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Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Old Feb 20th 2015, 11:12 am
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Default Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Hi,

Have introduced myself in the introductions so background to these question is up there if you want to know

I've got access to the great wiki thanks

I have some basic US type questions and some Texas specific...

1) I pretty much know the area I want to live in, its Flower Mound, TX. Good schools, a nice commuting distance and low crime. I intend to rent for at least two years. The average rental there for a house is between $1700 and $2250 a month dependant on size. How much deposit/advance do you think they will need? Will I need references from my company? Is there an Escrow "thing" so that I can can make sure they don't take the money and run (if the owner isn't paying the mortgage) ?

2) Rule of thumb what's the average electricity bill monthly for an air-conned house of four beds, where everything is electric? Assume all mod cons kitchen wise.

3) Home insurance? If I rent do I need full or just contents? Whats the cost approx?

4) Do rents quoted on online house realtor sites include property tax? Or do I pay it? Also I am confused as to if its one annual bill or a monthly bill...

5) Would I be able to get a contract SIM for mobiles or am I PAYG until I get a credit rating? Whats a decent rate for 3g internet (at least 2gb) and unlimited calls/texts (SIM only) ?

Now the specifics...

1) My son will be going to university. He absolutely has his eyes on going right through the system to PhD level... I think, please confirm, that after two years of residency, we get Texas in-state rates for him for Public Texas Universities can anyone confirm this? This is a big selling point to him as he's very cost conscious (takes after his mum).

2) Again schools. Anyone got experience of post GCSE conversion to a US School and any pitfalls? He will have (I hope) good grades, some subjects at 4.00, but proving history of that (to get an average) isn't going to be easy. We have reports, but they are progress report types and they tend to downplay his ability (it makes UK schools look good if everyone improves). He's been A* for ages in some subject but they have downplayed this... Obviously we want to make sure his GPA is as high as it currently is, not some woolly measure of last year.

3) My wife probably won't work for the first 3-6 months, perhaps even 12 months. However she will then want something, even if its part time. I have heard that Texas requires Spanish speakers in roles (they have no hope with me), is this true? She'll pick the language up quickly as her native language is similar (where my native language is Anglo Saxon )

4) My son wants a part time job too, any good employees that have a good national or local reputation? I have heard that volunteering is important to get into the top Universities too, what are good schemes?

5) as for tax... I know Texas is peculiar in that you only pay federal taxes for income. Property Tax/Sales Tax picks up the rest? Is there tax on savings? Equivalents to ISAs? We'd be saving for a house and Sons university so we'd want to maximise "safe" investing and minimise tax (of course).

6) Finally any gotchas in budgeting? Hidden charges? Payments for permits/councils etc? I'm thinking those small things (like TV licence over here) no-one remembers until they've had to pay it!!!!

Sorry for all the Qs, I am in soak up mode at the moment!
Thanks
Mark
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 11:37 am
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Hi Mark and welcome.

Whilst not heading to Texas, we are currently gathering the information for my son's entry into high school post GCSE. We have been advised to get a detailed breakdown of each subject covered, including the number of hours spent on each part. Unless your son is doing GCSE PE, he will probably need a letter from the school to say how many lessons he has a week doing sport.

I'm sure some of the regulars will be along soon to answer some of your other questions. Their first question will be about your visa so you might want to add a quick line here about that in readiness.
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 1:59 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Welcome To BE, Mark.

I can't answer all your questions and some are based on experience here in Georgia,..

1) You take basically the same risks as you do in the UK. AFAIK, there are no escrow setups like that. One way of being a little safer is to let through an agent rather than direct with an owner. This will cost a little more but will give you some protection as they should take the hit if something happens. As for deposit, many require three months in advance, being first and last month plus one month security deposit.

2) Can't be precise here, but for two of us in a 3-bed ranch, the bill is around $170/Mo. Many companies will allow you to pay an average amount per month, thus avoiding high peaks. Of course, you need to establish a pattern before this can apply (usually at least a year).

3) You would need Renter's insurance (the US equivalent of contents). No idea on cost.

4) Property tax is paid by the owner, not the renter, so no, you wouldn't be resposible for it.

5) There are many options for PAYG or contract phones here. The 'big two' ate AT&T and Verizon and both can be found at their respective websites (.com or ,net) and following links for 'wireless'. Depending on your location and travel range, there are slightly lesser companies like Sprint and T-Mobile which have better rates but lower coverage areas. Then there are companies like Boost, MetroPCS, Straight Talk, Net Ten and a few others that usually piggyback on the bigger companies' netwoprks, but can be a lot lower in cost. Some are PAYG and have auto-renew. Phone costs vary depending on carrier and options but there is usually a SIM option for unlocked phones (using the GSM system). The standard fastest speed here is 4G LTE, so you will probably need a new phone to take advantage.

As for your specifics, I'm sure someone from the area can answer them better than me.

Gotchas? Well, life's quite a bit different than the UK as you will soon find out. The main dofference is healthcare. It's not basically free and some kind of insurance is essential. Hopefully your employer will supply coverage for free or a small premium, depending on what you need. It can be an expensive add-on here. Also prescription costs can add up.

Car insurance is different here and usually it is supplied to the main driver, but he/she can give any licensed driver permission to drive their vehicle (but not as the main driver without telling the ins. company). Generally, it is more expensive than back home. There is also an annual renewal of the tag fee and, depending on state and even county, and 'ad valorum tax' that is paid annually (there is no road tax as such). Our state lets you pay all the tax when you buy the car (at regular sales tax rates) and then the Ad Valorum is $0 at renewal. You can pay for a vanity plate here which can be anything you want within the restriction of the number of letters and numerals - as long as it's available and is not obscene, of course).

There are other 'gotcha's', and I'm sure others will fill in the gaps.
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 2:00 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's



Regarding the hidden charges. Lots of utility companies want a huge deposit (sometimes non-refundable) for you being new to the country. The amazing MrWeeze managed to sweet talk his way around it. Cell phone contracts were also awful until I could build up a credit history. I had to go with virgin mobile until then.
You'll need some sort of general coverage as well. That's in with our umbrella policy for our insurance. That's the one for if someone falls in your house and sues you. The kind of cover all insurance.
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 2:30 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

I see from one of your other posts that this would be a company transfer and therefore presumably an L visa. Since you are contemplating a permanent move I assume that the deal you negotiate with your company will also include a commitment from them to apply for a green card as soon as possible.

It seems like you have done your research and are asking many of the right questions, but I wonder how much time you have spent in the U.S. and how much you know about what it can be like to live here. You mentioned concerns about "extreme" politics in the UK and I wonder if you realize just how extreme and/or downright stupid it can be in the U.S. at all levels.

If you intend to stay then you also need to consider the cost of retirement in the U.S. - the cost of health care is a big factor in that.
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 2:48 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Ooooh, company transfer. We were helped a lot with quite a w of the hidden costs by the company when we moved. They got us a realtor, helped us with some of the hidden costs (like they could do is a car loan etc), gave us some money to buy American electricals.....
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 3:04 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Originally Posted by Guindalf
Welcome To BE, Mark.

Car insurance is different here and usually it is supplied to the main driver, but he/she can give any licensed driver permission to drive their vehicle (but not as the main driver without telling the ins. company). Generally, it is more expensive than back home.
No personal experience, but I've heard from friends that having a 16 year old as one of the drivers will boost the cost substantially. On our coverage, it is the vehicles that are insured, though the policy lists both our names, and the cost differs between the capabilities/ages of the vehicles. Sorry, OP, but I don't think you will want to provide a Mustang for a teen!
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 3:09 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Originally Posted by Nutmegger
Sorry, OP, but I don't think you will want to provide a Mustang for a teen!
Since they are moving to Texas a pickup truck would probably be more appropriate
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 3:37 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Originally Posted by md95065
Since they are moving to Texas a pickup truck would probably be more appropriate
And actually a lot more fun!
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 3:48 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Hi - I don't live in Texas, but moved to Philly from the UK six months ago - can help with some general queries.

We found renting a property fairly straightforward. We used a Realtor and an agent. They were happy to accept an Experian credit report from the UK and we paid a month in advance, month deposit and a $500 pet deposit as we have a small dog. As a renter, you are not responsible for property tax, but we took out contents insurance with AIG, who also arranged our car insurance. We have to pay each months rent by cheque and as a renter you may or may not be responsible for paying trash removal (check this with the agent) - this is often payable to the township you live in. We pay $450 per annum for this which includes weekly pick up of rubbish, yard waste and recycling. We are also responsible for our yard, grass cutting (as its an acre and a half quite a lot of work!) and snow removal. Sometimes these responsibilities are included in the rent. When arranging utilities we had to pay a large deposit for each one as we didn't have a credit rating.
Your local township website will be a good source of information and this will vary state by state - for instance I needed to get State ID card before I could take my written driving test, I also needed to get a license for the dog and had been here a couple of months before I realized this.
Mobile phones - could only get pay as you go - I used AT&T and had an I phone already, so I pay $45 per month -this is about the cheapest I could get.
Water - our bill is around $100 per month.
Heating - we have oil - this is around $150 per month
Electricity - our bill this month was $233 for a three bedroom house.
Car insurance - one car was $2000 per annum with AIG.
Verizon cable tv is about $130 a month for us - this is for our phone and internet too (some tv programmes but not the premium channels)
Good luck!
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 4:02 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Welcome to BE!

I won't answer any of the questions, as there are others better qualified for most of them. However, given that I'm in Texas (Houston) on an L1, I will probably end up answering some of your future questions.

Certainly I recommend copying and pasting your original post in the new member forum either in this thread or into a new thread in the USA forum. There are things in that post that it would help to bring to an audience who know the US well. I certainly think you will struggle to make sense of many of the political views in Texas.
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 4:18 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Can someone touch on the sons visa please? I don't have enough knowledge in the area. Doesn't something change as they get older?
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 4:29 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Thanks for the replies. My policial jibe in my intro was actually in jest to show my wifes been through it all, she's survived communism and far right politics (as well as religious nutters). I did get pulled up on a trip to DisneyWorld this year when I question why Lance Armstrong was still on their "american hero video", so I am aware you get every view under the sun over there.

I'd missed water, so thanks for that one, and I'll check the trash thing. I'm also going to be bringing a dog over and have included that in my house search. My concern there is he digs...

I've got healthcare covered, my employer has very comprehensive cover with excellent add-ons. The supplier of it even has a bulk buy website for prescriptions and generic replacements

Pension I'm not quite sure how that works yet. I've budgeted for it and my employer contributes, but I have always run my own pension. I guess its transfers where that will matter so I will just check if I will get a US pension if I move back to the UK or anywhere else if I pay into one. No point paying into one if I don't, I'd rather push that money into alternative investments. I have a tax advisor for a year through my employer and I hope they can tell me the ins and outs of all that. (Its E&Y).

And my son will get the car he's given to start with A cheap pickup might not be a bad idea given we may move house in a couple of years....
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 4:30 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Originally Posted by Weeze
Can someone touch on the sons visa please? I don't have enough knowledge in the area. Doesn't something change as they get older?
Bit confused by that too. If I get a green card he is covered I thought, but if not... he is his own problem? Then he'd have to get a student visa I guess to go to University.
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Old Feb 20th 2015, 4:31 pm
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Default Re: Possible move to Dallas, TX. Lots of Q's

Originally Posted by Weeze
Can someone touch on the sons visa please? I don't have enough knowledge in the area. Doesn't something change as they get older?

Not sure what it is for L1 but, I think, 21 seems to be when they age out for an 'easy' green card - OP might want to factor this in with negotiations with his company.
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