Sunday, June 4, 2017

The House That Almost Was


As I wrote in my last post, I've been rather distracted as of late.  I have spent a considerable amount of time and energy these past few months contemplating a move back to England with my family. You see, during our visit to London last December, we made arrangements to view a house - twice - that was listed for sale. The property, situated in a small rural village two hours north of London, ticked all the right boxes, or so we thought.  Mellow Georgian brick facade, a substantial plot of land, sash windows with original internal shutters, crunchy gravel driveway, mature specimen trees, intact period outbuilding ...you get the idea. There's even an Aga in the kitchen although that appeals to me more than it does my husband.  I suppose everything one knows about cooking would have to be relearned if one were to actually make use of this most British of country house kitchen contraptions. Aside from the cooking, the Aga would most certainly come in handy during the cold winter months. Those drafty country houses have earned their reputation for good reason, don't you know?

My husband has lived in California all of his life and I have had the privilege of living here for the past twenty-six years.  Moving anywhere, let alone half way across the world, is an enormous decision. Our daughter Patience would dearly love the chance to live in the same country as many of her cousins, uncles, and aunts, whom she knows intimately well.  I believe she's traveled to the UK at least fifteen times already, not bad considering her young age. Patience views England as her second home.

Although we have occasionally toyed with the idea of such a move, the handsome Georgian house we viewed, together with the recent favorable dollar-to-pound currency exchange rate, were our main
motivating factors to make it happen.  A move across the pond suddenly became far more feasible than at any other time in recent memory.  Of course, arrangements would have to be made to sell our house too, but with property around these parts flying off the market within weeks of it being listed, and in some cases days, we feel that would not pose too great an obstacle.  By contrast, the house in the English village has languished on the market for well over a year; the selling price having been reduced twice thus far. With a motivated seller, the carrot is tantalizingly within our reach.

As you can imagine, packing up one's entire household - lock, stock and barrel - and shipping it half way across the globe comes at a hefty price tag, a financial burden worth considering when contemplating any move, particularly one so distant.  Sifting through the handful of estimates we have obtained from various shipping outfits, we have discovered that the cost alone of insuring one's furniture for safe transit is akin to a king's ransom!  Then, of course, there's the question of what to do with our old and trusty Volvo wagon, so handy for carting people, pets, and large household items around. It's almost a member of our family. Do we ship that too, or sell it? Would it ever feel "right" driving a left-hand drive on the left-hand side of the road? And, there's that other little matter of taxes.  Do you know that it is the responsibility of every US Citizen living abroad to file taxes annually in both their adopted country and at home?  This rule will apply to Patience too when she eventually joins the UK workforce, regardless of the fact that she has never earned a cent here. And, talking of paperwork, let's address the reams of forms required, along with the hefty fees, for successfully navigating one's way through the maze of UK entry requirements.  It's enough to make one's head spin!  Although I consider my English skills to be somewhat proficient, it boggles the mind how anyone who lacks a law degree can make head or tail of some of these forms. And, of course, we come to Norton, our beloved pet cat. I believe his pile of paperwork, when stacked, might just be taller than him!

Looking past the financial and practical issues of transplanting our household half way across the globe, when all is said and done would we ever fully adjust to life in a rural British village where attending the local pub and church form the main pastimes of the local villagers?   Personally, I would have absolutely no trouble adjusting, having already resided in both town and country during my time living in England. If I crave the trappings of big city life there's always London, a mere two-hour car journey south.

It is our young daughter Patience we worry about.  What opportunities would she be missing out on if we bit the bullet and made the move?  How about schooling?  Would she find herself lagging behind the other students having been tutored in an entirely different educational system?  Would she be missing out on the benefits of living in a culturally diverse area, such as is the case with San Francisco or any other major city, where opportunities for employment, among other things, are abundant?  Agricultural jobs abound in the area of the village.  Beyond that, there's really little else.

Aside from the obvious lifestyle adjustment, what of the future?  As we don't have the advantage of peering into a crystal ball, my husband and I have done the next best thing and diligently researched the area of the village and nearby market town. Worryingly, a recurring theme we hit upon was flooding due to the area's low-lying topography and proximity to various water sources. Tidal flooding, sadly, is a real and serious concern.  From everything we've read, things are predicted to worsen over the coming years with the rising sea levels. Would our daughter be shackled to a sinking inheritance?  Most probably so.

For now, here we remain. Although the cons outstripped the pros with this particular Georgian village property, we feel we've earned ourselves quite an education in the minutia of a global move. We are now far better prepared, both emotionally and factually, were a similar opportunity to present itself in the future.  In the meantime, I am very happy to return to this rather neglected blog, and to you my loyal readers.

Of course, the silver lining to this tale is that we still get to happily live our lives in our beloved 1920's house, enjoying the benefits of a thriving local economy, excellent weather, remarkable scenery, and the pleasurable companionship of close friends and good neighbors. We have much for which to be thankful.


34 comments:

  1. What a difficult few months you've had trying to make such enormous decisions. The problems with our mobile modern life is that it does open up so many options on locations and lifestyle, which of course need to be carefully sifted through. I can imagine you've had many long nights of heart to hearts on the topic. It sounds as if you've come to the right conclusion though with that particular house. Hope you have a relaxing start to your Summer, and glad to see you back! x

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    1. Hello Heidi,

      Yes, I can't tell you how many hours we've spent scrutinizing every detail of our lives and how it can all be picked up and moved across the world. It made us realize that falling hard for a property involves more than just buying it. One has to also consider a myriad of details as intricate as shipping one's possessions across the briney seas, to opening a local bank account (not as easy as you'd think). All this even before the family pet is fit to travel. It is exhausting just thinking of it all.

      Ah, yes, a relaxing summer you say? Coming up!

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  2. Oh my, that is a big decision. It's one we've made a few times - from Hong Kong to Edinburgh, and from Edinburgh to Bangkok. I don't regret any of them, and one does have to take a leap of faith, as you acknowledge. I think the flooding potential is the biggest threat, and you have done well to identify it. My one overriding factor has been when I've tired of a place, I'm ready to go. I've never lived in the country, and whilst I very much enjoy visits to it, I think I'm a city boy at heart. Good luck with your continuing endeavours.

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    1. Hello columnist,

      I see you've had your share of global moves. It was so much simpler when I was young and single and I settled here in California, a completely different experience to the move we were contemplating of late. Yes, it all boiled down to the flooding threat with this property. Such a shame.

      I admire your outlook when you are done with a place, just pick up and go!

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    2. Actually, more (moves) than I mentioned. These are since we've been together as a couple, but prior to that, and in my job in international banking, I lived variously in London, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia in that order, over a 5 year period), followed bu a return to Hong Kong. These were not personal choices, but the later ones described certainly were. Just "picking up and going" requires major planning, (as you have experienced), and usually takes about 6 months to a year to bring to fruition.

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    3. Wow, you could write a book on global moves with your experience. I had not seriously contemplated moving anywhere until we viewed the village house in England but, as you say, I've come to the realization that some major planning, with a long lead time, is the key to accomplishing it successfully.

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  3. A very difficult decision indeed....but you clearly have a good handle on all the critical factors. I imagine you and your family feel both disappointment and relief at the outcome. The opportunity may present itself again at some future time and living in the Bay Area certainly has its advantages ; not the least a truly international airport to ferry you to points west and east.
    Thank you for sharing the factors that went into your relocation- important points for anyone considering a similar move.
    Best, KLGaylin

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    1. Hello KL Gaylin,

      I think you nailed it when you write "disappointment and relief". There's nothing worse than playing the "what if" game and finding yourself on one side of the fence one day, and on the other the next.

      As you say, the Bay Area certainly has its advantages, and that airport will soon be winging us east.

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  4. Hello CD, It was something exciting to think about, even if it didn't work out. I once saw a historic pioneer house in Northeast Ohio that I really wanted to buy, but sadly decided in the end that it needed too much work and didn't have enough land for a house out in the country.
    About the double taxes, they don't kick in until a fairly substantial amount, and even then I think you can deduct taxes paid in another country, but that's what accountants are for!
    --Jim

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    1. Hello Jim,

      Until we viewed the house, I was 50/50 on a move back to the UK. I must say though, the property was such a beauty that it had my husband and I both pondering the "what if" question very seriously.

      Unlike your historic pioneer house, the village property was in remarkably good shape, requiring only decoration.

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  5. Dear CD,

    I was aware of the tax issue because my sister, who has not lived in the US for 22 years, had an IRS "experience" recently. She is married to a Canadian and has decided her children will only have Canadian citizenship, so they are not on the US tax grid. I believe the US is the only country in the world to do this.

    There are loads of articles on expats giving up their citizenship because of this issue:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/opinion/why-im-giving-up-my-american-citizenship-passport.html?_r=0

    Whatever you decide, I wish you the best and hiope that you will keep us informed.

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    1. Hello Diogenes,

      Your poor sister! I can only imagine the effort it took her to untangle herself from that little "experience".

      Thanks for the link to the NY Time story which I look forward to reading.

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  6. And Brexit? Did that not enter into your decision making? It would have played a key role in mine. Not a fan of the new provincialism. Paris is more than worth a mass.

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    1. Hello truth in fashion,

      Whether it is England or the United States that has become the more provincial lately is subject to conjecture. My reasons for considering a move to England are aesthetic (as in finding a Georgian or Regency house) and personal, not political.

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  7. What a fun adventure, but you are right, living in California can be hard to turn your back on. Still, I think I'd be sorely tempted. England is the one place in the world that has pulled on my husband and my heart strings. We'll have to rely on vacations, we have grandchildren and they are too precious to leave behind.
    xo,
    Karen

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    1. Hello Karen,

      You've mentioned before your love of England, especially a country cottage, and I hope you can make it work one day, at least for vacations if not a permanent move.

      You make a good point about how difficult it is to move away from California. When we mentioned our intentions to relocated to the little English village, so many people we spoke with asked us if we were crazy. Personally, I'm not purely a city or country girl, but I know for a fact having lived in both, there are advantages and disadvantages to both lifestyles. A mix of both would be my ideal.

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  8. CD, what a fascinating (if exhausting) chapter in your lives. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm selfishly wondering if you have any pictures of the Georgian house to share...

    CD and Diogenes, there are two countries with citizenship-based taxation, the US and Eritrea. The rest, including Canada and the UK, have residence-based taxation. This is something I've learned a good deal about in the past few years, having been born in the US but living in Canada for the past 25 years after marrying a Canadian. A good source of information for your sister, Diogenes, is the blog http://isaacbrocksociety.ca, named for Sir Isaac, a British major general charged with defending Upper Canada against the US in the War of 1812.

    While the children of a US citizen have automatic US citizenship even if born outside of the US, for people like D's sister, it helps tremendously if the US parent does NOT register the births abroad. I registered my eldest but not my youngest, and my eldest and I have each recently renounced US citizenship for a number of reasons. The youngest, who isn't in the US "system" and has no Soc Sec number, will wing it and see how things go. It is definitely easiest kids renouncing to do so before turning 18-1/2 years old -- considerably more complicated and fraught for those of us in middle age.

    Jennie

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    1. Hello Jennie,

      I do have pictures that I took of the house but I don't feel comfortable publishing them as the property is still being occupied by the family that is selling it. It was a real gem though as most of the rooms, with the exception of the bathroom and kitchen were mainly intact and just needed a thorough redecoration.

      Thank you for the info on the citizenship-based taxation. Fascinating to learn that Eritrea shares something in common with the USA. Who knew?

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  9. Thank you so much Jennie for posting this information. I have forwarded the link to the Isaac Brook Society to my sister. Her children are still below the 18-1/2 age threshold.

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    1. I love it when my knowledgeable readers share their valuable information here in the comments section. Glad it can be of help to your sister (and thanks again Jennie!).

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  10. What an exciting thing to contemplate and I can understand completely how tempted you must have been. We spent 3 weeks in a stone cottage in an English village in 2014 and it was so lovely. I've fantasized about buying a cottage in a small English village and using it as a vacation spot (the one we rented was owned by Canadians who rented it part of the time in order to cover the costs).
    Moving away from the US completely though is a huge change. The taxation issue alone is very complicated and expensive. I am not an American citizen (my Dad and sister are) but if I were I'd be paying taxes here and there. I have some friends who are Americans living here and working who do not file their US taxes, they are always in fear of getting caught out. Rightly so I wouldn't want to be in trouble with the IRS.
    Have you thought about buying a property in the UK to use in summer? I'm not sure how difficult it would be to rent it for income though I imagine you could rent it to vacationing North Americans.
    Lovely to see your post in my inbox this morning CD xo

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    1. Hello Dani BP,

      It's good to be back, thank you, and so nice to connect with all my lovely readers.

      When we embarked on the idea of a move, we knew nothing of the tax laws, and from the several comments (see above), dealing with the IRS could become a pain. I guess a good accountant can deal with it all, as Jim rightly states, but what a yearly hassle though.

      We've not considered buying in the UK as a second property mainly because the type of house I'd enjoy living in would take up far more capital than we are willing to take on. Besides, I enjoy staying with my family when we visit and there's plenty of room at both of my sister's houses, which is a lovely bonus for us.

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  11. That grapple is what i go through to but not in earnest. Once you leave London, it is very hard to come back and I suspect San francisco is like that too. I think you have made the right decision. If you bought the house, then you could't easily sell up to go back to the States. But your daughter could always go to university here!

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    1. Hello Naomi,

      As we discussed when we saw you in London, that house really got us going. It was the best property we've seen in years, at least as far as the type of property we are looking for. The price (dollar/pound exchange rate) was easily within reach too, something not available before the rate crashed last summer. So, so, very tempting! However, the threat of flooding sealed the deal for us I'm afraid. It made us realize, for our daughter's sake, that we should continue looking, albeit casually looking. As you say, it is really hard to just leave the Bay Area and we've heard it over and over, once you leave, you cannot come back. House prices are through the roof nowadays. Just crazy!

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  12. I am sure that this has been involving and even difficult to sort out. That said, I often find that these big things that don't happen are kind of helpful in overall life happiness, because they become such a dry run to look at, and they add knowledge no matter which way you go in the end. And I think either way you'd probably be happy, just, differently. But you know that already, I'm just saying hi in a long-winded way;).

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    1. What you say is exactly how I feel. Sometimes the whole process just makes you appreciate more what you already have. As others have said, it would be difficult to leave the San Francisco area with all that it has to offer, so I am sure it was a difficult decision to make when the lure of returning to Britain is so strong.

      slf

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    2. Hello Lisa, and thanks for your comment. I'm in agreement (we've gained so much knowledge through this process) and yup, happy either way really. Hello back, by the way!

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    3. Hello slf,

      This has certainly been a lengthy and in-depth process. As you state, we have much to appreciate about our current situation here in California. I would miss so many things if we were to eventually move. On the other hand, I've always found much to like wherever I've laid my hat in the past.

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  13. You've done very good research but also consider stamp duty on the house and inheritance tax on the property. Also, an American could be considered a resident non-dom which gets even more complicated.
    Marianne

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    1. Hello Marianne, and thank you for your comment.

      Yes, stamp duty would have to be paid by us, the buyer. On top of that, we'd also be paying taxes on the sale of our own property here in California so in effect, we'd be dinged twice.

      I've not even researched non-dom regulations, thank you. I never would have guessed that falling for a house, and wanting to purchase it, would be so complicated!

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  14. I think you've made a wise decision. I'm not sure how old your daughter is but when I was 15 my family moved out to the 'country' (rural, "middle of nowhere" Nebraska) and it really hurt my education. When I went to college a few years later back on the east coast I was really unprepared and had a very difficult time at first catching up. Everything turned out well in the end thanks to hard work but the move was definitely detrimental to my upbringing. Just my 2 cents which may help grant you further piece of mind since you've been so kind to divulge your personal life!

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    1. Thank you, AD, for sharing your perspective on things, which is especially helpful as our daughter is the same age as when your parents moved to the country. Our daughter was (still is) really pushing for a move, and we've tried to explain the whole education conundrum to her. However, she only sees positives based on her experience of visiting the UK to see family - all fun, fun, fun - which it is, of course, but there's also real life living to consider.

      Thanks again for 'two cents' or 'two pennies' depending on which side of the pond one happens to be on.

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  15. Until google just informed me otherwise, I assumed Aga was an Eastern Euro scullery maid.
    My Dear CD, that would have been quite an ordeal to endure for a crunchy gravel driveway.
    I do see how Lincolnshire has produced Sir Issac Newton, The Iron Lady, Thomas Paine, and voted overwhelmingly Brexit so that East Midland air can produce sound judgement.

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    1. Hello GSL,

      I remember our friend's house had an Aga when I lived in Kent and life revolved around it in the winter.

      Wasn't aware I'd be joining such august company had I made the move.

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