# Aussie family considering moving to California



## hillierk (Aug 23, 2012)

My husband, 10 month old son and I are considering moving to Livermore, California. I have been offered a permanent full-time role which includes a great salary, medical for my family, L1 Visa, 401K, all relocation costs and the company is considering employing my husband. I still have concerns about moving my family to another country because there are so many unknown factors which I'm hoping someone can help me with? It's but scary!

We will need to buy or lease a car and rent an apartment so what is the best way to obtain a credit rating? Someone has suggested we apply for an American Express credit card, would that work?

Should we wait until we get there to organise an apartment as we don't know the area? Or is there some trusted websites people use?

Childcare - my son is currently attending a childcare centre 2 days a week in Australia and he loves it, he's extremely social. As my husband and I will both be working our son will require full time care (5 days a week). What are the childcare centres like in the US? Are they expensive, hard to get into, ratio of carers to children? What is the standard of care like in the America? Or should we hire a nanny?

What other things should we be considering e.g. tax, insurance, start up cash? If this were you would you ask the company to have a clause in the contract about delocation costs if things don't work out in the first twelve months?


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## sillygumbo (Jul 6, 2012)

First off, Livermore is gorgeous. It is filled with wineries and beautiful hills. You are only a short 45 minute drive into San Francisco. It is very multicultural in the Bay Area. There are a lot of young families here. It is in the suburbs, not like the city at all. Its great for families. If you are looking to live in the city then you wouldn't like it there. I grew up in Danville which is 10 min away from Livermore. Livermore is a very up and coming town. You might want to wait to find a place to rent until you get there. Cash is King. If you can show that you can put down a nice deposit and have references from previous landlords than you will definitely not have a problem finding a place, even though you won't have any credit.

Getting an American Express card is a great idea. Landlords will understand why you don't have any credit. An AMEX is a great way to get started.

In regards to daycare, there are many in home daycares but there are also many facilities. Both can be great. The ratio is usually no more than 5-6 per provider for the young babies. if you google preschool in Livermore you can find a ton of reviews on daycares. Yelp.com is another great site once you have found a name of a place you are interested in. I think compared to Oz you might find them expensive. 

I would look around Pleasanton too. It is VERY nice. THe weather is perfect and it is safe with good families. It can be pricey in these areas so make sure you factor that into your equation.

In terms of cars, you can find a great deal anywhere if you wanted to buy. go on craigslist.com. You can also use this site for apartments but beware. There can be a lot of scamming going on. The best thing to do is use it as a guide for what you can expect. 


I would definitely ask about a clause. You never know how you will adjust. Americans love Aussies so don't worry. People will be facsinated with your accent and want to know all about you. My hubby is a Kiwi and he has been here for 11 years and every day someone asks "where are you from?" We have made so many friends this way.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

If your employer is picking up your relocation costs, make sure there is provision in there for temporary housing while you look for a more permanent place to live. Chances are, it will be in a "suites hotel" or short term apartments, which should give you a chance to check out the various neighborhoods where you might like to live. I know they used to offer up to a month or more in temporary housing, but in the current economy, even a couple of weeks should be enough to find a place to live.

And yes, having a clause that would pay for relocation back home should things not work would be a good idea. (Actually, having that clause in your contract is probably the best assurance that you wouldn't need to exercise it.)

Check with the HR department of your employer to see if they can help with house hunting and even suggestions about where to look for child care arrangements. There are often places favored by the employees of the company - due to proximity to work or special deals for employees or whatever - and having co-workers with kids in the same facility can come in handy.
Cheers,
Bev


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

I agree that Livermore is a great place to live. We lived in Livermore as well as several other cities in the San Francisco Bay area and we loved it there. As mentioned, Pleasanton, which adjoins Livermore on the west is also a great place to live.


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## stormgal (Sep 30, 2009)

hillierk said:


> I have been offered a permanent full-time role which includes a great salary, medical for my family, L1 Visa, 401K, all relocation costs and the company is considering employing my husband.


Knowing how the unemployment situation is in California, (almost 11%) I'm very surprised that the whole family was offered that type of package. May I ask what kind of work you and your husband do? I'm just curious.


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## hillierk (Aug 23, 2012)

I implement computer systems. I have specialized skills with a number of winery management, optimization and ERP systems.


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## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

stormgal said:


> Knowing how the unemployment situation is in California, (almost 11%) I'm very surprised that the whole family was offered that type of package. May I ask what kind of work you and your husband do? I'm just curious.


The high tech industry in California is doing very well with a shortage of workers, not jobs.


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## DentureRepair (May 22, 2012)

Agree for this, Its a very nice place, I have been visited Once, thanks.


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## isellpower (Jul 7, 2012)

Be very leery when someone mentions an areas "culture." Sure sign that you don't want to live there.


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## sillygumbo (Jul 6, 2012)

isellpower said:


> Be very leery when someone mentions an areas "culture." Sure sign that you don't want to live there.


What do you mean?


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## vronchen (Jan 26, 2012)

I am not sure you will get a credit card without a (US) credit history. Get a secured credit card from a bank for a couple of month. I had no problems getting an apartment without a credit rating. As long as you can provide proof of sufficient salary you should be fine. You also may need to pay a deposit for the power + gas company because of the lack of credit rating.

Livermore and Pleasanton are great. I have lived there for a short while. The whole SF bay area is awesome. Beautiful nature, diverse people, good food.


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## mgedeon (Jun 4, 2012)

I moved from Sydney to Los Angeles six years ago with young children. I found the day care situation to be fairly similar to Sydney, ie, good places have long waiting lists, mediocre ones not so hard. There is also family day care. The price of day care centres is much less than Australia but no government rebate. Overall, I find the quality very similar and less expensive.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

mgedeon said:


> I moved from Sydney to Los Angeles six years ago with young children. I found the day care situation to be fairly similar to Sydney, ie, good places have long waiting lists, mediocre ones not so hard. There is also family day care. The price of day care centres is much less than Australia but no government rebate. Overall, I find the quality very similar and less expensive.


Thank you for your help. Please stay so to say on board to help potential newcomers with their transitionl.


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## tully (Jan 5, 2012)

Hi hillierk - if you get an AMEX card asap before you leave Australia (direct from AMEX, not a bank-issued card) then you can do what they call a 'global transfer' after 12 months provided you have actively used the card over that period. It's a good way to get a credit (or charge) card quickly in the US. They allow one transfer per person. Both my husband and I got one earlier this year in preparation for our move in December.

Re Tax - it's easiest if you begin your job at the start of the US tax year if you can eg, 1 Jan - if you start before that you have two years of double tax returns (Aus/US). There are good tax agents in Sydney that do Aus/US tax to get you through the crossover year/s - see the website of the US Embassy for suggestions. 

Make sure you suspend rather than cancel your Australian health insurance. This means if/when you come back you won't have to pay the government loading of 1% for every year over age 30 and also means that you do not have waiting periods for benefits when you take out insurance again. Talk to your health insurer about this. Also - usually benefits under your employer's health scheme in the US don't kick in for a month or so after you start so you may need to consider transitional health insurance for a month or so - ask your employer.

You will need cash to get you started because you will have to pay cash deposits for electricity etc. Also, your rental will usually be a month deposit and first and last month's rent in advance - so that's 3 months' rent required there in cash or cheque (or should I say 'check' ). While the Aussie dollar is up consider getting some cash - you can take US $20K over between you I understand. Otherwise there may be some small delay in transferring cash while you set up a bank account in the US (which you will need an address for and possibly an SSN, which takes a few weeks to get following arrival).

Hope this helps, good luck!


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## stormgal (Sep 30, 2009)

sillygumbo said:


> What do you mean?


Good question. :confused2:


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## KarinaR (Oct 10, 2012)

I moved from Melbourne with my hubby and two kids 7 months ago, and the advice above is pretty comprehensive. We had to wait 6 months before applying for a credit card, as we had not held US bank accounts long enough. Then this application was rejected due to a lack of credit history, but our banker pushed it through with the district office for us. It's a bit of a catch 22, but if you can show assets held in Australia and a good income you can get there.

I also advise bringing a record of your driving history from your current Aussie insurer as this can save you hundreds on car insurance here. Bring your baby book showing immunization as they are pretty strict about that in child care.

When shopping for a car don't tell them how you intend paying until the end. They want you to sign up for finance, but we paid with a cashiers check (bank cheque) and they weren't as interested in doing a good deal. We literally had to walk out of the office before we got a bargain, and you will too. Cars are so cheap here, and gas (petrol) and clothes.

Best of luck!


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## rajir (Oct 7, 2012)

hi,
My husband has been relocated to the US long back through his employer at that time everything including some cash and credit card are being taken care of by his employer. His employer was a very reputed name in the software industry so he has had no problem at all in finding an apartment,opening bank account & everything else. As your employer is sponsoring your visa make sure your family needs for the first 45 days is being taken care of by ur employer. Typically software companies have staff concentrated in the surrounding apartments near the work location, same way if my guess is right in no time you might find an apartment in a community where ur colleagues already live. Regarding day care u can join ur child in a daycare center, or at a family setting by an individual. The present rate for day care in texas is $5 per/hour(told by me frnd who does baby sitting for 2 kids told me) it's bay area so it might be lill bit higher than texas so expect to pay higher than $5 an hour.. it's US that too bay area there will be plenty of options available so don't worry about anything.. It might take hardly 6months for u to settle down after that there is no looking back. CA is such a good place with plenty of activities to do at ur door step. My personal experience is if you are going to buy a used car buy only a certified pre owned car from a dealer only. Always buy a service contract they call it service insurance.

All the best.


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