robin1234

Hard to compare housing in the two countries, I find. While on the whole housing is more expensive in the UK, even with the UK pound at its present relatively low level, it is possible to move from a more expensive area in the US to a less expensive area in the UK. For instance you could be selling a house for $400,000 on Cape Cod & purchasing a comparable house for £160,000 in Teesside. Now is Cape Cod nicer than Teesside? Depends on a lot of factors.

Then compare the houses.. in general houses, and certainly back yards, are bigger in the US. But in the UK you often have better access to public areas, so perhaps less need for private land. I'm thinking of public rights of way, access to the beach, parks etc.

Bob

Looks like we'll be moving pretty close to up where you are pretty soon...should be interesting

kins

Can only judge by my experience - I found everywhere I lived in the UK to be horrendously expensive. There were vast swathes of the country that we just couldn't afford to live in.

I also find that whenever I see UK houses on TV now I'm shuddering at how small and boxy they look.

I accept I'm becoming quite Americanised AKA spoilt...

Derrygal

House prices may have fallen in the UK, but they are still way more expensive than here in the US. Of course a lot depends on where you live (both in the UK and US). I bought a very nice 2 bed, 2 bath condo here in 2005. Unfortunately, due to the downturn in the housing market, it is now worth less than I paid for it. I often think about going back to the UK, but I don't think I could afford a house there - maybe a tiny little terrace house in a cheaper neighborhood, but I certainly couldn't even afford a semi.

HumphreyC

What factors could possibly make Teeside nicer than Cape Cod ?



VS



Only think I can think of is if you dumped a ton of nuclear waste on the cape and erected coal fueled power plants every 300 yards.

kins

Fewer white sharks? Grasping at straws here...

HumphreyC

Ha, no way. Whereabouts ?

Fitchburg where I live has a pretty terrible rep -esp the Cleghorn hood - but it's cleaned up it's act in recent years. Leominster is considerably nicer, as are the surrounding towns/villages; Lunenburg, Westminster, Princeton etc.. Mount Wachusett is close by, as is the New Hampshire border for those all important booze cruises. Probably find it a lot more blue collar than the Boston burbs..

robin1234

I own a house in Brewster, Massachusetts ... and I don't own one on Teesside. It was a crapshoot, but maybe I made a good choice?

robin1234

Let's think though...

Teesside --

• has better public transport
• has a funicular (Saltburn)
• close to Whitby & Staithes
• close to the Cleveland Way and the North York Moors
• decent supermarkets, bacon etc
• main drainage as opposed to millions of septic tanks
• probably better curry, this is just a guess

Cape Cod --

• has better fish & chips (IMHO)
• Atlantic rather than North Sea
• different weather patterns than Teesside

HumphreyC

Teeside has a better soccer team.

Wow, really?

Nicole5446

Just got the passport photos done for the baby today at Walgreens...everything was perfect EXCEPT there are some slight shadows in the background which I just noticed. I don't know how they are to be avoided for a 2 month old since she can't be supported, she has to lie down...hopefully they will be a little lenient with baby photos but gah! Who knows. I do not want to take more pics!

The ball is slowly rolling...we'll see how far it goes!