UkWinds5353

I agree, there will probably be a learning curve in understanding some Brits but what matters most that I understand the most important Brit. The one that had me at hello.

UkWinds5353

I'm not pushy....I rather see it as being determined

UkWinds5353

Thanks Jersey

christmasoompa

I only used your word. But my point is that being pushy won't get you whatever you want in a listed property, the Conservation Officer following strict guidelines and being determined to preserve the historic home will win every time!

Being pushy never goes down well with Brits anyway, but Conservation Officers tend to be a whole bureaucratic breed of their own.

moneypenny20

So you're just having a holiday and not a real estate trip now?

shokwaverider

Where is the weather mildest in the UK? Or is good weather in the same sentence as the UK an oxymoron? That is our kicker, we currently live in Florida (15 years) and before that SoCAL (14 years). So we are official Weather wimps and completely spoilt.

South Devon, IOW and Kent coast maybe?

benrodgers

I think South-east and London are the best places for relocation .

yellowroom

UkWinds5353

Hello Everyone!

Hope all of you have had a safe and enjoyable summer. The family and I got back yesterday from a very long stay in Europe and so glad to be home. Will go into a longer post in the coming days about our trip and the many things we experienced while being in the UK and Europe in general. Our trip was 7 weeks long for my wife, our middle son and I, but we sent our youngest and oldest sons home for the start of the school year. Despite any and all logistics it was a fantastic time.

This was a very structured trip, and for the most part nothing went according to plan. The first 8-10 days or so we stuck to our goal of seeing the various cities including those along the coastal areas of Brighton, Bristol, and Dorset. In Brighton, which we all enjoyed immensely, it actually was a stand out and especially for the kids. They felt so comfortable there and the place offered so many fun things to do for the whole family. I was a little surprised by the beaches because was expecting a similar look to what you would see in many Americans coastal locations. I hadn't seen beaches with mostly rocks instead of sand covering the beaches so that was different. But we also have not seen many beach towns as lively as the city of Brighton. It really has it all and super close to London and especially by American travel distance standards.

First let me say how easy it is to travel though out the UK. It almost feel like I never really saw the UK for those few months in the Manchester area. And maybe to a certain degree that is true because we were dealing with our youngest not adjusting well to being in a new environment many years ago as a pre-teen, and me needing to spend most of my time in the States. I would say there are so many great areas in the UK to call home and we were surprised by the areas that were not originally on our target list. We freaking LOVED Liverpool. It was so much fun there and the people are very cool and they just opened up once they realized that we are Americans. So curious and constantly asking questions. Just very charming. After checking out homes in several target areas we spent time with my wife's family and that's when the scheduled trip took a turn because the kids were all having such a great time together with cousins that we decided to allow them to enjoy being more time among family. And in fact I talked my sister into flying over from the States with her two sons. It was a two and half later that we went to Portugal and Spain.

The food the food the food is way too good! We were eating things that only my wife had previous experienced. You would think everyone in the UK should be fat based on how tasty things are. We went to some famous place in London that is known for desserts based on certain reviews and I swear just eating at that place was worth dealing with the incredible crowds in London. And there was actually a long line just to dine in this place, and when they found out we were Americans the level of kindness was simply off the charts. My favorite meal actually happened at a Pub. In the States it would basically be a roast beef dinner but in the UK it's called Roast Dinner and man is it good! Really tasty meat with a bread covered in gravy. Truly off the charts. My wife says the food is healthier because of fewer preservatives. I'm not sure about that but I can say the food is insanely good. Meat pies also seem to be pretty popular in the UK.

We made it to Scotland with my wife's family and was there for only three days and thought the place was beautiful, and we took the time to look at a couple houses while there and the price difference jumps out at you because it's considerably less. Wanted to visit Ireland but time limitations made that trip very challenging so we decided to revisit the UK for the Christmas holidays and will include Ireland in December. Long story short this trip has changed our thinking about previous plans. Number one we are not going to buy a house right away because there are so many wonderful places that could be the perfect place to call home. We'll rent for about six months in two different locations and then invest. Our plans for a second home in Europe has also changed and I will go more into why in my next posting. This was not only a fun time with family but we still learned a lot. I would tell anyone that is on the wall trying to decide whether to move to the UK that there are so many positives about life in the UK.

jayandbill

How nice to hear so much positivity about the UK. There will be some who will say, "Oh, but being on holiday isn't the same as living there, " and of course that's true of anywhere. We holidayed in NZ 4 times - some of the time spent here was in winter -before we moved here 9 years ago and the shine does wear off eventually, as it will when or if you decide to move to Britain. You're right about the food, it's not at all bad, in spite of the bad and antiquated rumours about how bland it is and there's something about a good Yorkshire pudding (the bread with gravy on) that cannot be denied.
Getting across and around the country there is easier than in NZ because the road and rail networks are quite extensive. Being able to pop across to Europe where, in less than the time it takes to travel from the north to the south of NZ , you can travel through very diverse landscapes and cultures, and that is what I miss.The weather? That's not as bad as some would have people believe and you didn't mention it so I'm guessing it was no worse or better than many countries, including NZ. It's variable from top to bottom.
Be sure to visit Ireland , both parts, and Wales on your next visit, you'll love both countries.
I'm a Brightonian, by the way. I spent most of my quite long life there and spent many a day on that stony beach as a child, getting sunburnt would you believe! I've lived in Europe, the Middle East , Northern Ireland and Australia and, thankfully, I saw a bit of the world before moving here.
Whatever you decide, have a lovely life and thanks for giving the UK a bit of a boost, it's going through difficult times but it will survive.

UkWinds5353

Had a million things to do here at home after being out of town for so long. And on that note let me say how nice it has been to get away from everything for a while. Thank you for your kind words. We are looking forward to Ireland during Christmas should be especially festive. I have never been bought so many drinks in my LIFE than in the UK! And let me say no one can out drink a Scottish person. OMG! I might not drink anything stronger than a soda pop for the next 6 months.
I honestly have been bowled over by my time and experiences in the UK and how wonderful the people treated us. And it's not like we didn't expect people to be kind to my wife, kids and myself but the level of thoughtfulness has been off the charts. We began our trip traveling to the various cities and counties up for consideration and there were several that stood out based on certain goals. The city of Brighton, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Oxford were major stand outs and we could see ourselves living in any of those locations. The county of Berkshire is quite beautiful and all of us felt very much at home there. So much history and points of interest and I can certainly understand why that area of the country is one of the best places to call home.

What we liked about Liverpool and Edinburgh was the relaxed less guarded feel when meeting people. The people seem so down to earth and enjoyed striking up a conversation with a stranger. And there are so many things to do in those places. So we have a lot to think about and we want to experience being there for a full month in winter over the holidays. We think that is going to be a true test and probably a shocking one for some of us. During our nearly two month stay we had the UK version of hot days which for us wasn't bad at all. It was the few chilly days in mid summer that got our attention . Even my Manchester born wife had to layer up in the evening hours to handle 60 degree tempts but keep in mind that 65 in the UK does feel colder than in Florida.

We did make the decision not to buy a home right away because at this point there are too many areas to pick from and we have the luxury to rent in a few places. We will narrow it down to about 2 or 3 places starting out 6 months in one place then try another for 6 months. After 6 to 12 months we should be well informed of what makes us feel at home. Our kids did like London but they were a little surprised how over crowded it is and we were told that it's worse after the summer months. My wife and I kinda get the feeling they might be open to having a place outside of London. Btw, I didn't bother to look at real estate while in London because the Mrs & I felt no pull at all in wanting to live there. For us it's idea for a day/night out on the town and that's pretty much how we feel about NYC as well.

We also decided we're not going to buy a second place in Europe as our winter get away, and instead we'll just keep our place in the States and maybe invest in a location near the ocean. Spain was beautiful and we truly loved Portugal for so many reasons, But we feel once the UK leaves the EU it might be safer to own in places where we have more rights as residents. And not to mention that we agreed the summer options for us are actually better in the States than Spain and Portugal. We rather visit short term those places for now. We talked to many Brits that held so much concern about the aftermath of Brexit and the relationship the UK will have with Europe. My heart definitely goes out to all the Brits that are going to be affected by this major change.

Our youngest will be starting University next year at UCLA and he asked his mom(while in the UK) if we would consider moving out to California for his first two years of college. What do they say about being a parent? You're a parent until the grave

jayandbill

Ah, yes! The parent thing. Leaving your family, be they parents or children, is the hard part and I've been on both sides of the situation. My parents are now long gone and we're in NZ because our children and Grandchildren are here. I think your decision to retain a place in the States rather than in Europe is a wise one given the uncertainties post- Brexit and I can also understand your son's hope that you won't be too far away whilst he's at College in the States. Retaining a home there makes sense to me.
Regarding the best areas to settle in Britain; as others have suggested, the climate in the South East is kinder if you're used to Californian sunshine and although there are many pebbly beaches like Brighton there are also some sandy ones along that coastline, Camber Sands near Rye and Littlehampton to name two. Where to live? You're spoilt for choice and there's countryside everywhere, whichever bit of Britain you choose, although to listen to some Brits you'd think the entire country was covered with concrete, when in fact 80% is rural, with actual trees and things.
I hope you make a good decision finally and that your family will never be too far away.

UkWinds5353

Thank You Jayand.

We had an amazing time in the UK and Europe was also a great time. But for now we're going to take our time and do what feels right for the family. I'm just glad my wife got to spend so much time around her parents and siblings. We originally planned to buy a large house in the UK, but when the time is right to buy we have decided to keep things simple. Our visit to the UK made that approach feel even more natural.

spouse of scouse

So you've decided against the £2 million + mansion with extensive grounds, tennis court, heated swimming pool, air conditioning etc etc etc? That's a relief

UkWinds5353

LOL

Yeah, we're going to leave the go BIG or go home mentality in the States. But mostly because after touring several properties we found you don't have to spend a huge amount to find a real nice home with charm in the UK outside of London.
My friends in Manchester have an amazing home and the neighborhood is really beautiful. And better than we thought based on other opinions. We spent time at their new home for a few Barbeques. And to be honest that type of property is about what we'd like to buy. It has tons of character and you could see how the previous owners truly cared about that home because it has been well maintained. I would say it's possible to find a very nice detached house with many amenities in the £700k-£1,400,000 area. A property in that range with space will work for us. But we will rent first and find our way from there.

I think before this trip, we were thinking about buying something grand because it would make the move all the more fun. But after visiting a few properties in the £2-3m range we changed our mind. Imo buying a home in that price range only makes sense if it's sitting on a large parcel of land. And we don't want the fuss and bother. We just want cool neighbors and when it's time to go out of town, we'd like to just lock things up and go.