You may come to a point where you will need to decide if moving to a new home location is something that you will need to do real soon or not. There are many reasons for you to even start thinking of this. You may want a change of pace or want a different environment. It may also mean that there are opportunities for you that can make you earn more and that you can only have them when you make that move. The decision to make it happen is entirely up to you and what you will discover after you’ve done your due diligence in preparing for your change of address.
Before you start packing your bags, here are some things you will need to know or do so that you can be ready for the move.
1. Get a glimpse of the location first
You may have been so used to living and working in Phnom Penh and you are thinking of moving to the countryside, like say, Kampot. You can get a feel of the place you want to move into by vacationing there for a while. Stay there for a couple of weeks.
From checking out the wildlife in the Teuk Chhu Zoo 8km north of Kampot to trekking cakes like the one at Phnom Sia, there are so many things to enjoy that are different from city living.
If you feel like you have enjoyed your stay and would like to extend for much longer then you can start looking at how it will be like to live there long term.
2. Learn how to get around the area
One of the things you will want to know are the different ways you can move about and travel within.
Kampot can be easily reached coming from Phnom Penh. Travelling by bus along National Highway No. 3 is recommended and it can just take about 4 to 5 hours of travel time, usually at $4 per trip.
If you can afford to already drive on your own or if you wish to move around in taxis, the fare can be as much as $22 to $30 and can instead just take you about 3 hours to travel, way faster than if you’d have taken the bus.
3. Know the neighborhood
The safety and security of the neighborhood you will move into must be at the top of your list to know more about as you settle in.
You have many choices for hotels, lodges and guest houses in Kampot to check out and experience. The most affordable rates in Kampot fall in the month of July and it peaks in December. Prices can go from $6 to $27 dollars per night on average for hotels.
Kampot has many known products that get sold like the Kampot Black Pepper, the Durian, rubber and the Cambodian Sea Salt. This gives you a glimpse that the place is mainly agricultural and that many of these get sold globally as well as locally.
You can deduce that many people in the area are hardworking, honest and kind, especially in their culture where respect is a very important part of their lives. This can make you get used to being around the people in the area. As of 2019, there are 593,829 people living in Kampot.
Having peaceful and respectful relations with your would-be neighbors is one of the keys to enjoying your long-term stay. Your safety and security and that of the place you will want to live in can be made easier to handle when you get along well with your neighbors.
4. Decide whether you’ll rent or buy a house
You can circle back to your decision you’ll have made after doing item number one in this list. You can then think about the budget that you’ll consider setting aside for housing.
Renting a house can mean $200 to $500 per month, depending on the size of the house. Buying a house in Kampot means seeing prices from a range of $138,944 to $425,000.
Make sure that you find a real estate agent in Cambodia who can help you get the best deals in the market for houses to either rent or purchase. Having one can help ensure that you are making the right choice in deciding which one is going to be best for you to live in.
The decision to move to the countryside as a way to escape the busy and fast-paced city living is a choice that you can make any time. Making it a permanent move will mean that you have done all that you can to get to know the place that you will move into before you make the actual commitment to make it happen.
KH