Originally Posted by Wendy murphy

I have people on some holiday that we have had in the States that are of pension age that receive UK pension and have lived over there for 50 years, which does seem terrible as they haven't given much to the UK economy and yet they are getting money from it.

Originally Posted by Bob

This would be fab!

How do folks get around the issue of registering/titling and insuring the thing without a residence here though?

Originally Posted by Wendy murphy

Hi Thanks for that but I think that is aimed at people that were born in the UK but have lived away for a long time, I have lived here all of my life and have paid more than 30 years NI, and also I have spoken to my doctor here as I am keeping my house and would be home 6 months a year, Would that make any difference to me and he said I would still stay on their books, I have people on some holiday that we have had in the States that are of pension age that receive UK pension and have lived over there for 50 years, which does seem terrible as they haven't given much to the UK economy and yet they are getting money from it. I don't want to immigrate to the US I just want to stay there for up to 6 months in a home I own.

Originally Posted by MidAtlantic

I wish people would not keep saying this. In the event of really needing healthcare (heart attack, appendectomy, infectious disease, any undiagnosed severe pain and a host of other things) you are not going to be able to just "pop back to the UK".

Originally Posted by SanDiegogirl

This is not what I meant. I'm not suggesting people can pop back to the UK.

With good travel insurance there is the medical repatriation benefit.

With this benefit, it one gets seriously ill, one is treated, stabilized (even rehab'd) and then returned to home country.

Originally Posted by Rete

I don't know of anyone personally who owns a vacation home in the US while a resident of another country. My in-laws, who are Canadian, before poor health robbed them of the ability to stay in the US for more than 2 weeks at a time due to not having US medical insurance, were snowbirds and lived in Florida from mid-November through mid-April every year. But they rented a house for those months rather than buying a vacation home and as Canadians they were not required to have a visa.

Yes, homes in the US are not built the way homes in the UK or elsewhere in Europe are built. We don't have roofs that last 30 to 100 years without need for replacement. Our walls are usually wood frame, not stone and plaster board so there is a definite increase to one's home maintenance.

Dear friends who have a lakeside cottage in upper New York State sold their main home and bought one in Florida and return to NYS to the lakeside cottage every May and return to Florida in October. They shut off all water, clear the lines so they don't freeze, lock up and don't worry about the place until they return in May. But it is a 3 bedroom/2bath cottage and doesn't need to be heated while empty in the winter.

The main problems for you are the desire to open a bed and breakfast. You cannot do that without the proper visa. If you have money to invest and can meet the guidelines for an investment visa, then you have that avenue.

Sometimes we tend to offer more negative comments but they are realistic and only you can decide how much of your money do you want to spend to purchase a home here that will essentially only be a holiday home for sporadic use.

Entering the US is always a gamble for a visitor. Only a US citizen is guaranteed the right to enter the US. I see your age of 53 as a strike against you for a B visa because the US, rightly or wrongly, thinks that is a little young to be retired. We know it is not but hey I'm not the one authorizing your visa or stamping your entry.

Check with an immigration attorney and than make an educated decision after you have their advice. Good luck to you.

Originally Posted by Wendy murphy

Hi, We have put in for a E2 visa, We can afford to buy a house in cash and maintain it if it is about $800 a month while we are not there. We thought maybe we would buy a new one so big jobs like the roof wouldn't need doing for a while, or at least until we don't want to spend so much of the year there, I don't think it is really cheap when we are there, I think the supermarket food in more expensive than here and you can get a better cheap meal here for you money, Good food in the US is very dear, I just like going there we have done 32 states and would like to do the other 18 while we are there. I think having two houses in any countries will be expensive and I like the USA best. Thank you for all of your help.

Originally Posted by Nutmegger

What do you mean you have "put in for an E2 visa"? It takes a lot of preparation to submit a successful E2 application, including a business plan that indicates how you will grow the business and hire American employees. You can't get an E2 just on the basis of owning property in the US. Did you actually mean a B2?

Originally Posted by Wendy murphy

Sorry I mean a B2.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

If you are 53, so much younger than most people are able to retire, there is a fairly good chance your B-2 application will be rejected, on the basis that the VWP is already available to you. So be prepared for that possibility.

Originally Posted by Wendy murphy

Hi Thanks for that but I think that is aimed at people that were born in the UK but have lived away for a long time, I have lived here all of my life and have paid more than 30 years NI, and also I have spoken to my doctor here as I am keeping my house and would be home 6 months a year, Would that make any difference to me and he said I would still stay on their books, I have people on some holiday that we have had in the States that are of pension age that receive UK pension and have lived over there for 50 years, which does seem terrible as they haven't given much to the UK economy and yet they are getting money from it. I don't want to immigrate to the US I just want to stay there for up to 6 months in a home I own.

Originally Posted by Twinkle0927

Paying NI has nothing to do with the NHS. NI pays for pensions and JSA (and a few other random benefits).
Being a British citizen has nothing to do with the NHS.
Receiving a state pension has nothing to do with the NHS.
Spending more than 3 months in another country has everything to do with the NHS. You lose entitlement to it even if you've paid millions in tax every year. Even if you continue to pay tax. NHS is for residents in the U.K.

Originally Posted by Wendy murphy

I will, at the moment it does feel like it is going to be impossible to buy a place in the USA, someone said I am most probably looking at houses that might look cheap but they might be in a bad area that is why, but I am looking in South Carolina which is cheap but I am going to spend 250-300k so that is enough to get a semi decent house. We wont be getting a state pension until we are 66, which isnt very much anyway, but our private one is good and my husband is 58. We want to do it now rather than we get to old and cant do the things we want to, but if we don't get a B2 then that is it for us.

Originally Posted by Pulaski

You should be able to get a nice house in a nice neighborhood for much less than that in SC. At the prices you mentioned you're on the edge of what would be considered to be luxury housing, .... and taxes will he more and a property manager would probably want more to manage it for you. At the high 200's range upto $300k I think the running costs would be more as I had been assuming an average-sized family home around $150-$200k when I threw down some numbers totalling $800/mth. I would guess that the numbers will increase in proportion and you'd be looking at around $1,200/mth for a $275-$300k home.

Also watch out for the insurance because policies in the US typically stipulate that you can't leave a home vacant for more than 30 days or it will revert to a basic fire and catastrophic damage policy.