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Post by ntsf on Mar 29, 2017 17:58:33 GMT
If you own a home in the Bay Area. and can imagine ever moving back KEEP your house!!! we did when we were expats.. once you sell, it could be impossible to ever buy again.. and by keeping your house, you keep the property tax basis.. and you don't want that to rise. it would not prevent you from moving wherever.. but having that house to go back to is a big relief.
prices are only going up here.. even if we move in retirement, we plan to keep the house, as our kids can inherit the house and the tax basis.
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uksue
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,500 
Location: London
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Post by uksue on Mar 29, 2017 18:25:37 GMT
I live in greater London ( Havering )and can be in central London from my local station in about 15 minutes on the thru train- much cheaper out here, you get more for your money ! I hate to think what my 4 bed house would cost further in!
Areas like Leyton, Epping , Redbridge all have fast transport into central London with good schools.
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Post by myboysnme on Mar 29, 2017 19:51:55 GMT
I recall I could not use any of my American machines with motors. I could only use lamps. I could use my stereo with an adaptor.
Sewing machine is not something I would bring. I would get something that could be serviced if needed there and the power will not affect the motor.
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Post by beaglemom on Mar 30, 2017 4:16:50 GMT
If you own a home in the Bay Area. and can imagine ever moving back KEEP your house!!! we did when we were expats.. once you sell, it could be impossible to ever buy again.. and by keeping your house, you keep the property tax basis.. and you don't want that to rise. it would not prevent you from moving wherever.. but having that house to go back to is a big relief. prices are only going up here.. even if we move in retirement, we plan to keep the house, as our kids can inherit the house and the tax basis. If we weren't going overseas we were going to sell and move somewhere else in the bay area. Both sets of parents have houses that fall under prop 13, so if all else fails we can buy one of their homes (los altos or Woodside) and pay even lower property taxes. We bought as the market was crashing in 2007 and think that we can get almost double what we paid. We also owe about 10% of what it's worth. So in theory we should be able to make good money on that if we invest it while we're gone. But we plan to meet with our financial planner to go over things before deciding. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 30, 2017 5:53:02 GMT
I sew - I know getting American fabrics in the UK is difficult and expensive. My biggest concern is sewing machines. Does it make sense to bring mine and get adaptors? Or should I buy something there that will work while we are there and then sell it when we leave? Not a UK pea, but an American pea with 25 years of expat experience who has hauled sewing machines, fabric and notions all over the world. Fabrics - while American fabrics are great (especially all the new quilting lines), there are some great fabrics in Europe. You'll be in London....Hello Liberty of London!  I would not take up too much of your shipping allowance on stocking up on fabric. Take some basics and fabric for specific projects. Sewing machines - It depends on your machine, but I have had great luck running machines on a transformer (both Singer and Bernina). Many of the newer machines are now dual voltage, so all you do is put a plug adapter on and you are good to go. I purchased a new Bernina for our last assignment in KZ and had no problems at all. If you are going to purchase a new machine, I'd recommend you buy a dual voltage machine, purchase it here and ship it. The costs are typically less expensive in the US due to the VAT overseas. Do some online cost comparisons to make sure though. As for other appliances, our experience was that you could run most things on a transformer. I have a friend who took her American refrigerator to the UK and ran it on a transformer for 5 years, then sold it to another expat. The only things that won't work as well (or not at all) tend to be things that heat up (toaster, microwave, hair dryer, flatiron, clothes iron, etc). You can usually find a good selection at an import/export store or Amazon. We have used East West International in the past. When we left our last post, we sold all the 220V appliances to other expats. They were fighting over my 220V Kitchenaid mixer. I sold it for what I paid for it, which was at the time 1/3 of what they charged in Paris for them! get a book on culture shock.. even though we sort of speak the same language.. there is certainly culture shock.. they don't do things the same, the groceries are different, the assumptions about life are different. as a former expat, I don't think people think enough about this. This is critical. Do some reading on culture shock, as well as raising third culture kids (TCK). Also realize that as difficult as the adjustment can be at times, the hardest part of any expat assignment is coming home. Repatriation is tough because you change. Definitely read up on that as well! At the end of the day though, it is worth all the challenges! I hope that your plans work out for going this Fall and that you have a wonderful expat experience! |
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Post by myboysnme on Mar 30, 2017 11:30:11 GMT
Speaking of culture shock - I still remember the first time I experienced driving on the 'other side' of the road from what I'm used to. My brain immediately went into panic mode thinking we were about to be hit head on by someone on the wrong side.
Before long I was driving my American car there and it was easy for me because I'm a lefty so having the steering wheel on the left and driving on the left was a quick adaptation for me. When I came back to the US I briefly experienced the same reaction to the traffic but my brain kicked in to 'this is normal here' immediately.
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joy8man
One Post Wonder
Posts: 1
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Post by joy8man on Mar 30, 2017 12:11:40 GMT
If you are not set on living in London look further afield. I live in rural Oxfordshire & my husband commutes into London on the train most days. The schools here are great & most are in walking distance. With a good train & road network you are in a great central position to visit lots of different parts of the UK. We regularly visit Bath, Bristol & Stratford as well as London.
I live round the corner from the farm which was used in Downtown Abbey, my son works in the cafe, where I meet friends to craft. There is the choice of modern houses or a chocolate box cottage. Don't feel you need to be tied to London.
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