ShaggyRS6

Springer Spaniel and a black Lab. To be fair , all though it does limit you, there are still loads of property's I am being sent that allow pets.

Jerseygirl

That's good because when we looked 16 years ago...we only saw one that would take 2 large dogs. I wouldn't even let my dogs live in that hovel...never mind him and me.

ShaggyRS6

Lol yeah, dogs a pretty high the pecking order here too.

ShaggyRS6

I don't know how to word this one, but I was trying to get my head around what an acceptable monthly rental payment would be versus annual income. I only ask as I am sure there are going to be costs and taxes to pay that I have not thought off , but, just thinking out loud if your annual income were around the $125k dollar mark, what would your budget generally be.

Based on someone being the only earner, 2 dogs a wife a son and will need car.

ian-mstm

Keep in mind that you're going to take home only 65%-70% of that amount. The rest will go to taxes and benefits paid out at the source. That brings your take home pay to about $85K. That's the important number, because your monthly living expenses will come out of your take home pay... not your annual salary.

Ian

ShaggyRS6

I am assuming though that my salary will be boosted to compensate for cost of living. That has yet to be confirmed but it's generally been the norm for other people. I could potentially see an increase of 20k I guess .

Does this happen elsewhere ? The original figure given was based on a direct conversion .

CA-NY

We're going to be in the same ball park income as you (2 earners). We have no children or pets but will run a car. Our preferred maximum rent is $2000 per month rent but will probably stretch to $2500 for a really really nice place. According to our estimations, that's do-able and will leave a bit left for enjoying life but pretty tight. Considering we pay about £400 a month in mortgage in the UK, I'm having a hard time getting my head round all this! You need to check with rental properties what utilities if any are included some include water and heat, others not. Then you've got pretty much the same outgoings as you have in the UK (cable TV, car insurance, groceries, gas, eating out, entertainment, etc etc.)

Have you also taken into account any contribution on your company health insurance, we will be on a 70/30 split which I think is pretty average. That's going to come out of your salary as well.

I did a post a few weeks ago about expected monthly outgoings and got a good list going from others on here, that might help.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...thly+outgoings

Also we're factoring in a lot of one off expenses when we get there e.g. new bed/bedding, house stuff, TV, appliances etc.. We will ship some stuff but some we're going to replace. We'll sell the car in the UK and use that money to buy car outright. But there's going to be a lot of outgoings that first few months!

ShaggyRS6

$125K is a like for like conversion, hopefully I would get more. If you plumb that into a Mortgage/Rental site it says that I could comfortably rent a $3600 a month property.

Max I would probably go is $3300. I currently pay £1000 per month mortgage. I've not seen any really really nice places for $2500 though, unless I have been looking in the wrong places. Would you be able to give me some examples?

Company Health care is free I believe. My firm will relocate us, so they will may for all moving fees and so on. I will probably sell most stuff though like you and buy new. Im going to sell my house which should make about £60k. Obviously dont want to spend that, thats for the return bit

CA-NY

I would think $3000+ should open you up to some pretty nice rental properties in some nice towns. Just a couple of examples in the $2500 - $3000 mark range:

http://www.njmls.com/listings/index....tysearch=false

http://www.njmls.com/listings/index....tysearch=false

Don't forget if you end up in Bergen county, you're going to be 1 hour from Manhattan on the train and going in there even once a month / once every couple of months is going to cost with transport / food / maybe a show every now and again. We are working on the basis that we don't want to be so tight with outgoings every month that we can't take advantage of what's on our doorstep. And we want to try and have enough left over to enjoy weekends away to see the country. But I appreciate everyone has their own agenda and that might not be your intention.

Where are you going to be working?

ShaggyRS6

Thanks for the links. Very much appreciated.

I'll be working in Manhattan every day. But here is the good part (well for me anyway) I currently live the same distance out side of London and a say Ho Ho Kus is from the City. I pay £4000 per year to travel to work. So travel, for me, is going to be a huge saving.

I am led to believe its not going to be anywhere near that. Just checked and its about £1500 per year in the states.

Jerseygirl

Make sure the property has central air conditioning. You don't want to be in NJ during the summer without AC.

CA-NY

Ho-Ho-Kus - Penn Station, $284 per month - $3408 p.a. if I've done that right?

Bob

Shit...that's depressing.

Out in MA, doing a napkin maths for potential commute myself and it's a choice of drive a chunk to the T, park and T in, or drive a short chunk, park, take commuter rail in and not need the T, but have the rail replace petrol cost and they'll both be close to an hour and around $11K a year.

The parking costs out your way must be nothing.

ShaggyRS6

Hmmm New Jersey Transit Quoted $188 per month - Still a saving though

� Secaucus: $77

� Kingsland, Lyndhurst: $92

� Delawanna, Rutherford, Wood-Ridge: $104

� Passaic, Garfield, Teterboro: $112

� Clifton, Plauderville, Essex St., Anderson St.: $127

� Paterson, Broadway, Radburn, North Hackensack, River Edge: $137

� Hawthorne, Oradell, Glen Rock Main Line, Glen Rock Boro Hall, Emerson: $154

� Ridgewood, Westwood, Hillsdale: $181

� Ho-Ho-Kus, Waldwick, Woodcliff Lake, Park Ridge, Montvale: $188

� Allendale: $203

� Ramsey: $214

� Mahwah, Suffern: $239

� Pearl River, Nanuet, Spring Valley: $203

� Sloatsburg, Tuxedo: $245

� Harriman: $247

� Salisbury Mills: $254

� Campbell Hall: $259

� Middletown: $267

� Otisville: $282

� Port Jervis: $304

ShaggyRS6

Roger That