Many families moving from Gauteng to the Western Cape rent first, and for good reason. The suburbs feel different on the ground than they do on a property portal, and a few months of living here tells you whether you belong in Durbanville, Table View or Somerset West. The catch is that a rental is usually smaller than the house you sold, so something has to happen to the furniture that does not fit.
Rent first, choose the suburb second
Rentals are competitive, so you may take the place you can get rather than the one you want. Do not size your life to that flat. Bring what you need to live comfortably for six months and store the rest close to where you are likely to end up.
Commute times affect where you live more than anything else. The N1, N2 and M5 at peak hour are a different city from the one you visited on holiday, so try the drive before you commit.
Store at this end, not at that end
Leaving furniture in a Johannesburg unit means paying for a second long-distance move later. Bring it all down in one load and unpack what fits in the rental. We collect the rest from your door once you are in, and you pay monthly for the boxes and items we store, with no minimum term.
- Things that usually fit in a rental: beds, the couch, the kitchen, the children's rooms.
- Things that usually do not: the second lounge suite, the dining table for twelve, the garage shelving, the bar.
- Things to sell before you leave: anything you have been meaning to replace anyway. Transporting it 1,400 km is rarely worth it.
Plan for a wetter winter
The Highveld has dry winters and wet summers. The Cape is the other way round, and older rentals here can be damp from May to August. Keep wooden furniture, books and anything leather away from outside walls, and do not leave boxes on a garage floor through winter. Store them somewhere climate-controlled.
When you find the house
Book delivery for the week after transfer and occupation, not the day of, because transfer dates move. If the stored things are in open boxes, you can bring back the furniture first and the rest of the boxes once the rooms are ready.