JimFL

Hi All,

My names Jim, I'm 26 years old and currently live in London.

I've been travelling back and forth between London and Florida to visit friends since my family moved me away about 17 years ago. In the last year I met an incredible young lady and our relationship has become more serious.

I very much would like to make a permanent move over to the Sarasota area of Florida but was hoping for some advice about a few bits a pieces.

Firstly, I have a British education as far as College (A-Levels). I work as an Estate Agent in London and would love to be a Realtor over in Florida. They say the minimum requirements are that applicants are over 18 years of age and that applicants have a High School Diploma. Will I struggle with my British education to apply for this or will it be fine? Also, do you think they will need to see certificates? I sat my exams about 9-10 years ago and have no idea where those are...

I don't have much in terms of savings. I have about $8,500 at present and intend on saving about $15,000 before booking my ticket. I know I'll have to buy a car, register the plates, eventually take a Florida driving test. I'm anticipating about $6,000 for a budget car and then save the other $9,000 to keep me going until I can find employment.

Is anybody in Florida right now with no specific education/skills trying to find work and struggling? I'm a very good Estate Agent and consider the skills transferable so would be suited to any sales role I'm certain.

Are there any hidden things I should consider ($ wise) which I'm not thinking about?

Also, how much would you save considering I'll have to buy a car, rent an apartment and won't have a guaranteed employment offer right away.

I'm hopeful, call me an optimist but the last few times I was over there appears to be lots of building/investment going on, I was also offered several jobs because people liked my accent .

Any help/stories of your experiences would be most appreciated!

Thanks,

Jim

Pulaski

Visa? Unless you're a US citizen you'll need one.

A lot, though by no means all, of realtors are women who seem to be doing it as a hobby, so don't need or depend on steady income. Just be aware that that is who you're competing against for work.

JimFL

Sorry all,

Forgot to mention that I'm a full US citizen and eligibility to live there is not a problem.

JimFL

If the industry isn't great its not an issue, it was only an idea.

It is a shame though as I enjoyed selling property in London.

Hotscot

Seems that all the hairstylists around here are also Realtors.

So Jim...you've been doing your US taxes every year?

JimFL

So, as I've never resided inside the USA at working age and was born before SSN's were designated at birth I only applied and was given my SSN in May 2014. Im assuming I'm fine in that department too?

Pulaski

Your SSN is fine, but you should explore back-filing some tax returns (three years), as (i) USCs are required to file taxes every year, with very few exceptions (living outside the US is not one of the exceptions), and (ii) it will be good practice for the future when you live in the US.

JimFL

Thanks, I'll look into that.

I have very limited experience of US Taxes.

Any suggestions on somewhere good to read up about them?

penguinsix

You'll have some paperwork to clear up.

Back tax filings, as mentioned. It is likely you won't owe, but you will need to get the paper up to date. You will also need FBAR bank account filings.

You might want to consult some professionals for how to deal with both of those. Check out http://talk.uk-yankee.com and their Tax Section (US expats living in the UK)

Also, you may need to register for military conscription (don't worry, they haven't drafted anyone in over 40 years). Still it is a requirement of US male citizens. Not entirely sure how to sort that out.

Do you have a US passport? You should be traveling to the US on that as well and not a UK passport.

Noorah101

Internal Revenue Service

Rene

Pulaski

If he's never had more than the $8,500 he currently has then he hasn't had any FBAR filing responsibilities, but he should prepare to file in the year he hits $10k of savings, assuming he isn't keeping his savings in the US. (FBAR is only for non-US accounts).

Open an Amex account if you don't have one already; after 12 months Amex will open a US account based on your Amex credit history in the UK.

JimFL

Thanks PenguinSix.

I'll have a look at that link, perhaps my buddies can help with back filling taxes when I get over for good.

Military conscription, oh lord! I shan't think is be much use to them! I'll take a look anyway.

Also, thanks Rene for the link.

JimFL

Sorry, again to clarify my savings are all currently in a U.S. based savings account.

Hotscot

Property issues?

JimFL

Huh?