Moving from jolly 'ol England (Houston, Dallas: insurance, low crime, mortgage)

[MovingbacksoonfromUK]

Hi everyone. I have gone research mad, trying to find a place in the States to move to. We're living in the UK, my children and I hold dual citizenship, but my husband is only British. He has a good job, but in the next two years we want to go back to the US of A.

I'm really liking what I'm reading about Austin.

Could anyone provide me with names of good suburbs around Austin. By good I mean, low crime and good schools.

Also, if anyone knows how good the market is for a software developer, that would be helpful.

How does the whole property tax thing work, too. I assume it's roughly 3% of your property price-ish and then divided over the year....is this accurate?

Also, for an average family of 4 (I say average, but at some point my two little boys will be teenagers), what a weekly grocery bill is? Ball park figures would work!

Trying not to be one of those posts, but any and all information would be greatly received!

Cheers!

[Trainwreck20]

Could anyone provide me with names of good suburbs around Austin. By good I mean, low crime and good schools.

Describes almost all the suburbs, frankly. To the SE, Bastrop, Del Valle, Smithville, etc. are not generally considered as good of school districts. There are some that are considered 'great', but I wouldn't worry about 90% of the school districts around Austin and would not really pay the premium required to get into Eanes (Westlake area in west of Austin).

How does the whole property tax thing work, too. I assume it's roughly 3% of your property price-ish and then divided over the year....is this accurate?

Generally, yes. I don't know of any off-hand that have higher than 3% tax rate, so that is a good upper limit. Most mortgages pretty much require that you escrow taxes now (or pay a 0.25 pt penalty to just pay it at the end of the year). This irks me, but since I don't escrow my taxes, I guess it shouldn't. Anyway, you pay 1/12 of your taxes each month along with your payment, so it is lumped in with your interest, principle, and mortgage insurance (if you are required to have it).

Your 3% is based on your appraised value, which can vary year to year, but once you file a homestead exemption, your tax basis cannot increase by more than 10% (which would be very high for most of the suburbs anyway).

Also, for an average family of 4 (I say average, but at some point my two little boys will be teenagers), what a weekly grocery bill is? Ball park figures would work!

That can vary a HUGE amount, depending on where you shop, what you like to eat, and how much you eat out. I honestly can't tell you how much we spend....$300, $400? a month? because we eat out relatively frequently (not included in my estimate over there...) and our kids eat lunch and snakes at daycare/school, so that is paid for via tuition.

[MovingbacksoonfromUK]

Thanks so much for the quick response! You've given me food for thought. Everything I have read up to this point has been pretty positive. We have to work out the visa for my husband to work, but I hear that Texas is booming now, and a good place to be. I'm originally from MN, and the thought of moving back to one more long winter is enough to send me over the edge! I appreciate your help!

[Trainwreck20]

but I hear that Texas is booming now

Yes and no. Compared to much of the U.S. economy, Texas is doing better. Some sectors are definitely booming - but mainly related to the oil and gas industry and supporting sectors (sand, steel, a few others). I do not think that it is a 'boom' for most other areas, just stronger maybe than the national picture.

And while Austin is growing and doing pretty well, Dallas and (especially) Houston offer a much larger job market with better pay/cost of living ratios. It all depends on what you are looking for .

Where in MN are you from? Half my family is from up there, as well.

[Catscradle]

For residential areas, you'll need to tell us what your budget is and how much square footage you need, how big a lot.

Also, be aware that if your husband does not obtain a job prior to immigrating (and the employer isn't handling the immigration visa), you'll need to file an I-130 marriage-based visa petition and it takes approx. 7-9 months to get one through from original filing to green card. All information about that can be found on British Expatriate Community : British Expat Community - USA - marriage-based visa forum.

I think you'll like Austin. Lots of Brits living here now, too.

[Catscradle]

"...and our kids eat lunch and snakes at daycare/school, so that is paid for via tuition."

Well, you couldn't pay me to let my kids eat snakes, no matter how nutritious they might be.

[hoffdano]

Just a tiny, technical correction concerning property taxes. The property tax is calculated against the "assessed" value of the home, not the "appraised" value of the home. The appraised value is supposed to reflect the market value of the home. The assessed value could be the same as the appraised value, but is usually a bit less. Many taxing entities offer exemptions that reduce the assessed value.

A home worth $300K may be taxed on $300K at the county level, but taxed at $240K for the school district because of exemptions.

Jobs for software developers, especially skilled ones, are widely available. It is a bit volatile though - for example Zynga (the game developer) just did a huge company wide layoff and about 40 people in their Austin office were let go.

[Trainwreck20]

and about 40 people in their Austin office were let go.

I know several of them, and they were just holding out until they got let go vs. quitting. I heard that it was one of the worst possible places to work as far as environment went, but the golden handcuffs were hard to cut...

and oops, Snacks, not snakes, although I have eaten snake before .

[scm53]

Originally Posted by Catscradle

Also, be aware that if your husband does not obtain a job prior to immigrating (and the employer isn't handling the immigration visa), you'll need to file an I-130 marriage-based visa petition and it takes approx. 7-9 months to get one through from original filing to green card. All information about that can be found on British Expatriate Community : British Expat Community - USA - marriage-based visa forum.

I'm not sure that is exactly correct. My brother-in-law was in exactly the same situation coming from Chile. There is a concurrent application process that will allow you to file the I-130 and a I-485 at the same time. Once CIS gets the applications, you get a green card - i think.

Rather than rely on folks on the inter webs, including me, why not go down to Grovesnor Square and visit the CIS office in the embassy? They can lay out the options, reqs, timeline while you are there. If you aren't in the London area, ring them up.

Of course, that means no salt beef sandwich at Selfridge's.

[Catscradle]

There is a process of 'adjustment of status' for someone who is already in the U.S. but it's costly and complicated. The person has to prove they weren't planning on living in the U.S. when they moved there. Good luck. This is an easy way to wind up on the illegal immigrants list and get hassled for years.

If they plan to move in the not too near future, they're much better off having the wife petition for the I-130. A U.S. spouse who files for a non-U.S. spouse to get an immigrant visa must prove they (the U.S. spouse) have - personally - the ongoing financial resources to support the immigrant spouse in the U.S. - which isn't obvious if the U.S. spouse isn't currently working in the U.S. and is living abroad. If they don't have the financial wherewithal, they need a sponsor or sponsors who are willing to guarantee them. Legal immigration is a minefield and a bureaucratic nightmare, but it can be done... you just need to plan 7-9 months ahead.

The poster and moderators on British Expatriate Community : British Expat Community probably know more about immigration procedures than the USCIS does.. and you'll get a useful answer a lot quicker and it's free.