Mai838

Wow.. This is such good information. Things I didn't think about in to that much detail. Thank you for all making this more realistic to me. That's funny about the jungle hehehe! But very true. And the AC.. Yes, I guess it would cost a fortune in the humidity in Florida. My mother complains with the AC always breaking down in Hong Kong. I had no idea about the roof and poor quality of toilets etc. I do notice that's problem and not as good at the UK though when I'm away. Gosh, I see what you mean about the ESTA too. You explained that so clearly thank you. Yes, I'm not retired yet and I might be able to afford to live there for a number of years but I don't think I'd qualify or simply being rich!!! OMG... This really helps. Thank you everyone and I'm sorry if I said the word negative but now that you've all explained it in more depth I understand more.

Nutmegger

You do understand that, even when you are retired, you would still not be able to live in the US full time without a visa? The best you could hope for would be a B2, allowing you six months out of any twelve, at the whim of what the officer at the PO had for breakfast that day.

Also, it sounds as if you have been in contact with the owner of a house you are interested in. Even if you decided to go ahead, please do not purchase anything sight unseen. You haven't a clue what kind of neighborhood the house might be in, or the condition of the structure. There is probably a very good reason why it is so cheap!

scrubbedexpat099

I have not found any m� jor issues with US toilets.

I h� ve friends with a condo in Florida, they seem to visit about 4 times a year, family and friends use it. Management comp� ny also let it out but after the fees the contribution is pretty small.

They bought it cash, might say max money, so no biggie.

Pulaski

Lots of people buy for cash in Florida. They often aren't people you want to hang out with.

scrubbedexpat099

Obviously trying to finance such a purpose for a holiday home would not be easy or cheap.

I am beginning to understand however your last PM.

MidAtlantic

No, only with US keyboards, it seems.

scrubbedexpat099

Switched, must have wanted to use the Pound sign.

Pulaski

Sometimes it's more about having to find a use for your cash.

Wintersong

Just about everyone on here has gone through the process of entering the US to live and work legitimately on one visa or another. It's not until you go through the process that you fully understand how difficult it actually is to move here legally, so what seems like negativity is just realism unfortunately.

If your long term goal is to retire to Florida, unless you are very wealthy that seems an unlikely scenario for you as you haven't given any information which would suggest that you are eligible for a visa. Unlike the EU countries, a British citizen can't up sticks and move to the US unless they qualify for one of the visas.

There's nothing to stop you buying property, of course, but as others have pointed out there are some major pitfalls involved with owning a house in another country and leaving it empty for more than half of the year, not least of which is ongoing maintenance. Without a means of moving to the US to occupy the house, I'd think very carefully about whether or not you want to take on the risks.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

scrubbedexpat099

OP mentioned an O1 as an option.

Wintersong

But s/he doesn't want to live here until s/he retires, which would seem to rule out a non-immigrant worker's visa.

scrubbedexpat099

I assumed a she. Not sure why.

Pulaski

I don't know many men called "Mai", which is a common enough spelling of "May" used in the Far East. ..... The OP said her parents live in Hong Kong.

sir_eccles

This is not relevant to the OP, you should start your own thread to ask this.

sir_eccles

Nobody has mentioned taxes or health insurance yet.