[goody69]

Hi to all.
How hard is it to buy a house in america?My husband and i are wanting to move from scotland uk to north carolina.My husband has dual nationality and we want to take the move.We are unsure how we would be able to buy a house as we would have no credit history or anything when we get out there.My husband would be looking to work as a editor of a newspaper so pending on him getting a job close to were we want to go.How would we get a house as he would not have had working experience there.THank you very much:confused2:

 

[Davis1]

Hi to all.
How hard is it to buy a house in america?My husband and i are wanting to move from scotland uk to north carolina.My husband has dual nationality and we want to take the move.We are unsure how we would be able to buy a house as we would have no credit history or anything when we get out there.My husband would be looking to work as a editor of a newspaper so pending on him getting a job close to were we want to go.How would we get a house as he would not have had working experience there.THank you very much:confused2:

Very difficult to get a mortgage now....
Obviously finding an actual job would be the first thing .... in todays job market that could be very difficult

 

[Fatbrit]

Hi to all.
How hard is it to buy a house in america?My husband and i are wanting to move from scotland uk to north carolina.My husband has dual nationality and we want to take the move.We are unsure how we would be able to buy a house as we would have no credit history or anything when we get out there.My husband would be looking to work as a editor of a newspaper so pending on him getting a job close to were we want to go.How would we get a house as he would not have had working experience there.THank you very much:confused2:

Some thoughts:

It's going to be a 6 month or longer process to get you out there on an immigrant visa. Ask if you're doing it and we'll guide you through the right visa and get you to sidestep the wrong one. I presume your husband has not lived in the US for a long time or perhaps never? In that case he is going to have to do some work establishing intended domicile before you apply for your visa. And probably file for Uncle Sam's taxes!

Newspapers are going bust left, right and centre -- craigslist has taken all their revenue.

To get a mortgage you'll need either some income and either a credit history or an awfully large percentage down. Probably easier to rent for the first year or two while you build up your credit history.

Getting a job when you're not on the ground is a hundred times more difficult.

 

[goody69]

Some thoughts:

It's going to be a 6 month or longer process to get you out there on an immigrant visa. Ask if you're doing it and we'll guide you through the right visa and get you to sidestep the wrong one. I presume your husband has not lived in the US for a long time or perhaps never? In that case he is going to have to do some work establishing intended domicile before you apply for your visa. And probably file for Uncle Sam's taxes!

Newspapers are going bust left, right and centre -- craigslist has taken all their revenue.

To get a mortgage you'll need either some income and either a credit history or an awfully large percentage down. Probably easier to rent for the first year or two while you build up your credit history.

Getting a job when you're not on the ground is a hundred times more difficult.

Hi,Thanks for your reply.
My hubby is going out in febuary to solidify his citizenship.
I know he will have to fill out forms at US naturalization dept.
Will this make any difference as of visa's?

 

[Fatbrit]

Hi,Thanks for your reply.
My hubby is going out in febuary to solidify his citizenship.
I know he will have to fill out forms at US naturalization dept.
Will this make any difference as of visa's?

I have no idea what you mean by solidifying citizenship. Does he have a US passport or not?

Showing intent to establish domicile (in order to apply for your visa) requires things like opening a bank account, looking for a place to live and a job.

 

[goody69]

I have no idea what you mean by solidifying citizenship. Does he have a US passport or not?

Showing intent to establish domicile (in order to apply for your visa) requires things like opening a bank account, looking for a place to live and a job.

Hi,Someone said those words to me.I was told that he would need to go over to the states(as he has not obtained a us passport yet)Meet his father who is a us citizen and go to some sort of office with his original birth cert and apply that way.
I was wondering how long it takes for that?
Would it also be best for him to move out to nc and apply for jobs on his own before me and my daughter make the move aswell.
We should be able to put down about $60.000 as a down payment on a home.Would this be enough to obtain a mortgage?
Thank u

 

[Fatbrit]

Hi,Someone said those words to me.I was told that he would need to go over to the states(as he has not obtained a us passport yet)Meet his father who is a us citizen and go to some sort of office with his original birth cert and apply that way.
I was wondering how long it takes for that?
Would it also be best for him to move out to nc and apply for jobs on his own before me and my daughter make the move aswell.
We should be able to put down about $60.000 as a down payment on a home.Would this be enough to obtain a mortgage?
Thank u

Okay -- so we need to start right at the beginning here! Let's worry about the house, mortgage, etc when we've got the first parts sorted out.

He may or may not be a US citizen. The first job is to determine that and then obtain the proof, usually a US passport. I'll need the following info to get you started:

Which country was he born in?
What year was he born?

 

[goody69]

Okay -- so we need to start right at the beginning here! Let's worry about the house, mortgage, etc when we've got the first parts sorted out.

He may or may not be a US citizen. The first job is to determine that and then obtain the proof, usually a US passport. I'll need the following info to get you started:

Which country was he born in?
What year was he born?

Hi.
Lol yeah u can tell im wet behind the ears.
He was born in scotland,dunoon to be exact.He was born in 1970.
His dad was in the american navy when it was based in dunoon.
He married my husbands mother and lived here for about 11 yrs.
He went back to america when my husband was 11 and divorced his mother.
My hubby has not seen his father since then.
As far as we have believed he has dual nationality.
Many thanks

 

[Fatbrit]

Hi.
Lol yeah u can tell im wet behind the ears.
He was born in scotland,dunoon to be exact.He was born in 1970.
His dad was in the american navy when it was based in dunoon.
He married my husbands mother and lived here for about 11 yrs.
He went back to america when my husband was 11 and divorced his mother.
My hubby has not seen his father since then.
As far as we have believed he has dual nationality.
Many thanks

Okay, so we need to carry on discovering his claim to US citizenship. Sorry for all the questions but the law is convoluted!

Was your husband born in wedlock?
Did your husband's father live at least ten years in the United States before your husband's birth, with a minimum of 5 of these 10 years in the United States after his father's 14th birthday?
Was the birth registered with the American Embassy/Consulate?

 

[goody69]

Okay, so we need to carry on discovering his claim to US citizenship. Sorry for all the questions but the law is convoluted!

Was your husband born in wedlock?
Did your husband's father live at least ten years in the United States before your husband's birth, with a minimum of 5 of these 10 years in the United States after his father's 14th birthday?
Was the birth registered with the American Embassy/Consulate?

Hi.
Yes to all of the above.

 

[Fatbrit]

Hi.
Yes to all of the above.

Okay so if he's got the consular record of birth, life should be easy. He needs to obtain his first US passport.

London instruction here: Embassy of the U.S. London: Consular Affairs: First-Time Applicants
Edinburgh instructions here: Embassy of the U.S. London: Consulate General, Edinburgh
Belfast Instructions here: Embassy of the U.S. London: Consulate General Belfast: First Time Applicants for U.S. Passports

While he's at the Embassy, he should inquire about getting his social security card and back-filing his last three years of US taxes. The London one has a social security and IRS office -- unsure about the other two.

He should read Dual Citizenship FAQ to get a background on his status.

Once he gets his passport he can work on getting you two over. It takes about 6 months provided everything falls into place. How old is your daughter?

 

[twostep]

As Fatbrit said - get your husband's citizenship taken care of first. Then your green card. Rent for a year or so and get to know the area you want to buy a house in. Study traffic patterns, school schedules (my sister bought the perfect house right next to a high school sports stadium. Great location for singles:>( ), job market .... then buy.

 

[goody69]

Okay so if he's got the consular record of birth, life should be easy. He needs to obtain his first US passport.

London instruction here: Embassy of the U.S. London: Consular Affairs: First-Time Applicants
Edinburgh instructions here: Embassy of the U.S. London: Consulate General, Edinburgh
Belfast Instructions here: Embassy of the U.S. London: Consulate General Belfast: First Time Applicants for U.S. Passports

While he's at the Embassy, he should inquire about getting his social security card and back-filing his last three years of US taxes. The London one has a social security and IRS office -- unsure about the other two.

He should read Dual Citizenship FAQ to get a background on his status.

Once he gets his passport he can work on getting you two over. It takes about 6 months provided everything falls into place. How old is your daughter?

Wow thanks for all this info,its a gr8 help.
My little girl is 4

 

[goody69]

As Fatbrit said - get your husband's citizenship taken care of first. Then your green card. Rent for a year or so and get to know the area you want to buy a house in. Study traffic patterns, school schedules (my sister bought the perfect house right next to a high school sports stadium. Great location for singles:>( ), job market .... then buy.

Hi
Thanks for replying.
We have researched the plc were we want to go.North carolina,whispering pines.
Close to wear my hubbies american family is.
I have researched the elimentary schools
Crime reports
Traffic routes
Seem to be jobs in sorrounding areas for editors(hubbies deal)

 

[Fatbrit]

Wow thanks for all this info,its a gr8 help.
My little girl is 4

Okay. Some more thoughts for ya. I know it's a lot to take in!

You and your daughter will need an immigrant visa. It starts here: USCIS: Instructions for Filing an I-130 & I-360

Your husband will need either a US salary of at least $23k OR capital of $69k OR a co-sponsor with an even larger income or capital.

If you answer affirmatively to any of the following questions, you may have issues:
* Have you ever been arrested for anything, anywhere?
* Do you suffer from a serious communicable disease?
* Do you suffer from a mental disorder?
* Have you ever broken the terms of any previous visit to the US?
* Do you any connections whatsoever with countries the US might consider as terrorist in nature?

Under a strange quirk of the law, your daughter may become an instant US citizen on entry to the US with an immigrant visa. You, however, will have to wait 3 years before you can naturalise.

If your husband is not the father of your daughter, you may need a UK court's permission to remove her.

 

[Fatbrit]

Hi
Thanks for replying.
We have researched the plc were we want to go.North carolina,whispering pines.
Close to wear my hubbies american family is.
I have researched the elimentary schools
Crime reports
Traffic routes
Seem to be jobs in sorrounding areas for editors(hubbies deal)

It really is hard to know an area without living there. Looking to rent for the first year or two is good advice. One of the strange things about America is a single street often separates the boundary between pleasant living and a no-go area.

Start building a credit history as soon as your can. If you don't have one, you need to get AMEX cards -- one each. I know they're pretty well useless in the UK but the big advantage is that you can transfer them to the US to bump start your credit history when you get here.
Rules:
* Never have the balance exceed 20% of the limit.
* Pay off in full every month -- paying interest does not increase your credit score.

Without a US credit/work history, you are probably going to have to put down more than 50% of the price of a house to secure a mortgage at a less-than-favourable interest rate.

 

[Bevdeforges]

Hi,Someone said those words to me.I was told that he would need to go over to the states(as he has not obtained a us passport yet)Meet his father who is a us citizen and go to some sort of office with his original birth cert and apply that way.
I was wondering how long it takes for that?
Would it also be best for him to move out to nc and apply for jobs on his own before me and my daughter make the move aswell.
We should be able to put down about $60.000 as a down payment on a home.Would this be enough to obtain a mortgage?
Thank u

On what basis is your husband a dual national? (There are lots of options...) Was he born in the US? Or was he born elsewhere, with one US parent (I guess, his father)?

It will also depend on just when your husband was born, if outside the US - the laws have changed over time and in at least one age group, it's necessary to enter the US and then get naturalized (though that is an almost-automatic process).

It sounds like you first need to resolve the issue of your husband's US nationality. You may want to consult the Citizenship page of the ACA (American Citizens Abroad), an expat group that deals with various legal issues like this: ACA American Citizens Abroad - Citizenship Once he is squared away, then he can work on getting the appropriate visas for you and the kids.

But on the mortgage issue, you'd really do better to rent for a couple years to build up a credit rating before you try to go for a mortgage. (Not to mention giving yourselves a bit of time for the current banking, mortgage and financial situation a while to settle out.)
Cheers,
Bev

 

[twostep]

Hi
Thanks for replying.
We have researched the plc were we want to go.North carolina,whispering pines.
Close to wear my hubbies american family is.
I have researched the elimentary schools
Crime reports
Traffic routes
Seem to be jobs in sorrounding areas for editors(hubbies deal)

Paper is patient and analysts hardly ever work on-site. We moved 16 or 18 times and three continents - unless you have had a chance to actually check out things - be very careful trusting someone elses opinion.

 

[Fatbrit]

On what basis is your husband a dual national? (There are lots of options...) Was he born in the US? Or was he born elsewhere, with one US parent (I guess, his father)?

It will also depend on just when your husband was born, if outside the US - the laws have changed over time and in at least one age group, it's necessary to enter the US and then get naturalized (though that is an almost-automatic process).

It sounds like you first need to resolve the issue of your husband's US nationality. You may want to consult the Citizenship page of the ACA (American Citizens Abroad), an expat group that deals with various legal issues like this: ACA American Citizens Abroad - Citizenship Once he is squared away, then he can work on getting the appropriate visas for you and the kids.

I think we've established the citizenship. Their only error was planning to get the US passport directly in the US rather than from a US Consulate abroad.

 

[Bevdeforges]

I think we've established the citizenship. Their only error was planning to get the US passport directly in the US rather than from a US Consulate abroad.

OK - I must have missed something. The only issue, though, was her mention of "naturalization" - which is necessary for one particular category of potential Americans born overseas to US parents. (I'll admit I don't know all the specifics, but when I was active in AARO, I recall one of the members going through the process to naturalize her granddaughter.) In most other cases, there should be no need of going to the US to get a US passport.
Cheers,
Bev