US Dollar

24 Grosvenor Square
London
W1A 1AE
Website - www.usembassy.org.uk
Tel: 020 7499 9000

UK Visitors are entitled to stay for 90 days provided you have a valid UK passport.  Simply hand over a completed Visa waiver form when entering the country.  To stay longer, you will need to leave the country after 90 days and re-enter and a second 90 day stay should prove to be no problem.  Any longer than 180 days in any one year are likely to prove problematical.

Contact the US Embassy for further advise – their website has excellent information.

By and large the American health system relies on its citizens having private medical cover.  It is essential that you have private medical cover as nearly all medical procedures in the US are extremely expensive.

There is an annual property tax of about 1% per year based on the value of your property.

Transfer fees are 3% to 5% of the purchase price, although slightly lower if you pay cash for the property.

Once you have chosen your property, your Real Estate Agent will help you and the seller draw up an agreed contract.

A deposit of about 10% is paid at this point which binds you to the contract unless certain conditions in the contract are not met, for instance, if the title check for survey highlights faults.

A settlement company is then appointed to complete the transaction and the balance of monies due is paid and the vendor and purchaser sign the final documents.

The transfer of ownership of the property is registered with the Local Authority.

Consider giving Power of Attorney to a US Lawyer to act on your behalf, as your new property is a long way from home!

Also consider using an American Notary in the UK to act on your behalf.

British Airways, Virgin and American Airlines have flights to Florida out of London airports and there are many scheduled services available.

British Airways
Virgin Atlantic
American Airlines