I'm selling almost all physical possessions. Including my house.

Threading the whole process. Skip to Tweet 9 for how I'm executing it.

1/n

When I saw @elonmusk share this, I sat with it for a few minutes and thought it makes sense. Why do we need physical possessions?

I'd already come to this conclusion at the end of 2019 after my Vipassana retreat.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1256239554148724737?s=20

2/n

I have lives in two cities in the UK.

The remnants of moving from the countryside to the "big" city of Edinburgh at 17. As do the remnants of my drive to "make it" in the city of London.

But I'm currently in Taiwan.

3/n

I'll rewind a little...

We'll start in Edinburgh.

I've owned an apartment in Edinburgh for the past 12 years and lived there when I moved for uni. When I moved to London in 2013, I began renting it out long term then switched to Airbnb.

4/n

I still have the property and the income has supplemented my transition from full-time employment, to contracting, to starting @nodeunlock

5/n

The property market in Edinburgh is nowhere near what it is in London, so it's a slow burner and I reckon I can do better redeploying the capital into other endeavours.

It only took 10 years to recover the property value from the highs of 2008.

6/n

It came to the end of 2019 where I was evaluating how I wanted to live in the future, and it felt like the right time to sell it. But I held out while I figured out what was next for 2020.

Then...pandemic.

7/n

When I'm not travelling, I usually live in London.

I flat share there and love the place! Fortunately, there was a building defect and my room has had a leak for the past 9 months.

I negotiated a 76% reduction on my rent so I'm paying ~£320 a month.

8/n

That's the only way I have been able to still be in Taiwan & not have to go back to the UK.

Now I have a choice.

Go back to the UK and face Coronavirus. Or stay in Taiwan/a "green zone" since work from anywhere is now very real.

https://twitter.com/paulg/status/1282333111171325960?s=20

9/n

So my predicament:

How do you sell a property in one location and move out of an apartment in another when you're 6,000 miles away - and do all of this when you're in the midst of a global pandemic?

10/n

Here's how:

PROPERTY - To get a property on the market, you have to have a few things in place. One being a conveyancer to do the legal side of things.

Only issue there was every conveyancer said I'd have to be in the UK to verify my identification.

11/n

Most of the process can be done digitally, but there are 2 documents you need to physically sign (ID and Title Deeds). This is a limitation with the laws and regulations, not the conveyancers.

12/n

Eventually, I found a conveyancer who knew how to execute a property sale remotely. I'm a British Citizen, so is my passport, they can verify my ID there. Title Deeds only need to be physically sent on sale.

Luckily only one way i.e. Email to me > I sign > Post back.

13/n

I may explore selling the rights to my Airbnb listing as it's mature, has all the standard op. procedures and cleaning contracts in place and would be the most turnkey transaction anyone could get.

If you've done something similar, I'd love to know how you did it?

14/n

Property selling issue overcome. It'll be on the market within a week.

SELLING POSSESSIONS:
Moving out of my apartment in London. This one's a little trickier since I have possessions there. Not much, but there's a few things I'd like to keep. Mainly paperwork.

15/n

I created a mini-store of my belongings for sale using Notion.

To take payment I embedded a PayPal QR code and a link to pay directly into my bank via Monzo.

People can go to the page, look at what's for sale, pay digitally and arrange collection from my flatmate.

16/n

I need someone to be my "eyes and hands" to sift through my stuff.

Advertised a job on a few Whatsapp groups and managed to get someone. Paying £15 an hour and we'll jump on a video call so I can give some direction.

Whole new meaning of remote collaboration...

17/n

When I came to Taiwan in January, I didn't expect to be sitting here directing someone to go through my stuff and pack it all up. for tech!

Next:
Taking the TV off the wall, filling the holes and repainting the wall. Got someone from Task Rabbit to come and do this.

18/n

In the coming few weeks I'll sell my things, extract myself out of London, Edinburgh & UK and figure out where I can go from there.

19/n

Current considerations:
+ Where's open that's a "green-ish zone"
+ How long can you stay
+ Do I need a visa
+ Where do I want to be in case of a second wave?

20/n

The pandemic may have been the biggest stress test for the world we have seen in our lifetime, and for me I'm taking this opportunity to face uncertainty head on.

https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/1267161610243710976?s=20

21/n

Putting myself in the best possible position to have optionality, flexibility and as much freedom as possible going forward.

I don't accept things aren't possible and will look for every way to make it happen.

I treat challenges and uncertainty like this as a game.

22/n

Regaining financial and physical stability is now my focus, and by selling everything, it provides a platform to once again progress through life with a level of freedom that allows one to make better decisions.

23/n

The pandemic has only gone to show me that we truly can work from anywhere - as I have done previously, and have done for the last 6 months in Taiwan.

I've seen an increase of friends and others looking to move out of cities and think about where they could work remotely.

24/n

I'll continue this thread as I progress through this journey, in the hope it'll help anyone thinking about doing something similar.

Ask me anything, I'm happy to share!

25/n

Today I have a handyman from Task Rabbit coming to help take down a TV, fill the holes and repaint the wall.

I'd do it myself, but I'm not there.

I've used Task Rabbit several times to help with various jobs, even helping an Airbnb guest take luggage up the stairs.

26/n

Progress report - Moving stuff.

Yesterday I sat on a 5 hour Zoom video call as someone I hired to be my eyes and hands in London went through my stuff.

Approach:
+Categorise
+Catalogue
+Clear

System:
1) Keep
2) Sell
3) Charity
4) Throw

27/n

Things Learned:

Moving is 10x easier and quicker when you don't physically do it yourself.

Person doing the packing doesn't have an "emotional attachment" to the stuff (space saved)

You don't sit there reminiscing (time saved)

Having a stranger go thru stuff not so bad

28/n

Notion has yet again been my go-to for managing this project.

I've created:
1) A "digital shop" for my things to sell
2) Shared items to keep or sell
3) A list of bills and contracts I currently pay inc a/c & contact details

All instantly shareable & updatable.

29/n

Choosing A "Work from Anywhere" Location in COVID times

I've been in Taiwan for the last 6 months. So far, they've issued 5x 30 day visa extensions for foreigners.

What many aren't aware of is that boundaries are being pushed.

30/n

The 5th visa extension was clarified this week. Originally I thought I'd have to leave after 180 days.

They've just extended it to 210 days, so I have ~2 months to watch and wait for my next move.

https://www.immigration.gov.tw/5475/5478/141457/142068/232841?fbclid=IwAR2NzI68dRQhj0fy2bsklcP5YTqv3JGB7QjiLNGY-H8w9egCM75oMegIG5c

31/n

Where To Go/What To Do - Approach:

I'd like to stay in a "green zone" where they've managed to handle COVID well.

My criteria is:
Low cases
Low cost of living
Freedom of living
Good infra for remote working
Beautiful nature
Good food
Easy visa
Open border

32/n

Countries in that list are currently:

Taiwan
Vietnam
Thailand
South Korea

The only one currently open and accessible is

If I can't stay in that may be an option.

33/n

Everything's fast moving and highly uncertain.

These resources are helpful for keeping up to date:

FB Grp:
Digital Nomads Around The World
Stuck in Taiwan

Sites:
https://canitravel.net/ 
https://www.nomadalerts.com/ 
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
https://www.iata.org/en/programs/covid-19-resources-guidelines/covid-gov-mitigation/
@NomadList

34/n

Boundaries are being pushed when it comes to visa's, laws and foreign stays around the world.

It's interesting to see how countries differ in their approach.

So far, Taiwan has shown nothing but kindness, compassion and forward thinking by giving automatic extensions.

35/n

To legally stay in , I can do a few things:

+Apply for Entrepreneurship Visa (1yr visa, low barrier to entry)
+Open a branch office of my own co. (2-3yr, low barrier to entry)
+Get hired by a co. (high barrier to entry)
+Apply for Gold Card (3-5yr, high barrier to entry)

36/n

Currently deciding on whether I want to commit to staying in Taiwan, or waiting for another "green country" to open and relocate there.

37/n

Choosing accommodation when working from anywhere.

In 2016 I set out to work from anywhere. It took me across 30 countries, each giving me lessons on remote working and what to look for.

I'm used to figuring out the nuances of where to live.

38/n

Since being in Taiwan, I've stayed in ~10-15 Airbnb's & Hotels.

Here's my "Remote Work/Live Playbook":

1) Space for multimodal living - work & living
2) Abundance of natural light - helps mindset, sleep & mental wellbeing
3) Fast Wi-Fi - Above 50mb - Pref 100+

39/n

Cont'd:
4) Quiet - I don't want to hear traffic OR neighbours - Helps focus & sleep
5) Space for working standing + sitting
6) Good lighting - Light's important for different modes of life

40/n

Cont'd:
7) Washing machine in the building - Optimal for life chores
8) Outdoor space - An environment to relax & get away from "work"
9) Supermarket easily accessible
10) Public Transport easily accessible (unless I have my own)

41/n

Finding accommodation which those boxes can be difficult depending on city/country.

In it was difficult because Airbnb's at my £$ range are usually poorly fitted out. Very dark & Wi-Fi is shit. No use for working & keeping myself mentally happy.

42/n

Hotels are also an issue because they're often not set up for longer stays e.g. no kitchen, no washing machine, Wi-Fi is shit, rooms have no windows, no other area to work from. Or the lounge area is dimly lit for "ambience".

I'm not on a date, I want to work!

43/n

I wish Airbnb, http://Hotels.com  & all other accommodation sites had the following search criteria:

Verified Wi-Fi speeds
Natural lighting indicator
Verified laundry facilities
Noise indicator (can I hear neighbours having sex!? Happens all the time in TW.)

44/n

I've been able to sell my things seamlessly using Monzo[.]me. I thought it was a bank transfer but actually, it allows you to take card payments.

-Anyone with a card can pay
-Instant payment & settlement in your a/c
-Free (zero fees)

Send link, done - no cash involved.

45/n

Don't accept what "experts" say.

Lawyers in Scotland told me I had to come back to the UK to sell my property.

13 years and 2 days after I took my 1st step to a more sovereign life, I took another step and put my apt. on the market - executing the process from Taiwan.

46/n

This is the biggest step in my Work From Anywhere journey.

It'll allow me to stop making d-2-d decisions based on my financial status, which will help my mental, financial and creative state.

It'll allow decisions to be made based on what I truly want to, not have to do.

47/n

If you're abroad and need to sell property in Scotland - or the UK, here's what I found:

1) You CAN sell remotely
2) Find a smaller lawyer to work directly with over a larger co.
3) The only part that legally requires a wet sig is signing the deeds

48/n

Cont.

Deeds can be emailed to you and have to be sent back physically. All other parts of the process of selling a property can be done digitally.

This was a big challenge to overcome as I am not going back to the UK just to sell my property.

So I found how to do it.

49/n

Back to my life in London, I've gone from having possessions to everything I own in one large suitcase - all executed remotely.

I've sold everything online, hired people to physically help me, sat on multiple video calls to guide the process and arranged repairs virtually.

50/n

Here's how I executed it:

1) Notion - List all items (Sell, Keep, Donate)

Add item numbers to make it easy for you to keep track of and the buyer to indicate what they'd like.

Just like a takeaway model.

51/n

2) TaskRabbit & Airtasker for repairs & physical help

Hire anyone for anything. Just create a task and find someone you are comfortable with doing it.

If you don't have TR etc in your area, perhaps try FB (as much as I don't enjoy it).

52/n

3) Whatsapp groups - hiring physical help & selling items

Classifieds, Buy, Sell, Exchange & other groups I'm in really really helped!

53/n

4) FB Marketplace & Gumtree - Selling items

Note, FB seems to have a higher quality of buyer.

I accepted card or bank trans. only, no cash. Wasn't an issue for people on FB, but some on GT didn't like it.

Less hassle overall with FB buyers.

Batch pick ups for ease.

54/n

5) Zoom, FT & Whatsapp video calls

Efficiency is key here.

Ahead of the call, be clear with what you're looking to achieve with each call, and map out the sequence you want to do the tasks in.

Then give guidance throughout.

It went really smoothly each time I did it.

55/n

I run my Airbnb (the property I'm selling) remotely. So I took a similar approach.

I've created a whole operational guide, templates and framework for implementing remote property management yourself.

You can get it for free here: https://bit.ly/2PIpW3q 

56/n

Left the city to live beside mountains, nature and greenery.

Work from anywhere is now.

57/n