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hi- new to the forum

Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:06 am
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Default hi- new to the forum

i am immigrating to usa late this year
wanted to prepare myself for wht to expect

1-wht is the a very generallised approx insurance for a new toyota corolla on a new driving licence- say in pittsburgh?
2- is it possible to get a house mortgage in current situation within 6 months of entry in usa if you can make a substantial downpayment?
3- my son is september born and he will be nearing his 4th birthday when we move to usa. wht grade will he be in and how do i get him enrolled in a school? i think in uk child has to be 4 on sept 1st to enroll for school. are the birth month cutoff different for different states?
4- in one of the article it mentions buying a car on cash is harmful to the credit score. why is it so?

Last edited by nadnad; Feb 20th 2008 at 2:30 am.
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:13 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

hi and welcome.

1) and 3) depend mostly on where you're moving to. Can you be a bit more specific?

Have you read the sticky wiki information?
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:20 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by nadnad
i am immigrating to usa late this year
wanted to prepare myself for wht to expect

1-wht is the a very generallised approx insurance for a new toyota corolla on a new driving licence?
Depends on where you'll be

2- is it possible to get a house mortgage in current situation within 6 months of entry in usa if you can make a substantial downpayment?
Yes

3- my son is september born and he will be nearing his 4th birthday when we move to usa. wht grade will he be in and how do i get him enrolled in a school? i think in uk child has to be 4 on sept 1st to enroll for school. are the birth month cutoff different for different states?
they start school at 6 over here you'll have to go private for a four year old
4- in one of the article it mentions buying a car on cash is harmful to the credit score. why is it so?
You won't really have a choice about that as you won't exist in credit land. Everything here revolves around your credit score which you need to establish. Buying cash wont establish credit but you won't have much choice.
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:22 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by nadnad
4- in one of the article it mentions buying a car on cash is harmful to the credit score. why is it so?
It won't harm your credit score, but it also won't benefit your score. As you are going to be new and therefore probably want to build some sort of credit you are best off getting some sort of loan even if you can pay cash.

Best thing would be to get a loan for as much as they will give you - and some places will give you credit if you put down enough. Pay off 95% of the loan amount on the first bill. The rest can then be paid off gradually over the next 6 months - but make sure it is at least 6 months. This is a very good way of getting a credit score.
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:29 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

thank you for the advice- appreciated
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:33 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

We actually managed to lease 2 cars, one within the first month of being here (california) Now it started off quite easy... but then it turned out the salesman had got quite ahead of himself and we ended up having to provide letters from employers etc etc (i can't remember all the paperwork.. but there was ALOT!) But actually after a month they had sorted it and all was fine. (we kept possesion of the car the whole time). The second car was a breeze.. that was after 2 months of being here.. Hubby had his SSN by then.

BUT.. we couldnot for the life of us get a phone on contract!!! We had no problems with bank accounts and credit cards... They seems to be no rhyme or reason to the system.. Everyone seems to have conflicting experiances..!

Good luck though!
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:34 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by Thydney
Depends on where you'll be
Yes


they start school at 6 over here you'll have to go private for a four year old


You won't really have a choice about that as you won't exist in credit land. Everything here revolves around your credit score which you need to establish. Buying cash wont establish credit but you won't have much choice.
Am I nuts? I thought kindergarten was age 5, first grade at 6.

Depending upon birthdate, of course.

I would have thought the OPs child would enter kindergarten at age 5.
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:37 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

thanks

having american express card in uk has been suggested to be advantageous when immigrating to usa. can some one explain how? and has anyone actually used there global transfer service?
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:40 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by Tracym
Am I nuts? I thought kindergarten was age 5, first grade at 6.

Depending upon birthdate, of course.

I would have thought the OPs child would enter kindergarten at age 5.
His child is 4
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:43 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by Thydney
His child is 4
Right - so in one more year right?

Not at age six...
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:46 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by Tracym
Right - so in one more year right?

Not at age six...
Well I never view kindergarten as school.
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:46 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by Thydney
Well I never view kindergarten as school.
Ah, I see.
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:47 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

We transfered our american express and as far as I can remember we just had to wait til we arrived in the US to it.

Also as far as Bank Accounts go... we opened a HSBC account in UK before we left.. It meant that we automatically got a premier account in the US and now we can transfer funds between our UK and US accounts. Worth looking into. Thats where we got our American Credit Cards from. There are certain stipulations (i.e. Certain amount of money in account)
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:50 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

Originally Posted by sambapink
We actually managed to lease 2 cars, one within the first month of being here (california) Now it started off quite easy... but then it turned out the salesman had got quite ahead of himself and we ended up having to provide letters from employers etc etc (i can't remember all the paperwork.. but there was ALOT!) But actually after a month they had sorted it and all was fine. (we kept possesion of the car the whole time). The second car was a breeze.. that was after 2 months of being here.. Hubby had his SSN by then.

BUT.. we couldnot for the life of us get a phone on contract!!! We had no problems with bank accounts and credit cards... They seems to be no rhyme or reason to the system.. Everyone seems to have conflicting experiances..!

Good luck though!
Our biggest problem was cell phones.
we opened a bank account, got a mortgage, set up a credit card, gas, electricity, water , cable and land lines all without a ss# and while we were still in the UK but cell phones were the biggest hurdle.
We bought two cars with a loan and got insurance.. again,all while we were in the UK but Verizon Wireless took took us to the brink of insanity:curseand they still do)
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Old Feb 20th 2008, 2:53 am
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Default Re: hi- new to the forum

how were u able to do all tht from uk- is it still possible and if so whts the recipie. i can do without the mobile phone for a few months hehehe
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