Not Another "Moving To FL From UK" Post ! (Celebration: appointed, for sale)

[imacman]

Hi,

I live in the UK and would love to move to Florida.

I'm sure you've read this many times on this forum like I have, so I want to add my own ideas.

I'm a carpenter by trade but work mainly on property maintenance in London. I know there is no way I'll get a Visa doing this job as I've looked into it.

We are hoping to buy a vacation villa in Davenport this year and maybe another soon after to take advantage of the Pound/Dollar and the falling property prices.

In a year or two my plan will be to buy a Property management/maintenance company in orlando and get a visa that way. I've seen a few advertised for sale with good ($100,000+) Net Profits for around $250,000 ~ $400,000 depending on size.

If I sell up in the UK we should be able to raise up to $500,000 which would cover the new business and expenses.

Who thinks this is a good idea ?

Who thinks this would work or am I just dreaming ?

I know the process takes a long long time which is why I'm prepared to be patient. We've just come home from a 3 week holiday in Florida and can't wait to come back later in the year, hopefully to buy somewhere.

Also, do you think the property market has bottomed out yet or is it still falling ? I feel sorry for you guys there at the moment and I'm hoping the same thing doesn't happen over here, although it's not looking too good either.

Looking forward to any advise and comments.

[wee_sassenach]

If you're wealthy, you don't have much to worry about. It's not wealthy people who have to worry about all the day-to-day costs, but if you're not wealthy like the majority in the US (and the UK of course), the costs sure add up. My money goes as far here as it does in the UK, and I lived in a big city there, and before that I lived in a smallish town in Surrey.

You have to be prepared to drive everywhere. You have to be prepared to not make friends easily, and for people to not understand what you're saying or what you're talking about. You have to be prepared to read the labels on everything you eat. Do you have kids? What do they think? Do they want to attend university in America? Will you have the money it takes to pay to send your children to university in America? Are you willing to pay for an Ivy League education if they want to go to that kind of school? Do you have the resources to pay the cost of a medical emergency?

The housing market, from my observations, is pretty bad. A lot of people are foreclosing, and we don't know yet where those people are going to go - probably into rentals, maybe for the rest of their lives. I personally would not buy now until I knew what was going to happen to the economy.

But I have no idea whether you should move here. I moved here, so I can't tell you not to, but I moved under very different circumstances, and not to anywhere in Florida, which is a place that doesn't interest me. If you're moving because you think the grass is greener, then don't move here; you'll be disappointed. If you're moving because Florida speaks to you and it makes sense right now and you're able to handle it all going tails-up, maybe it would be good.

[cfIfan]

the route you are considering in all honesty is a tried and tested route. Many Brits have done it and been successful and property management is a very popular industry for Brits to go into when getting a visa. They are cracking down on immigration and i would strongly advise you to contact an immigration attorney though. As you said be prepared for a long wait for your visa though.

Also i would ask you to consider, coming here on vacation and spending currency you have changed is one thing to living here and spending dollars you earn here. It is attractive when coming here because it is so cheap when you consider the exchange rate. When you live and work here earning US dollars there is no exchange rate to take into account and spending dollars here is the same as spending pounds in the UK. The prices are pretty much comparable, with the eception that Health insurance is very expensive.

In terms of whether properties will fall further, no-one can answer that. As a realtor, i would say that some areas have fallen as low as i believe they will go. However, there are some areas where i think they can fall further. The problem is there are alot of over priced properties on the market at the moment. But there are also some very reasonable ones. Alot of people think they can pick a reasonably priced property and lowball because of the market. It was priced low because they wanted to sell quick, not give it away. Some areas, like Celebration for instance are over priced to begin with simply because it is the town Disney built even though in reality now, Disney have not much if anything to do with it, even though many even current residents cant accept this. It will always be expensive there and taxes will always be high, its just a price you have to pay to be in that area.

I hope this helps

[wee_sassenach]

Originally Posted by cfIfan

It is attractive when coming here because it is so cheap when you consider the exchange rate. When you live and work here earning US dollars there is no exchange rate to take into account and spending dollars here is the same as spending pounds in the UK. The prices are pretty much comparable, with the eception that Health insurance is very expensive.

So true! Medical bills just make me want to weep.

For the original poster - in my experience, cost of stuff UK vs the US (more specifically, Surrey and Edinburgh vs New Mexico):

Stuff cheaper in the UK:
dairy
fish
breads
pastries/cakes
root vegetables (potatoes, carrots etc.)
dry pasta
nuts/seeds
herbs/greens
clothing
plane tickets
train tickets
car insurance
pet insurance
furniture
university education
healthcare
toilet roll (!)
cleaning supplies like surface sprays, washing powder, washing up liquid
Housing costs (compared to northern NM)
wine
beer

Stuff cheaper in the US:
fruit (much greater range too)
footwear
cars
electronics
DVDs
some alternative healthcare like homeopathic remedies, herbs, vitamins
fizzy drinks (incredibly cheap and in ridiculous sizes/quantities)
fast food places
junk foods: ice cream, popcorn, frozen pizzas, ready meals, cup-a-soups
certain parks, museums, galleries
buses
hotels/motels (sometimes)
health insurance
housing costs (in southern and central NM)

Stuff that's the same cost:
apartment/house rentals
restaurant/cafe meals
alcoholic drink prices
gas (cheaper per unit in the US but you drive MUCH more in the US)
CDs
razors, shampoos/shower gels
gourmet coffees like lattes, mochas, cappuccinos

But it's a huge country, so this will vary massively from place to place.

[imacman]

Thanks for the replies and information.

We have 2 small children and they say they would love to live in the USA.

We are not rich and don't have lots of money, but if we sell up and buy a business in Florida with net profits of $100,000+ I'm sure we would have a reasonable style of living ?

I get by on around $120,000 income in the UK, but I have to pay a mortgage on a house valued over $1,000,000. The equivalent house in a nice area in FL would be less than half that so I'd be paying half the mortgage. Cars are half price so I'd save a lot there.

Even if most day to day things are the same price as the UK and accounting for health insurance, surely you'd have a good quality of life on $100,000 ?

We are young enough to make new lives for ourselves and the four of us are looking for a new start away from the cold, wet, rip-off Britain.

[cfIfan]

I dont think you will have a problem as long as you dont rush yourselves and make smart choices. What i would say to you as a realtor, is when buying a business, select a realtor who specializes in business sales. I specialize in homes, and in my experience, you wont find a realtor who does both and if they do, they will be adequate at both and not amazing in one or the other. Dont make that mistake. Select a realtor specifically for business's because they will also have accountants on staff to go through the books with a fine tooth comb. Alot of people will pad out the accounts to make it look like they are making alot of money when they are in reality not. Make sure you engage a specialist who will go through this thoroughly as i would hate for you to have all the upheaval and bringing a young family here, and then you are stuck because the business you bought doesnt make anywhere near the money you thought it would and you have to invest alot more time and money to turn it profitable.

Best of luck

[sherry425]

im moving to florida in sept i would like to rent a mobile home in a park we have 3 very small dogs some were by brookville is there ang out there e- mail grandmapudgee@yahoo.com

[sherry425]

Originally Posted by sherry425

im moving to florida in sept i would like to rent a mobile home in a park we have 3 very small dogs some were by brookville is there ang out there e- mail grandmapudgee@yahoo.com

we like ocalo we are retried

[imacman]

cfifan, thanks for your comments. It's nice to hear some positive views instead of all the negative posts this forum seems to be full of.

Sherry425, What are you on ?

[wee_sassenach]

Originally Posted by imacman

cfifan, thanks for your comments. It's nice to hear some positive views instead of all the negative posts this forum seems to be full of.

I think the "negativity" comes from people who've tried this before and (a) failed, or (b) found it hard to make it work, or (c) realised that they valued their quality of life at home more than they knew.

A lot of born-and-raised Americans struggle to make ends meet each month, so some of the "moving for a better life" posts possibly upset people who wish they could do that but could never afford it, or they worry that non-Americans see this as the promised land where life will be much better.

$100,000 sure sounds like a lot of money to me, so as I said, you won't have many of the day-to-day struggles. Do what you want, but don't expect everyone to tell you that life is fabulous here and crap in the UK and you're definitely making the right choice, because there's no way to know that.