I guess my BIGGEST question is this.....

In my Our Savings we have 50K USD (been saving for about 5 years) and i have roughly 14-15k in my 401k. Now, the realestate agent we are talking to there is givein us really no help lol (typical).

Now my ? is this, i have NO idea about currency ratios as well as the cost of living...i mean i have researched....but i can do this either way...but i was wondering by soem locals, what would be the better thing to to...(economically speaking)

1.)Drop all 50k + around 10k of my 401 for the DOWNPAYMENT on a house
2.)Or maybe 10K of the savings and use teh rest for living expences?

now thats not going to leave me broke per se, i we plan on saving roughly 1/2 of what we make now for living purposes if it comes to the point we should dump what we have now into a place there. we plan on visiting in March (after income tax time) to see Kent, Glasgow and Edinburogh. (CHATAM is FREAKIN expencive!!!! she got a wake up call on that one)

Luckily my wife has already found a job there doing Insurance Claims like she does here (lucky woman makes more than i do...pretty sad eh?). SO when we move in the middle of the year next year, she will haev a stable job. Also how long does Citizenship take? (if it is like the US ).

Oh by the way, you are right i do have TREMENDOUS love for the country..well the REASON the country was founded and the Democracy we have here...but sometimes ya need a change of scenery and have to live out dreams....my moving to the UK is not political nor a statement that i "hate America"....just want to fulfill a dream And my wife is more important to me that some sill property in Florida. So the jump across the "big pond" is mainly for her...so she can enjoy her life to the fullest.

also what is teh converstion rate of USD to whatever you guys use..is it Euros or Pounds still?

Thanks


Edited by - Dark_Shadow2004 on 11/20/2004 9:48:57 AM

euros? *spits* its pounds and chatham may not be what you think it will be like, just remember that.

Edited by - freighter fighter on 11/20/2004 9:53:37 AM

DS, I would find a place to rent first, then decide what or where you want to get a house. That way, you make best use of the funds. I would love to see england again.

I don't know too much about how long it would take getting citizenship, but as your wife has a good job (almost the same as mine) you should be ok. I may ave got the wrong end of your finances but you are going to find it really difficult to get anywhere in the south of england for 50K US. But i may be reading what you are saying wrong.

@Bret...the 50k is just a down payment....for a mortgage kinda thing...you follow me....(i usually let the wife do the financial things...i just make money lol)

So my financal terminology is pathetic lol

What does 50k USD convert into in British Pounds?

"To live is to die....but living is to die slowly..why waste time on trivial things just play as hard as you can"

£26,935.3002 exactly

Edited by - freighter fighter on 11/20/2004 1:12:44 PM

i was born near Glagow and still retain some of my original accent although it has and still is fading since i have lived in England for 10 years.

Well if you do move over here then be sure to pack an umbrella

I notice that most people keep recomending the south of the country, not that thats bad, but i'm just making sure you considered places up in the north west. Generaly the houses are cheaper up here so you can get more for your money.

And to those people who still think that places like manchester are just industrial towns then you havn't been there recently. (I apologise for being so anti-southern england, but i had a nast run in with some people from london a few days ago, just because of my northen accent.)

the koreans here laugh at me cause of my still-very-strong southern korean accent (thats after 7years)

kimk, i know americans who've lived here for 15+ years and still have an accent.

the odd thing is, they sound american to us english folk, but if they go back to the states, they sound english, weird eh?