Expats’ Return Home to England

Why they came to Stacks:

English couple had been living as expats in retirement in Portugal for a number of years and they decided to return to life in England. The husband was born in Suffolk and wanted to return here to retire with his wife. They had sold their town house and were living in rented accommodation. We had to act fast in order to find them something suitable as their rental period was coming to an end.

“Buying a new home from abroad via the internet is almost impossible without frequent visits including flights, hotels and car hire.  Then, by the time you’re arrived at the estate agent to view the house you liked, it’s already sold.  Or, if it’s still available, it’s maybe not really what you wanted.  A waste of time, effort and money.  To organise viewings of multiple houses with multiple estate agents for one trip is a huge task in itself.”

What the local area could offer:

They were happy to live in any part of Suffolk so this gave us quite a wide scope to find the ideal property. We finally came up with a converted malt house in one of Suffolk’s prettiest villages just a few miles from the lovely cathedral city of Bury St Edmunds where you will find great shopping, superb eateries and pubs along with the only surviving Regency theatre in the country. Good properties in this area of Suffolk with their criteria can be had for around £450,000.

What they were looking for:

Our couple were looking for a ready to move into cottage with a small garden and, importantly, an outbuilding or annexe for the husband to use as a studio. He’s an accomplished artist. They didn’t mind something needing a bit of updating but they needed to be within walking distance to a village.

How Stacks helped:

The difficulty for them was trying to choose a suitable property from afar which is where we come in. They found our videos extremely helpful and informative.

“This is where Gillie and Anthony come into their own.  They are efficient, friendly, knowledgeable and have a lot of contacts.  They viewed, on our behalf, a large selection of houses that fit the criteria we gave them, and sent photos and videos for us to look at” 

With our wide knowledge of the area and useful contacts of estate agents and local professionals such as surveyors etc. we managed to find a house they felt they could happily live in.

“We arranged a week’s visit and they organised viewings of several houses each day during the visit.  Once we found our new home, they helped us with surveys, searches and put us in touch with a solicitor to complete the purchase.  After our offer was accepted and we had returned abroad, they continued to help us with all the bureaucracy via phone and e-mail with the occasional FaceTime.”

The happy outcome:

The couple have settled into their new home in England and are adjusting to their different lifestyle.

“Even now that the purchase is complete and we’ve moved in, they’re still at the end of the phone with answers and help with any questions we still have. They are, importantly, nice people too.”