In the last fourteen days I’ve had two clients, with nearly identical profiles. Both are thirty something single men, moving to Dublin to work in the software industry.

One of these clients engaged me in advance of his move to Dublin. The other client engaged me after he had already moved to Dublin. 

My brief was the same for each client eg. Find me a home to rent that suits my needs and preferences  with a max budget of €1500.

Which client would you expect to have had the best experience of relocating to Dublin? 

There’s no doubt at all in my mind!  

The client who engaged me before he moved to Ireland has had by far the nicer experience.   He sat in his comfortable home in Malta and from his armchair he: 

• did virtual walk through viewings of suitable propertie with me via What’s App

•  signed a lease online  via Docusign

• Agreed a move in date and time that worked for both him and the letting agent then booked his flights accordingly. 

• Signed up for utilities online via The Property Button.ie 

• Arrived in Dublin,  met me and  the letting agent at his new home ( to get keys)  and moved in.

• Felt rooted and ready to give 100% of his attention to his new job. 

The client who engaged me after he had moved to Dublin had been advised by his employers  that the best course of action was to move to Dublin before looking for a home. His employers provided my client with a “lump sum” relocation allowance which they suggested he use on hotel accommodation close to his workplace while he looked for a home. This is the experience that my client had before he contacted me:

• stayed in a hotel that wasn’t within easy walking distance of shops or cafes resulting in him feeling slightly stranded

• had to work from his bedroom in the hotel (workplace hadn’t opened up again yet)

• ate in the hotel every night.

• looked on DAFT.ie without any real grasp of the nature of different neighbourhoods.

• replied  to multiple DAFT adverts, receiving only one response ( and that one response was, he felt, a scam)

• had the uncomfortable sense that although he was physically in Dublin he was really floating somewhere between Spain ( his home country) and Dublin.

• felt that he was unable to concentrate full on his job or on his property search…..his attention felt split between both.

• felt disheartened that he had made no progress on the housing front in the 5 weeks that he had spent in the hotel

• was beginning to think he’d never find a home.

Then he got in touch with me. Within 4 days, I had found and agreed terms on a lovely home for him and his golden retriever ( who can now be brought over from Spain). We negotiated this despite the fact that the property had “No pets” listed on the DAFT advert .

Now my client can relax, can feel like he’s truly at home in Dublin and can give all his attention to his new job in Dublin. 

My conclusion  is that if you are moving to Dublin for work, you really would be wise to find your home before you move here.

If you plan to use a relocation agent , my advice is to engage them before you move here.  Doing this will take so much uncertainty and stress out of your move. It will minimise or eliminate entirely any stay in a hotel and will allow you to give all your attention to your new job and your new work colleagues. ,. 

Book a call with Breffnie to discuss your move to Dublin or phone me on + 353 87 2574 573 or email me at breffnie@breffnieokelly.ie

Listen to my podcast  interview with Erika Bernath, Austrian Consul, about her experience of working with me.