scrubbedexpat099

I thought Texas was pretty monotonous?

Not exactly North Carolina?

petitefrancaise

Pulaski is right (WTF??? I'm agreeing with him again...)
In Texas there is no state income tax so the money for schools etc is raised through the property taxes and sales tax. Property prices are rising astronomically here so you have the double whammy of expensive housing and expensive property tax (for us, $1000 per month and we have a very normal suburban house).
I'm sure you won't want to move your kids' school again when you buy a house so bear in mind the property prices to buy when you are looking at rental houses. Also, buy the house for the good HIGH SCHOOL ..this is the school that will get your kids into college and you won't want to move again!

The list for Austin that is featured above - is a pretty good guide to schools.

md95065

If you have never been to the U.S. I would very strongly advise that you go on a reconnaissance trip for at least a couple of weeks before making a final decision on this.

stockhall

Pulaski your example of 7 children is an example of a bad family, there are many single children families who don't have any interaction, you should not bracket all families as the same, I spend some time with each of my children during the week and talk to each of them all the time, obviously most with my 2 year old as she is at home clearly, and your comment on that really has no bearing on my post.

I have found some beautiful (with the right number of bedrooms) houses in our budget with highly rated schools and in low crime areas, the only downside is the lack of amenities within a mile, but as I like to walk and providing there are sidewalks I am not too fussed.

I am researching broad areas right now and once I have found an area ticking as many of my boxes as possible I will then narrow it down to high school catchment area and rent from there whilst we sort out the bought house.

Ideally no we don't want to move schools but the beauty of renting first means we can be 100% sure.

I may sound naive, but we moved to a village here without knowing anyone or knowing much about the area, we have made a life here but it is not enough, space is not enough and not enough things to do and the primary school I am loosing faith in for my daughter, so a move is needed and it just makes sense to move to the states where we get more space. money goes further and hopefully the life we deserve.

2 weeks to the states would cost near £10,000 for all of us and that is a large proportion of our deposit so I would rather jump all in as kids are very adaptable to their surroundings if they have space to grow. Like I said I have a friend in Austin (she has also suggested the fort worth area which is why I am also investigating there and other neighbourhoods) who can lead me in the right direction of what to expect. I know it will be a lot of adjusting. I will of course miss my friends and family, but life is too short to not do something as amazing as this.

I hope this makes some sort of sense. Got so many things I want to say but not sure how to say them. I spend 2 hours of every evening researching life there and looking through forums and looking at neighbourhood facts using both the real estate info and sites like areavibes and the aforementioned citydata. I was hoping for first hand thoughts.

x

scrubbedexpat099

The problem I see is that you are looking at it with a UK mindset and not being familiar with the on the ground stuff are going to be in for a bit of a shock no matter how much time you have spent on the web.

notonuksoil

I have found some beautiful (with the right number of bedrooms) houses in our budget with highly rated schools and in low crime areas, the only downside is the lack of amenities within a mile, but as I like to walk and providing there are sidewalks I am not too fussed.

Don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but walking more than 500 ft in Texas during the summer will be a shock to your system coming from the UK. On the odd occasion it hits over 100 degrees in the town we live in in NY you NEVER see people outside walking unless it's to get from their deck to their pool.

md95065

I realize that taking the entire family to the U.S. for a visit would be very expensive - I was actually just suggesting that you should go on your own (if necessary) so that you could discover first hand what the areas that you are considering are like.

Moving to a new location in the U.S., sight unseen, is a very different proposition from doing the same thing within the UK. The differences between the UK and Texas are going to be *much* greater than the differences between any two places within the UK and some of those differences are things that you really can't even begin to appreciate until you are actually in the U.S. trying to walk that half mile that looked so easy on the map and finding out that, no, there really aren't any sidewalks and it is hotter than you had ever imagined.

Not trying to be negative but you need to go into this with your eyes open.

Pulaski

This.

And even when there are sidewalks there are no pedestrian crossings between junctions and you have to see how wide they build the roads, and shops/ strip malls are set waaay back from the road, behind the car park, so to walk "across the road, from one shop to another" could literally be five minutes of walking with a "take your life in your hands" road crossing in the middle.

Even if you find a crossroads with a pedestrian light, the pedestrians don't get a "green man" all to themselves, they have to share with traffic going in the same or opposite direction that you are walking, and vehicles are supposed to yield to pedestrians, but you need to keep your eyes open for drivers who don't notice you. ...... BTW The population of the US is five times that of the UK, but road deaths are twenty times as great , and have remained steady over the past 15 years, when deaths on the road have halved in the UK over the same time period.

stockhall

I am a very optomistic person yes, but also incredibly open minded, and I will stick to my mantra, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I am well aware of the differences both countries do have and am quite happy to encounter further ones I didn't even expect. I know it is not straightforward at all, but with time it could be.

I appreciate all the warnings and words of wisdom. and may rethink the walking, got a few homes to choose from which are likely to change, but now I know which area I am looking at from the earlier replies and suggestions.

I will be using the need to drive as an excuse to explore and gain experience and knowledge.

scrubbedexpat099

Not sure if I am still aware of the differences and I have been here 11 years.

My guess is that I would find it quite different moving to Texas.

Anyway anybody recommend a vehicle for 8, the ones I know are good for 7.

stockhall

well yes that is a challenge an 8 seater. I was looking on Ebay US and there were some cool ones, (well cool is subjective I guess).

Pulaski

No, there weren't.

stockhall

well I did see some here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191562936472?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
A facecious attitude is the lowest form of humour when directed in that manner.

Pulaski

That's one of my areas of special expertise.

Canveydave

Just echoing the other points re walking really.

When we first got here my wife wanted to walk and not have a car. Within 3 days we had a car for her. Regardless of the heat and humidity here in Texas, it is just not safe.

I mean when the green man is flashing and you can walk across, you still have people turning right to look out for, they don't stop for you!

Also one other word of advice. I looked up everything possible before I moved out here. Turns out I didn't look up anything at all.

All the research I put in was basically useless. Making a move like this with kids (albeit we only have 2) leaves you a bit like a being in a dark room groping for the light switch.

You will make loads of mistakes, hopefully not major ones, and then after about 4 months, it will start to feel like less of a holiday and more like home.

My number one tip. Expect a banking system from the UK in 1980 and relearn how to write a check.