47candysprinklepants

Hi I am new to this forum and was hoping for some advice. We are currently looking into buying into an established property management business in the Florida area using the E2 visa route. If anybody has taken this route and is currently managing a property management business we would love to hear from you! How much money have you invested, What money contingencies are needed in the first 3-6 months to survive. Can a good standard of living be made? We also have 2 young children and want to know what the schools are like compared with the U.K, what ages they go to school and what education facilities are there for children prior to American school age. We are looking to rent a house and live in our around Clarmont area in the first instance and would be great full of any advice and tips. TIA

sir_eccles

Property management business are often viewed as passive subsistance investments and not suitable for e2.

Also why Florida?

Awesome Welles

Is it your intention to manage vacation rental properties that you have invested in? Having lived in central FL since 2001, I think it's fair to say that the bubble has pretty much burst on this one, if you seek anything more that a means to supplement income from other sources. There is WAY too much rental property/weeks available and not enough punters to keep them occupied other than peak season - and even then, lot's struggle to break even.
I never had the issue to schooling kids here, but unless you are prepared to pay big money for a swanky prep school (Lake Highland Elementary in Orlando is a good yard-stick), the general consensus is that education here is pretty abysmal.

Pulaski

The "day-care" (prior to school age) provision for children is a huge business in the US, and can be pretty pricy.

"In-home" (literally in someone's home) is a state-approved (facilities inspected and operators licensed) low lost option, and expect to pay $400-$500/mth per child (might be more in Florida). For day care in a purpose built/modified building expect to pay $800 -$1,100 (or more, for example in CA and Boston it could easily be 2-3 times those figures) per child. Once a child reaches the age of five (the exact cut-off varies by state) they transition into "kindergarten", which is the first year of the public school system in most areas/states.

The reputation of the school system in Florida is pretty dire.

markcst

The are people who inhabit the Disney Information Bulletin Board (TheDIBB for short) who had BOUGHT business in Florida, in the tourist areas, for tourist type businesses, who can advise. That's been the route that most people have been able to go. The success rate of those businesses is not high. Mainly because everyone goes with the idea its a long holiday over there and the market is absolutely teaming with competition...

scrubbedexpat099

There are property management companies with hundreds of employees.

47candysprinklepants

Does not sound good regarding the schools, didn't really want to have to pay for schools. We do not have our own property in Florida and intend to rent initially until we find a good house in a nice neighbourhood. We have seen booking sheets for the properties and they are 75% full. We have recently returned from a Disney holiday, we liked the way of life, the weather and quite frankly have had enough of the weather in UK. We have looked at France but due to all of the incidents over their we have knocked it on the head plus weather is no better than UK. Spain is warm but not enough work same for Canaries. Oz n NZ our skills are not on the shortage list which would mean retraining. Just want a better work life balance & live in a warm country, not averse to working hard though

christmasoompa

Just checking, but you're aware that the E-2 visa has no direct path to you being able to stay permanently? It's just that it's not a visa recommended for those with children for that reason, your kids could grow up there and not even remember the UK, but when they age out they'll have option but to leave the US unless they can find a way to another visa themselves. Although from what others have said above, your business plans wouldn't get you an E-2 anyway. What do you both do, is there any way you could qualify for a better visa (i.e. one that would actually get you all green cards)?

Not sure the US would give you a better 'work life balance' either, given the lack of holiday etc there - particularly if you're running your own business which tends to mean you work 24/7!

Moses2013

I think you need to start being more positive and maybe focus on what you have and can achieve in the UK, rather than looking at what you don't have. I don't think a Disney holiday will show you how the way of life is in Florida and if the place is so great, why aren't all Americans living down there? Have you ever been in June, July, August and If you've had enough of the weather in the UK, why not go on more holidays to Spain, or invest in a sauna? Rather than buying a business in the US with no security (including visa stress), you'd be better off buying a holiday home in Spain or another place. It's only a short flight away.

robin1234

The whole perception of the weather in Florida being better than the weather in Britain is one that always puzzles me. I've never had AC in England, and the clothes in my closet have never once gone mouldy!! Not to mention sinkholes.

mikelincs

or the mosquitos, alligators or humidity.

Moses2013

And hurricanes, more rainy days than many parts of the UK.

Anrev

Hi 47candysprinklepants
We like Florida too and when the weather here in UK is rubbish (like now) it is nice to go to our little condo there whenever we want.
We do not qualify for any visa but we go on the ESTA so can stay for up to 90 days. That is enough for us then its a pleasure to come back to the UK knowing we can escape anytime.
The property we bought was so cheap and not too expensive to run. The neighbours are nice and the water (pool and beaches) are fab. If you shop around for flights (Thomson, Norwigan or Delta usually) you can get a return for around £375.
Maybe that would be an option for you? PM me if you want more info.

47candysprinklepants

Not to much positivity � ����� ����. I can understand that things will not be easy but life / work balance has got to be better than the UK. The weather surely can't be worse than UK overall. I know it rains in Florida but you get more sunny days than we do, I mean we only had 3-4 weeks of good weather last year.

mikelincs

I think that your first thing to sort out would be the visa situation, so far there hasn't been a lot of positivity on your E2 plan, so you do need to see if what you are thinking about is even doable and then to carefully consider what might happen in the future as the E2 visa doesn't give you a green card, and if something should happen the the business you might well have to leave the US fairly quickly. Then you need to consider the fact that you will be able to stay there, but once you children reach adulthood, they will have to leave the US, or get themselves a visa. The weather in either country should be one of the least important considerations. You also need to carefully look at the healthcare situation, the cost of it for all of you, it won't be cheap.