most of us are counting our bank balance more often than we pick-up Duplo pieces. With a staggering number of Australians losing their jobs (one million in April, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistic), others reliant on JobKeeper, and many more who've had salaries sliced - it's no wonder we're taking stock of the costs of keeping a roof over our heads. The desire to downsize, or upsize to a more affordable area - and save on rent or mortgage payments - has suddenly shot to the top of our priority list. We either have to, or want to, or are thinking about making a move sooner than you can say vaccine.
The other thing in today's workplace, which has undergone a revolution of sorts, is the acceptance of remote working (WFH) - it's been an absolute game-changer. "The concept of working from home has been more 'normalised' at work, so I can make this move but still feel secure in my job," says Eliza, who works four days as a marketing manager in Newcastle. We're no longer needed in the office every day - working from home is a permanent option, and thanks to Zoom, this has made WFH far more manageable and far less isolating.
Then there's the simple reason that the pandemic has sparked a desire to search for a new way of life - a reaction to our uncertain world. A recent report Big Movers: Understanding Population Mobility in Regional Australia, undertaken by the New Regional Australia Institute (RAI), found that millennials are flocking to regional Australia. (Side note: hot spots include towns like Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Geelong, Cairns, Toowoomba, Ballarat, Maitland, Bendigo, Gold Coast and Lake Macquarie.) "Over the last few months, we've all had to change how we work and this has allowed staff and employers to see that location is no longer a barrier for where we choose to work," RAI CEO Liz Ritchie said on the report's launch. "As a country, we are an extremely mobile nation, and we have a propensity to change our address at twice the rate of people in most OECD countries."
For Chloe Ahern, 41, and her family, the pandemic has accelerated an idea her and her husband, Chris, had been tossing around for years. "The pandemic has only cemented our resolve to get out of a crowded city and into more space. I've always dreamed of a vegetable garden and chickens," says the mum of three who's moving from inner Sydney city to the country. "We want a slower pace and no more battling traffic to and from school, and on Saturdays for kid's sport. We want our children to have an outdoors lifestyle - not one ruled by screens and technology - so the bigger blocks of land were definitely a draw card."
There's a lot of big decisions to be made before you take the plunge. Image: Supplied
Don't book a removalist just yet...
Before you trade traffic for chickens, think about this. If you've long been plotting a move for affordability and changing life circumstances (ie you went from a couple in an apartment to a couple with two kids in an apartment), there's no time like the present. However, if you're driven by the so-called panic-move, ask yourself this. Will your WFH situation remain the same (remember, your employer controls your working environment) in three, six or 12 months? Will life really be sweeter, once you upend your kids, in a brand spanking new town? Moving is expensive, are you prepared to stick-it-out for long enough to make it financially worthwhile?
Despite the nerves, both Chloe and Eliza are excited. Says Chloe, "Sure, we are nervous about leaving our friends and community behind, but in 18 months, I hope we're riding our bikes more, playing tennis, tending to our chickens and vegetable garden, and enjoying what little time we have left with the children before they become teenagers and don't want to know us anymore." As for Eliza, "I'm trying to live in the present. If it doesn't work out, we will move back to Newcastle. As long as I've got content kids and investing in my family and relationships, then I'm happy with that. Oh, and saving serious cash, too."
Felicity Harley's book, Balance & Other B.S is out now - follow her on Instagram for more.
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