Sydney, Australia to Chicagoland (?) (Washington: house, buying, income)

[genesiss23]

Originally Posted by eb23

I did not do any research on private school. In Australia Public schools provide better education compared to private according to the published test data. Private are more thing of showing off and developing "connections". A good friend of mine, who is a professor at Sydney University rates students from private schools as the worst.

I won't live in the city, an hour commute on Metra is a perfect reading time. Half-jokingly, one minus I found so far with Deerfield is that the nearest ALDI is farther away but I'm sure there are other options for great quality fresh produce and German beers

An Aldi just opened in Glenview on Willow Rd. It is next to the Kohl's and Target.

[kitty_nina1]

Have you looked into the property taxes on a 1.1M home? Have you looked into any of the local politics (i.e. progressive tax rate that's coming) to make a decision?

[kitty_nina1]

Originally Posted by eb23

Coming from Sydney suburbs I'm OK with the travel (it takes me 1 hr 20 minutes mixing car and a train to get to work, that is outside Sydney CBD) so commuting is not a problem, my understanding Metra takes 55 minutes from Deerfield). My wife is a newborn and family photographer so living in the family-oriented community where educational and income levels are high is yet another important factor. I wouldn't want to live in the city (crime factor and higher density). The care factor for diversity - racial or religious is minimal however, we support the opinion that the National Tradition should prevail the personal preferences. I mean nothing wrong with the personal, just keep it personal without trying to over-ride the National.

I don't think you have any idea what you are talking about.
Do you really want to commute 1hr20min each way every day?
Last winter was brutal, and we had to get up EARLY to shovel snow just so we could get out the driveway.
Sometimes we had to start the snowblower the night before because there was no telling how much snow would be on the ground by morning and how hard it would be to shovel it.
Do you really want to be away from you children and not really see them much at all? Not be able to drive them to activities or have your wife do all the driving, often in different directions and at different times?
Working in US is VERY different from working anywhere else in the world. You will be working late. A lot.
4-5 thousand sq. ft. house? You will need a housekeeper. This is impossible to maintain on your own. These homes are the toughest to resell. Are you sure you want to put all of your money into something like this? Have seen the tax rates?
I didn't get the last part about the National tradition whatever that may be. Illinoius is extremely diverse, and so are the suburbs. You happened to choose one of the most affluent ones with zero diversity. That's hardly the national tradition here.
I think there are plenty of good schools in WA, so I wouldn't be choosing IL just based on the amount of sunlight (or lack thereof). I'd go WA because of the weather.

[eb23]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Do you have any legitimate studies that show this? LOL. It's not very believable at all.

Sure. Top 10 HSC only two private.
https://bettereducation.com.au/results/hsc.aspx

[eb23]

Originally Posted by kitty_nina1

Have you looked into the property taxes on a 1.1M home? Have you looked into any of the local politics (i.e. progressive tax rate that's coming) to make a decision?

I believe progressive tax is a good thing compared to the current flat rate that Illinois has? ATM about half of my income disappears to tax -- the income would be 40% and the rest is cumulative collection of GST and other taxation such as 15% on all super contributions plus an extra tax I pay every year since my level of income is considered high. Unfortunately there is no joint tax filing in Australia.

[damba]

Originally Posted by kitty_nina1

I don't think you have any idea what you are talking about.
Do you really want to commute 1hr20min each way every day?
Last winter was brutal, and we had to get up EARLY to shovel snow just so we could get out the driveway.
Sometimes we had to start the snowblower the night before because there was no telling how much snow would be on the ground by morning and how hard it would be to shovel it.
Do you really want to be away from you children and not really see them much at all? Not be able to drive them to activities or have your wife do all the driving, often in different directions and at different times?
Working in US is VERY different from working anywhere else in the world. You will be working late. A lot.
4-5 thousand sq. ft. house? You will need a housekeeper. This is impossible to maintain on your own. These homes are the toughest to resell. Are you sure you want to put all of your money into something like this? Have seen the tax rates?
I didn't get the last part about the National tradition whatever that may be. Illinoius is extremely diverse, and so are the suburbs. You happened to choose one of the most affluent ones with zero diversity. That's hardly the national tradition here.
I think there are plenty of good schools in WA, so I wouldn't be choosing IL just based on the amount of sunlight (or lack thereof). I'd go WA because of the weather.

Good grief you have made a lot of assumptions about the OP’s situation. The moral part about what commute length is considered appropriate is certainly a fun read LOL

The OP has done his homework, contrary to what you think. Are you aware what the median home costs are in Sydney(?)

[damba]

Originally Posted by kitty_nina1

Have you looked into the property taxes on a 1.1M home? Have you looked into any of the local politics (i.e. progressive tax rate that's coming) to make a decision?

Do you really think you know the OP’s ‘net’ financials better than he does?

[eb23]

Originally Posted by kitty_nina1

I don't think you have any idea what you are talking about.
Do you really want to commute 1hr20min each way every day?
Last winter was brutal, and we had to get up EARLY to shovel snow just so we could get out the driveway.
Sometimes we had to start the snowblower the night before because there was no telling how much snow would be on the ground by morning and how hard it would be to shovel it.
Do you really want to be away from you children and not really see them much at all? Not be able to drive them to activities or have your wife do all the driving, often in different directions and at different times?
Working in US is VERY different from working anywhere else in the world. You will be working late. A lot.
4-5 thousand sq. ft. house? You will need a housekeeper. This is impossible to maintain on your own. These homes are the toughest to resell. Are you sure you want to put all of your money into something like this? Have seen the tax rates?
I didn't get the last part about the National tradition whatever that may be. Illinoius is extremely diverse, and so are the suburbs. You happened to choose one of the most affluent ones with zero diversity. That's hardly the national tradition here.
I think there are plenty of good schools in WA, so I wouldn't be choosing IL just based on the amount of sunlight (or lack thereof). I'd go WA because of the weather.

Thanks for your perspective. Obviously I got a year to validate my assumptions and who knows, renting a smaller place I might discover I like those more.. Currently I live in a 5005 sqft -- kids being able to ride scooters or bikes downstairs is a huge bonus when it is that muggy hot plus the bloody smoke smothering us since September. Property taxes are a ***** indeed. This makes a huge aspect of my consideration, not to mention not willing to live in a place older than my long time ago deceased grand-grand parents.

By the way -- is my idea about looking to buy early spring (when the snow is almost gone but it is still cold) makes sense since it should help to uncover any issues be it leaks, bad insulation etc?

Commute wise -- nothing will change to my current routine being 20 minutes in car + 60 minutes on a train one way. Luckily in Australia and the US we have plenty flexibility and working from home arrangements that I hope won't exhaust me much.

Diversity is an interesting topic. In Sydney, the most culturally diverse places aren't the most desirable nor affluent places not to mention the crime rate etc. Washington is a great place indeed, albeit I do not work for Amazon, MS or Boeing. I was specifically advised on either IL or NJ.

[eb23]

Originally Posted by damba

Good grief you have made a lot of assumptions about the OP’s situation. The moral part about what commute length is considered appropriate is certainly a fun read LOL

The OP has done his homework, contrary to what you think. Are you aware what the median home costs are in Sydney(?)

The prices are obscene. I built my house for 750k 10 years ago. Hoping to sell for 1.7m -- the current bank's evaluation is 1.66. I pay no closing fees nor taxes -- just the agent commission that will be 1.5%. The poor buyer will be slapped with about 80K stamp duty.

[wjj]

Just one word of warning here given that there is a potential large gain in the sale of the house in Australia. The US taxes its residents (not just its citizens) on a worldwide basis. The only major country in the world to do so. Pretty much every other country taxes on a residence basis. Once you become a resident for US income tax purposes (which could be the day you arrive or even retroactive to the beginning of the year if certain elections are made), your worldwide income is subject to US and usually, state taxation. Foreign exchange rate changes between the home purchase and sale can cause surprising results if it is sold during a period of US residency. There also is a bilateral income tax treaty between the US and Australia that can supersede normal domestic tax provisions in both countries that may or may not help.


The best advice anyone can give you before doing anything else, is to seek a US tax advisor who is well versed in US taxation of foreign nationals. Outside of the big firms, there are not many such advisors around. If you are working for a major company in the US, they likely have competent advisors who handle things like this but be sure that you are protected through a robust tax equalization agreement. And plan for the time if/when you leave the US too. To demonstrate how crazy the US tax system is, look at the case of Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister. He was born in the US so is a US citizen. He left the US for good as a young child - 5 years old, but once a citizen, always a citizen. When he sold his house in the UK a few years ago, the IRS nailed him for US income taxes on the gain from the UK sale (even though the gain was exempt in the UK). He has since renounced his US citizenship. The US tax system is like nothing you have ever experienced regardless of where else you have lived in the world. Lawful permanent residents (i.e., green card holders) can be chased down like poor Boris in some circumstances. Professional tax advice from someone with special expertise in the area is a must.