Relocating to Lehi Utah - Need your inputs! (Provo, Sandy: real estate, apartment complexes)

[Kumar_11]

Dear Members,

I got an international transfer with a offer of 73K USD/Anum and planning to relocate to salt lake city ,Utah in January 2016. I’m from India and this is my first international opportunity.

I need your inputs on below,

1. Is this 73k/Anum salary good for 3 People (Me+wife+Kid 3yrs old), will I be able to save anything
2. Preferred rent locations close to Lehi (My work location)
3. Good primary Schools and fee details around Lehi
4. Will I be able to commute to office without a car , how is the public transport and connectivity
5. I’m a Hindu by religion , Should I worry about LDS, Non-LDS issues. personally i respect each individual irrespective of their religions.

Appreciate your inputs on above points.

Thanks,
Kumar

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

No public transit, you will need a car. That salary will be fine. Public schools.in the US are free and Pre-K for 4 yrs old should be free as a English as Second Language (ESL) student. Sorry but I can't help with other questions.

[Coffeequeen]

I personally wouldn't live in Lehi. try the burbs on the SL County side, Sandy wouldn't be too bad and there would be quite a few Indian families around Sandy. Challenger is a lower cost private school that has good full time preK, and Canyons school district has SALTA as their academic magnet program starting from grade 1 (test in K), both these schools attract Indian families and this can be nice for your kids. I don't know about public preK but for sure you want your kid in a school setting ASAP. Hilltop in Sandy also has an accredited preschool worth checking out, while it is christian, it is not LDS.
A car will be a requirement for your family.

[Kumar_11]

Thanks for your reply. It helps a lot.

[Kumar_11]

I did notice all apartment renting websites/car financing's are asking for credit history and references. As I’ll be moving for the first time and new to Utah how to deal with this situation.

[UTES]

Originally Posted by Kumar_11

I did notice all apartment renting websites/car financing's are asking for credit history and references. As I’ll be moving for the first time and new to Utah how to deal with this situation.

Come prepared with documentation of your finances as well as letters of recommendation.

I like Lehi - it's a booming (prosperous) area with much new construction both commercial and private. There are several new apartment complexes as well as suburbs along the West side. It's right between two major metropolises, Salt Lake and Provo/Orem.

On that salary a family will do well in Lehi.

Bill

[irman]

Originally Posted by Kumar_11

Dear Members,

I got an international transfer and planning to relocate to salt lake city ,Utah in January 2016. I’m from India and this is my first international opportunity.

I need your inputs on below,

1. Is this 73k/Anum salary good for 3 People (Me+wife+Kid 3yrs old), will I be able to save anything

Plenty, unless you are used to living *high on the hawk*, and using credit cards to the max !!
Having savings available is a matter of opinion on how *you* work with the net income you have !
There are families here who live on 1/2 of that what you will bring in !!

2. Preferred rent locations close to Lehi (My work location)

Plenty of places you can rent there. How the neigbourhood treats you, depends also on how you will treat them !! You are the newcomer and thus should behave like a guest in *their* neighbourhood.

3. Good primary Schools and fee details around Lehi

There are good and bad schools everywhere and what is important is how involved *you* will be in the education of your children.

4. Will I be able to commute to office without a car , how is the public transport and connectivity

You can always *commute* without a car, and that depends on how far you are willing to walk.
So from where you will work, look at the neighbourhood, even with Google Earth and then draw a circle how far you willing to walk. The USA is really not a walking friendly anywhere !!
So yes you need a car, and you really do not need a new one or a really big one.
On the other hand, like I said with lousy public transportation, you really do not want to be cooped up in your abode during your time off from work ...

Public transportation is there but it is severely limited. If you are used to Public Transportation, forget what you know. Totally different here, and often not accessible unless you have a car to get to the *stops* or stations.

5. I’m a Hindu by religion , Should I worry about LDS, Non-LDS issues. personally i respect each individual irrespective of their religions.

If you start with a fear of not being the same as the people around you, then give up the job, and stay where you are. Otherwise come here, keep an open mind, try as hard as can to *integrate* but not necessarily assimilate. Nothing wrong with the good values your parents taught you !!
Never talk bad about the USA, ever !!! You think bad things, keep them to yourself, we do not to be reminded about the bad things that happen here, especially not from a foreigner !!
Plenty of good reasons to live here and raise your children !

The LDS community will come by once and a while, but that is how it is and just be nice if you are NOT interested. If interested, then try to learn something from them.

I wonder why you did not mention that you might have spoken to the HR department of the place who will be employing you.
Did they not tell you about where you can live, or did they just hire you and it is all up to you to get settled and what not ?
If so, I would not work for them !!

[Coffeequeen]

If you are a corporate move, your relocation people will help you with your credit score etc. As I would assume a company is sponsoring your visa, they are likely to have protocols in place for such situations. IME this only happens when you land though, so doing your own groundwork is very smart, often relocation people are just real estate agents, and sometimes HR is clueless unless you know the right questions to ask.

[Kumar_11]

Dear Irman/Coffeequeen,

Thanks for your response and I really like the way you answered my queries straight to the point. It’s really gave me a broad view. Yes, it’s a corporate move and my paperwork is going on. I didn’t get a chance to speak to Global facilities team, may be they can help me on this process.

Thanks.

[irman]

Originally Posted by Kumar_11

Dear Irman/Coffeequeen,

Thanks for your response and I really like the way you answered my queries straight to the point. It’s really gave me a broad view. Yes, it’s a corporate move and my paperwork is going on. I didn’t get a chance to speak to Global facilities team, may be they can help me on this process.

Thanks.

You're welcome, and welcome to Utah !!!

Wherever you go in Life, always keep a smile on your face and make people wonder what you are up to !!