Trish S

My husband has been asked to relocate to CT to work. We have a 13 and 19 year old and I need some help from you lovely lot.
I have been looking at Ridgefield and around Fairfield County as that's where he'll be based. Any tips or advise would be warmly received. I'm up for looking at all areas. Thanks in advance 🤗

Pulaski

What visa type is your husband getting? Most likely an L-1A, or perhaps L-1B, either way your 19 year old would only get at L-2 which prohibits working for a dependent child, and he/she will age-out on their 21st birthday and have to leave unless they can qualify for their own visa. Unless your husband's employer has a written commitment to apply for green cards for you pretty much immediately after you arrive, you will put your 19 year old on a track to being "sent home" on their 21st birthday.

Nutmegger

Ridgefield is a great community with excellent schools. I used to live there and am now a couple of towns over, but still go there regularly. It certainly isn't cheap to live there, but if you have the budget, it's a good place to raise a family. Adjacent Wilton also ticks all the same boxes. Fire away with the questions!

Trish S

Thanks guys. That's all really helpful. We have a call with the solicitor on Friday re visas so will know more then.
I've been looking also at Bridgeport. Some schools are really poor and other are really highly ranked. They also have an international baccauleariate school there which I'm thinking might be better for my son as we are only out there for 3-5 years.
Also, you get a lot more house for your money. I know there must be a reason, especially as it's on the coast. Can anyone enlighten me please. Need as much info before September as we are flying over for a pre decision visit.
Thanks so much. 😊

Pulaski

If you're only coming for 3-5 years, buying a house is likely to be an expensive proposition because the round trip costs of buying and selling are quite high - around 10% of the final selling price - the seller pays the "realtor" (estate agent) fee which is typically 6% and it is quite likely that house prices won't appreciate fast enough to cover the cost of selling. A neighbour of mine who lived in CT briefly (he is an IT contractor) complained that owning a home there, and selling after three years cost him $60,000!

Then owning a house is expensive too, for two reasons, firstly in CT (as in other states in New England and the North East) the property tax is much higher than in the UK. You could easily be facing a property tax bill of $6,000 a year, or more.

Then there are the costs of repairs and maintenance - repairs are a fact of life for American home owners in a way that is unexpected for a home owner from Britain. There just seems to be so much on an American home to go wrong or wear out - not least the roof, which typically only lasts around 20 years, and will cost probably $15,000-$20,000 to replace (metal roofs are becoming more popular, and last much longer), the heating and AC (not all homes in CT have AC) systems often don't even last as long as the roof, but cost about as much to replace. Other smaller issues with plumbing, the electrical system, doors, windows, and paint/ woodwork are just relentless.

I do a lot of the repairs and maintenance myself, even some that others would call a tradesman for - such as dealing with a plumbing leak one evening two weeks ago. Luckily I live close enough to a DIY store to get parts and I had the experience and the tools to fix it that evening. I sometimes joke that my house isn't just a home, it's a hobby too, except that thirteen years after we bought this house, the joke is wearing a bit thin.

Needless to say, if you rent a home, the property taxes and expected repairs and maintenance are rolled into the rent.

Jerseygirl

What is the 19yr old going to do? He cannot work and as already said if there is no greencard he will have to leave the US when he reaches 21.

Noorah101

Trish,

Are you thinking the 19 year old will attend college? Make sure that's allowed on an L2. And if it is, keep in mind he will need an F1 visa to attend school in the USA after age 21.

Rene

kodokan

I looked into community college classes in AZ when on my L2. I was definitely allowed to study, but there was a grey area as to whether I could be classified as in-resident for tuition. No one seemed quite sure and I was quite close at that point to getting a green card, so I dropped it in favor of waiting a while. As always in the US, this'll be something that'll vary by state/ city/ college, so would definitely need checking up front if college classes were in the plan.

OP, what is your 19 yr old doing now - studying, working? Whatever it is, does s/he really want to disrupt it, and potentially derail their early adulthood prospects for education/ career/ friends/ love life, just to move to the US on a very temporary basis?

Nutmegger

No, you do not want to live in Bridgeport! Suitable towns, besides Ridgefield, would be Wilton, Weston, New Caanan, Redding, Westport. There, your younger child will get a good education at the public (town) schools.

Actually, you can safely double that number in the towns that I recommend.

Jerseygirl

I thought $6K was extremely low. I would think for a 3/4 bedroomed house in a good area of the NE it would be more like three times that amount per year. We were paying a 5 figure sum in NJ. Home ownership is not as good an investment as it is in the UK.

Pulaski

I thought that might be the case, but having never lived there, and it's been 14 years since I looked at buying there, I didn't want to overstate the number.

WEBlue

I agree. Avoid Bridgeport at all costs! I have a relative in the bordering town of Fairfield, and even the Bridgeport side of Fairfield is iffy. The towns Nutmegger mentions are good, with consistently good schools.

Trish S

This is all great info. I really appreciate it. Please keep it coming. I really want a good insight before we come for our pre decision visit on September 1st.

Scott33

I had a pizza delivered to a residential address near Bridgeport hospital. The delivery driver phoned my number and requested that I come out to his car to collect it. Yup, avoid at all costs.

Trish S

Got it!! Thanks