OMG. The house is in a mess. Boxes. Clothes. Furniture. Boxes. Books. In. Every. Corner.
Yesterday, the pre-move surveyer came to have a look at what we intend to ship over. His mission was to assess with a fancy calculator like gadget how much volume we'll need. The verdict - about 90% of a 20-foot container with some allowance for packaging materials. Our allowance is a 40-footer so we're alright.
It was embarassing walking him through the house. He wanted to see everything, down to my cupboard of shoes and even my knick knacks. He said they'd be packing everything for us for insurance and customs purposes, including my shoes. My shoes. I ill-treat them and the only kindness they ever receive is a bit of airing before being confined to the shoe cabinet. Secretly, I guess we were both glad. No need to do the fiddly wrap everything tasks. kekekee
You didn't think there would not be complications did ya?
Our visa interview - L1 and L2 for intra company transfer - is on Tuesday. We had planned for packing to be on Aug 16 and 17. Then we were told that without visa approval, we can't ship our stuff. QUESTION #1: Would our visa be approved on time?
Then the house that we're leasing - which is a brand new house built for us - won't be ready for moving in until November 1. QUESTION #2: Would the house be completed on time? So...the shipment needs to be stored as shipping and custom clearance takes about 60 days. Simple calculations would tell you that the shipment will arrive early if we packed as planned. QUESTION #3: Should the shipment be stored in Singapore or the US's port of entry?
Leon's role is still to be confirmed. QUESTION #4: What would he be doing?
Don't get me wrong - all these questions are part and parcel of the experience and we're planning to roll with whatever life throws us in the process. I'm pretty sure this won't be our only move (we still have to bomerang back to Asia one day...) so all are good lessons to learn.
Yesterday, the pre-move surveyer came to have a look at what we intend to ship over. His mission was to assess with a fancy calculator like gadget how much volume we'll need. The verdict - about 90% of a 20-foot container with some allowance for packaging materials. Our allowance is a 40-footer so we're alright.
It was embarassing walking him through the house. He wanted to see everything, down to my cupboard of shoes and even my knick knacks. He said they'd be packing everything for us for insurance and customs purposes, including my shoes. My shoes. I ill-treat them and the only kindness they ever receive is a bit of airing before being confined to the shoe cabinet. Secretly, I guess we were both glad. No need to do the fiddly wrap everything tasks. kekekee
You didn't think there would not be complications did ya?
Our visa interview - L1 and L2 for intra company transfer - is on Tuesday. We had planned for packing to be on Aug 16 and 17. Then we were told that without visa approval, we can't ship our stuff. QUESTION #1: Would our visa be approved on time?
Then the house that we're leasing - which is a brand new house built for us - won't be ready for moving in until November 1. QUESTION #2: Would the house be completed on time? So...the shipment needs to be stored as shipping and custom clearance takes about 60 days. Simple calculations would tell you that the shipment will arrive early if we packed as planned. QUESTION #3: Should the shipment be stored in Singapore or the US's port of entry?
Leon's role is still to be confirmed. QUESTION #4: What would he be doing?
Don't get me wrong - all these questions are part and parcel of the experience and we're planning to roll with whatever life throws us in the process. I'm pretty sure this won't be our only move (we still have to bomerang back to Asia one day...) so all are good lessons to learn.
the only question I can maybe shed some light on is Q2.. i've had a few friends (and ourselves) have new homes built by developers... they always been delayed.. we were lucky and were only delayed by a month.. but i've heard horror stories of worse..
ReplyDeleteif it's in an already mostly established neighbourhood though, it should be quite on time..
but maybe cobblestones(??) has a good track record with completions.. be optimistic, but have a back up plan
oh! here's a thought regarding Q4: maybe he can start a small business? i have a friend who relocated to some ulu US town for work, and her husband is running a small but successful specialty popsicle business!
Oh man! Hope the house is done on time. We're in our temporary accommodation until end Oct only.
ReplyDeleteSpecialty popsicle sounds like such a good idea! Or maybe teochew porridge/steamboat in winter as well?!