Florida fact-finding tour
 

Hello all,

I'm planning to spend 3 months in Florida from March 2012 on what will be a combination of fact-finding tour/property search/vacation. Like most people, I know Orlando and environs from past holidays but I would also like to explore northern and southern Florida. Are there areas I should avoid, for example?

I'm doing online research and wondered if people on here could recommend any useful websites or realtors or, indeed, offer any useful hints/tips....

For example, is there an organisation which advises British people on how to best go about such an undertaking? Please PM me if you can help. Thanks.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

What is your visa status? Why buy when you can rent? Have you fully planned your exit strategy?

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

So, you've given up on France then?

Ian

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

I'm not emigrating to the USA - I am looking to buy a property if I should find the right place hence the 3 month fact-finding tour. If all goes to plan, I would like to stay in Florida for up to 6 months each year.

One of my ideas at the moment is to stay one month in the St Augustine area, a month in central Florida and then a month in Southern Florida...I'm presuming that I'll be able to hire a car with a UK licence for that length of time?

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

From what I've heard, Florida.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

The question will be asked again, what is your visa status? Do you have a B2 already or are you of retirement age?

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

North cooler and cheaper
south hotter and more expensive

if you buying as an investment dont bother
dont buy condos

there is around 100K realtor ready and will to to help you part with your money
count your finger if they shake your hand

do your own research dont take realtor advice

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

And your exit strategy?

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

And what are you going to do if you are refused entry to the US? It happens more often than you think. Even if you have a Visa. Also have you looked at visas yet? You may need a B2 just to get to the US and you may be refused a visa which means that you can not even check in for your flight because you do not have the documents you need to come here. If you do get your visa and you get to your final destination it is then up to the POE officer to let you into the country and let me tell you POE officers are not going to be nice to you. It is not there job to be nice to you. It is there job to see that you are sensible to enter the country or not and that you are going to leave when you say you are and that you are not going to over stay. Not to be nice. You really need to think about all this while you are planning your trip. If you do come and you are successful in entering the nation than I hope that you have a good time here and keep your self safe. :thumbup::)

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Ozzidoc : what is her visa status ! read the post she has been to America so obviously would have a 90 day visa minimum, she is in her early 50's give her some credit, a ninety day VWP is ample to give a total of 6 months in the US over a year. There is no need for a B2 unless you want to stay 6 month's solid, so why have you all got a hang up on it.

Why buy when you can rent!! Why rent if you can buy...DOH.. so you don't throw your money away,,HUH.

A fully planned exit strategy..it's only the US, she's not planning " DESERT STORM".LMFAO.

Ian-mstn : What's wrong with owning a number of properties around the globe?

Duncan Roberts : " from what youv'e heard" suggest you don't listen to hearsay and visit yourself then give a creditable opinion ( that is what she is asking for) not shallow sarcasm.

Sir-eccles : see above.. maybe a Sir should treat a 50 yr old Lady with respect and stop answering her query with another pointless question.

KetheringEnglandRocks : I think she may be getting to know that every one on this site is a visa expert by now...yawn...is someone gonna help her and give a decent reply.

Oh the light bulb just started glowing...maybe none of you have ever actually been to Florida...maybe your all just spend your time on a web page conjuring up sarcastic replies..mmmDOH..LOL.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

We are just giving her the heads up about what to expect. If she is coming to the states with a british passport for less than 90 days she does not need a visa. I know that. But you do not want to be coming here on the VWP to many times in a single year. CPB does not really like that. Try to put your self in the POEs shoes. Oh we are not being sarcastic we are just trying to help. How about you helping the OP since Me, Ozzidoc, Ian-mstn, Duncan Roberts, and Sir-eccles obviously can't help her. I would suggest that everyone just lay of the visa talk and really help the OP.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

From what the OP has said so far, it looks as though they intend to try and LIVE in the US for half a year, obviously they can't do that on VWP, hence the enquries about visas etc.

It won't take many entries to the US before the truth comes to light, the OP will face a ban from the US, and may be stuck with a property they are unable to visit.

Stop getting your knickers in a twist, everyone who has commented so far (other than you) is trying to bring these facts to the OP's attention.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Emphasis mine

One is generally recommended to spend more time out than in, spending 6 months in one year is pushing it. Likely scenario is the POE officer pulling you to one side and asking you why you are in the country so much. He may consider you are trying to de facto live here without a visa. When he finds out you own property here, it tends to count against you in that matter. What do you do with property you own in a foreign country when you are banned from entering said country.

I did answer her question, I gave her a useful tip that it might be a good idea to settle any questions with regard to visa eligibility before anything else.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Nah, there's not much experience at all on this forum at all. Couple of posters from Basildon sit in their hanging gardens penning the vast majority of the replies. What gave it away?

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

I Don't wear knickers nor twisted one's.


Not one of these people is bringing any thing of merit to her attention, you are all making assumptions ( and it is not they..she only mentions herself..I believe she is or has just gone through a separation).

She does not say she want's to live in the US ANYWHERE. You all make the assumption she does and do not actually help or answer her question at all.

Do you regularly travel back and forth on the visa waiver and get hassle each time or are you perpetuating what so many people say on this forum without actually having any factual first hand basis for what you say?

If she intends to spend 6 month's in the US over a year in a vacation home or rental she can on her Brit passport/VWP. As I said before treat her with respect it doesn.t need every one of you to get your panties in a twist yet again and keep bringing the same irrelevant bumf to her attention eh ljaw2002uk!!

Nice tip Sir eccles,I agree slightly ( but only once she's only 50 and dementia's probably not set in yet),but I don't think she meant about Visa's.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

A young woman who cuts hair in the salon I frequent was dating a British guy. He was coming over here several times a year (don't know how the heck he got so much time off work). Anyway, eventually the authorities just stopped him from entering and he was sent back home. I don't know if they thought he was trying to look for unemployment here or not.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

If you are not happy with our answers than you should help the OP instead of criticizing us for the help we are giving her. Oh and We are not being disrespectful to the OP. We are just giving her the cold hard facts about coming here. Coming to the US six months of the year may be like living here to the CBP officers. Even US Citizens on this web sit have even been hassled by and have been asked a lot of questions by CPB officers. This is my last post to you. I am not going to get myself banned from this web site talking to you.:)

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

You declare it as if it's a right. It's a privilege, with no judicial overview on its removal whatsoever.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

I think it may also be that he might of wanted to move in with the young woman and may be evening thinking of marrying her. but you can never tell what CPB offices are thinking. This was what I was saying could happen to the OP if she comes to the US to many times using the VWP. She would just be sent home after a while and banned from coming here.:)

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Kettering : I have pm'd her to help, I hope I have not said anything dis-respectful to you or anyone so why would you get yourself band? ( banned maybe)

Fatbrit : I do not remember writing anywhere declaring she had a right. I would not say it's a privilege( the 90 day stay ??) though I do believe the British are allies with the US that is why we are on the visa waiver programme and that once you are accepted ( is that the privilege bit ??) they let you travel as per their agreed terms.

I do agree if you step outside the terms of the VWP and overstay your welcome they may ( read:probably will) remove it.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

You do realise spending the whole 90 days on the VWP frequently is more likely to get bounced at POE at some stage though.

And buying isn't cheap, insurance, property taxes, general upkeep, potential HOA fee's and when the market is in the sewer, it's not always cheaper or wise to buy, especially if you aren't going to be there to maintain it and having to rely on a management company. So yeah, you could be pissing good money for bad.

Exit strategy is a wise point, if you get bounced and denied entry, what are you going to do with the place that you can't visit? Flogging a place in the US is much more expensive than it is in the UK.

Obviously you couldn't give a shit about sensible advice, so rock on, buy some gaff and love it up.

It's not like any of us have any vested interest, nor give a shit. :/

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Not a good thing to do, because bad advice or wrong advice can't be corrected.

As for the VWP, nothing to do with being allies, it's to do with the number of people who aren't getting into dodge once in the country, the number goes up, the country gets dropped from the list. The advantage to someone getting a B2 for extended or regular stays over using the VWP, if they get bounced on a visa, they have the right to appeal the decision, which they have waived for using the VWP.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Get somewhere on the Keys so if you have Esta or a visa denied you have the option of the boat from Cuba.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Hi Bob nice to meet you too'

Is the post intended at me or Joy? Is your slander in two sentences intended for me or her. I must admit I do not like or take your comment's kindly as a moderator maybe you should entertain some self control.

Maybe the advice on housing which you are now giving should be expanded upon as it is the first that someone has offered that is getting near relevant to the original question.

Regards

Steve

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

All is explained -- a realtor.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Hi Bob'

Sorry got interrupted, so just another last point I missed.

Countries become allies for many reasons, the main ones being the core values and standards that a country has and enforces.These values of security,lawfulness,counter-terrorism,documentation stds,border enforcement, data sharing and well basically getting along is why the UK is in the programme rather than a few to many Brits "getting into dodge".

Regards

Steve

PS Fatbrit i'm not a realtor - I'm a property developer / property rentals.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Just an observation - but it seems he's talking to you... since in every post he's made in this thread, he quotes you and not anyone else.


Since you're still a bit new to BE, it'd be helpful if you know that there are many forum moderators... and most of them post in forums that they don't moderate. Just sayin'! :)

That said, and to answer your specific question... there's nothing wrong with it.

Ian

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Careful with those mis-placed apostrophes, Steve - you're beginning to look like an utter cretin.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Couldn't pass the exam, eh?

Sure you can fix up the OP, though.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

And? Immigration wise and getting into the US, the US couldn't give a flying boob that the UK might be one of the closest allies, or that they share so much. Unless you're a USC, you're just "one of them", an outsider. Simple as that.

So getting ones eggs sorted before dropping a wedge of cash is just something sensible, or at least understanding the potential pitfalls that one might face.

Something that the OP was asking about...especially most of the posters here don't have any invested reasons to give out duff or misleading information, whether by choice or ignorance.

And yes, my previous 2 posts were directed at you, hence being replies to your post. Nothing wrong with them, you were giving poor advice, I was countering them with why they were poor advice.

I've yet to be corrected by anyone else, unlike some others...so I'll let the OP draw own conclusions from that.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Sorry for my my poor advice to the OP. I fell that I just wasting my time helping the OP and wasting her time with my advice. I was born as a US citizen so I never needed to use the VWP or needed a visa to come to the States so I am just going by what I'v read on this web site (I know not a good Idea) so I will leave it to the experts like your self and help people with using Adobe Illustrator CS4 and Facebook and help people moving to Northamptonshire England and Las Vegas NV:) :rofl:

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

I will partially address the above response to my earlier question. Others have made it clear that there is no 90 day visa, that even if eligible for a B2 visa the OP may not be admitted to the USA or may only be given a month's entry here or there.

I asked the OP what HER exit strategy is, as this is something that I would expect her to know or to have considered, and to realise that she may need to sell the property but cant find a buyer, is unable to rent it and still has outgoings. While it may not be Desert Storm to you, losing a couple of hundred thousand dollars may well be to the OP. ie in your words "throwing her money away".

Regarding buy v rent. This is NOT about my view nor what I do (buy and hold). This is for the OP to decide, for her situation. However if she is prepared to spend 250,000 USD on a holiday home that she intends to use for the next 20 years (this figure mine plucked out of the air and covers purchase and running costs for 20 yrs), then it may be that buying IS better than renting for her. And the exit strategy part of it becomes less important if she is a position to simply lose all of her money at any time over the next few decades. Of course the alternative is to simply rent each time she visits or do home-swaps or whatever the term is.

OP - we'd all love to read your responses and thoughts to what we've suggested :)


BW

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Hello all,

I'm planning to spend 3 months in Florida from March 2012 on what will be a combination of fact-finding tour/property search/vacation. Like most people, I know Orlando and environs from past holidays but I would also like to explore northern and southern Florida. Are there areas I should avoid, for example?

I'm doing online research and wondered if people on here could recommend any useful websites or realtors or, indeed, offer any useful hints/tips....

For example, is there an organisation which advises British people on how to best go about such an undertaking? Please PM me if you can help. Thanks.




This is my original post. I thought I had worded it simplistically enough so that anyone in this forum who had the time or kindness would be able to respond with useful and helpful advice as was the case when I asked for similar help from the people in the France forum. Their help was much appreciated and it helped me immensely with my move to France.

However, this time around, I am inundated with non-advice from a particular group of abrasive, rude people who obviously have too much spare time on their hands. That one of them is a so-called moderator on these boards just sums it all up for me! BTW, nowhere in my post did I request advice on visas/immigration - I have already sought that information from the people who know about that - US Immigration.

Thank you, Stevebar, for your lone voice of commonsense and politeness amidst the barracking. I have PM'd you. Thanks again for your support.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

And so the circle of life continues... :rolleyes:

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Is there any reason for choosing Florida ?. There are other states in the South with mild climates like South Carolina for example, Charleston in my opinion would be worth considering. As schools and employment are not factored in your calculations you do have much more choice.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Well, I'm sorry you feel slighted. Sometimes the answer to a question here is "are you sure you asked the right question?". I hope USCIS gave you good information, they are known for not entirely being reliable on that front.

Good luck.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

It was US Immigration, not USCIS. ;)

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

You'll be fine so long as you understand that the US Supreme Court has verified that you can not count on, as accurate, anything told to you by a US government employee. US immigration is - by far - the worst offender when it comes to giving accurate information... and the long-time members have a decade or more experience with exactly that sort of misinformation!

But hey... good luck to you.

Ian

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

You asked for hints and tips, of which you got plenty.

You had no mention that you had researched the visa, nor got anything on that side sorted.

It's common that a lot of people don't have a clue.

Also, from US immigration? What does that mean?

Some jockey on the USCIS phone line? Who's contracted and has no legal training, nor any responsibility for giving wrong advice, or did you speak to an experiences US immigration lawyer who deals with people getting investments?

In no way did your OP suggest what kind of investment you're looking for, a temporary rental you could rent out for x number of months, or long term rental...makes a huge difference to cost, viability and location. No mention of this being a short term or long term investment, which again makes a huge difference.

Still, I stand by that you got plenty of good advice from people. You might not have liked it all, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good advice.

Re: Florida fact-finding tour
 

Is this not all rather similar to the 'Keys' debacle a few weeks ago? Someone asks a question without giving the full background information and then gets ticked off when they don't get the answers they wanted. Will there be another poll?..........