you folks had been so helpful and generous with your advices when i started posting in this forum in August last year.
http://www.sgforums.com/forums/2163/topics/325965
thought i at least owe you folks an update of the status...but i'm unable to post in the earlier thread 'cos it has expired...hence i'm creating a new thread for it.
anyway...we've already gotten our petition/visas approved for our relocation. the big move should take place end july this year.
i've copied down all your advices from the old thread and have used them as my guide on how i should proceed.
we've got about 3mths to settle everything....kinda overwhelmed but i think we've got the gist of what we shld do (all thanks to your kind advices!).
if you've got further updates on relocating to USA...i'd be more than happy to hear from you =)
thanks folks!!
Good luck !
All the best!
Congrats!
So flat settled?
Congratulations! Here's wishing you a smooth transition! Check out this site:
http://www.overseassingaporean.sg/
Hope you will find something useful.
BE BOLD and enjoy the experiences. Best of Luck.
hey folks,
thanks for the well-wishes! anyway, we'll be in MA come august this year....somewhere south of Boston (1-2hr drive). so if anyone is staying around there or visiting the area...and wishes to meet up, do drop me a note! it's a great place during summer with beautiful beaches/vineyards. and nearby new england has amazing fall scenery during autumn!
Originally posted by lostintransition:hey folks,
thanks for the well-wishes! anyway, we'll be in MA come august this year....somewhere south of Boston (1-2hr drive). so if anyone is staying around there or visiting the area...and wishes to meet up, do drop me a note! it's a great place during summer with beautiful beaches/vineyards. and nearby new england has amazing fall scenery during autumn!
You settle properly first, then easier for you to drive us around when we visit.
And if I visit, I will be posting some details up here, so stick to this forum lah.
Originally posted by viciouskitty74:
You settle properly first, then easier for you to drive us around when we visit.And if I visit, I will be posting some details up here, so stick to this forum lah.
yes yes.....but first...let me go learn and try to get my driving licence first!! hahaha
will update you folks on my progress...
right now...still trying to settle stuffs in singapore...the property is my biggest headache...hoping to just sell but as you know, the property market is relative soft now.
Hey ! Congrats on the relocation, i'm still in the early process in my Landed Immigration Application... I hope to get it sent out by the end of the month.
hey folks,
just to check with you...when applying for learner's driving permit ...i need to provide social security no....but 'cos i'm under H4 visa...i do not have a social security no...how do i go about it?
Originally posted by lostintransition:hey folks,
just to check with you...when applying for learner's driving permit ...i need to provide social security no....but 'cos i'm under H4 visa...i do not have a social security no...how do i go about it?
In some states, providing an SSN during an application for a driver's permit is optional. Even if MA requires an SSN, they might waive that requirement for H4 visa holders--have you checked with them yet?
Originally posted by lostintransition:hey folks,
just to check with you...when applying for learner's driving permit ...i need to provide social security no....but 'cos i'm under H4 visa...i do not have a social security no...how do i go about it?
Here the link to your answer from the social security official website.
How do non-citizens without permission to work get a social security number.
hey meia and jojo,
thanks for the info!!
Originally posted by lostintransition:
yes yes.....but first...let me go learn and try to get my driving licence first!! hahahawill update you folks on my progress...
right now...still trying to settle stuffs in singapore...the property is my biggest headache...hoping to just sell but as you know, the property market is relative soft now.
driving is easy just drive straight....ha ha ha....I don't know about MA. But in Socal the test route always ends up near elementary school they like to know how u react to the random erractics behavior of students.
Originally posted by Arapahoe:driving is easy just drive straight....ha ha ha....I don't know about MA. But in Socal the test route always ends up near elementary school they like to know how u react to the random erractics behavior of students.
do they test on parking?
one of my friend was telling me that if you see a ice-cream truck by the side of the road when you are test driving...do not overtake it no matter what...true?
Originally posted by lostintransition:
do they test on parking?one of my friend was telling me that if you see a ice-cream truck by the side of the road when you are test driving...do not overtake it no matter what...true?
I only know about the school bus rule. But that should be included in your theory test.
The school bus all comes with this circular "stop" sign that flips out when they offload students. Do not pass.
And when you hear sirens from emergency vehicle.. all vehicle must not cross the junction lights.. even if it's green..
It does not matter if the emergency vehicle is coming from the opposite side.. drive your vehicle to the side of the road.... and stop.
For me.. when I see an Ice Cream truck stopping.. I just slow down to less than 25mph.. infact.. as long as you see children present.. you should slow down anyway.
Unlike Singapore who believes in vehicles right of way.
In US.. we give way to pedestrains. If you see people walking infront of a grocery store.. we stop .. make eye contact.. and wave them to pass infront of us.
Originally posted by lostintransition:
do they test on parking?one of my friend was telling me that if you see a ice-cream truck by the side of the road when you are test driving...do not overtake it no matter what...true?
i mention this to Vito since he is attending school in socal. If you already know how to drive in SG, continue to Spend a few hour session with the local driving instructor. They will tell u the Do's and Don't particularly related to your Test route and they know what tester look at.....and during test day use the instructor's car.
Mindset change
Driving in the US is a necessity, there are no quota to pass or fail.
Lost, are you going to acquire a car when you get to MA ?
hey folks, thanks for the driving test tips.
arapahoe...yeah, you mentioned the same thing to me and i still remember...will do just that.
jojobeach....a car is prob one of the first things that my hubby is going to get so as to get us around....after i've passed my driving test, i might want to get one small and cheap used car too.
check with you folks....if say we were to stay in an apartment with no garage...where can we leave the car when we are not in MA? we can't possibly leave the car in some street side parking and have it buried under the snow during winter time?
Originally posted by lostintransition:hey folks, thanks for the driving test tips.
arapahoe...yeah, you mentioned the same thing to me and i still remember...will do just that.
jojobeach....a car is prob one of the first things that my hubby is going to get so as to get us around....after i've passed my driving test, i might want to get one small and cheap used car too.
check with you folks....if say we were to stay in an apartment with no garage...where can we leave the car when we are not in MA? we can't possibly leave the car in some street side parking and have it buried under the snow during winter time?
How long will you be away.. when you have to abandon your car on the street ?
If you are just 3-4 days.. leave outside no problem.. just make sure you put in fuel stabilizer and charge your car battery to full and keep it in your home if you can... if you scare car won't start.. just get the roadside assistance include in your AAA car insurance. They will come to your rescue.
Don't forget your car lock de-icer.. and put a cardboard under the wipers on the windscreen.
If you leaving more than 1 week to another state.. you can either park the car in your company's covered carpark.. or just park in airport long term parking dunno how much they charge there.
Not a good idea to leave it on the street.. for more than one week.. because city will need to plow the street..
Originally posted by jojobeach:How long will you be away.. when you have to abandon your car on the street ?
we might be away for up to a month each time. looks like we shld seriously consider getting a rental house with a garage?
Originally posted by lostintransition:
we might be away for up to a month each time. looks like we shld seriously consider getting a rental house with a garage?
I don't know how much you know about the different types of housing in USA. Last time you mentioned your husband lived in Washington before.
You want to rent an apartment or condo or townhome/attached home or single family residence ? I am assuming you be in suburb area.
Apartment/condo got carports (sheltered carpark lot , not enclosed) or attached/detatched garage (enclosed) . Most apartments/condo usually only one car garage.
Seldom can find two car apartment/condo.. condo maybe.. but apartment usually not.
So if you have 2 cars.. one car sit outside or in carports.
Townhome/Attached home.. can find 1 or 2 car garage.. but rental ofcors more expensive than apartment.
Single family residence.. usually 2 car garage no problem.
Even if you have garage.. you still need to put a block heater in the engine compartment while you are away.
It all depends on how much you willing to spend on your rentals.
Airport long term parking is about 400 if you park one month there ah..I used this to do estimate lor.
Since you and your hubby only.. it really depends on your budgeting lah.
I hope I'm not confusing you :P
Apartments.. all your neighbours are renters. Condo.. your neighbours are mostly homeowners. So got difference OK ? Good.
hi jojo,
thanks for the suggestions. actually..airport parking is a good option since we need the car to get to/fro from the airport. i checked out the link that you've provided me...you are right that it would cost around 400 for a month. however, i notice that the airport parking are uncovered and not heated. will that be a problem during the winter period?
you mentioned something about a block heater to be placed in the engine compartment...how does it work? how much does it cost? does it run on electricity(need to connect to power socket?). sorrie if my questions sound dumb 'cos this is entirely new to us. my hubby had a car when he was in seattle but it was never that cold to require a heater.
as for housing/garage issues...our budget is approx 1.2K/month (hopefully including utilities)...so not sure how far that's gonna get us. i have been told that housing in MA and in particular where we'll be based (cape cod) is very expensive. we're hoping to find a place with at least 2-3 bedrms, 1-1.5bathrm and ideally a 1-2car enclosed garage. not sure if i'm being realistic with my budget?
i read from somewhere that some landlords will offer 1mth free rental with a 1-yr lease contract. if true, that'll work really well for us since we are likely to be away for at least 1month every year. is this a common feature or just some gimmick?
our plan is to find temporary accommodations (maybe even in a hotel/BB) for the first couple of weeks while we look around for a place to stay for a few months (till end Dec 09). then we'll probably be back in singapore in jan/feb 2010 (possibly up to 2mths). we'll only sign a 1-yr lease after we return to MA in feb2010.
by the way...anyone here ever use International Auto Source
http://www.intlauto.com/ before? is it reliable and good value for money?
we realised we don't have much stuffs to bring over to the US....so probably no need to use those international movers. am wondering if those freight/postal services provided by fedex, dhl or even speedpost will be more affordable? works out to be approx $10 per 1kg. figure i'll only have less than 100kg worth of stuffs to send over for now..
Originally posted by lostintransition:hi jojo,
thanks for the suggestions. actually..airport parking is a good option since we need the car to get to/fro from the airport. i checked out the link that you've provided me...you are right that it would cost around 400 for a month. however, i notice that the airport parking are uncovered and not heated. will that be a problem during the winter period?
you mentioned something about a block heater to be placed in the engine compartment...how does it work? how much does it cost? does it run on electricity(need to connect to power socket?). sorrie if my questions sound dumb 'cos this is entirely new to us. my hubby had a car when he was in seattle but it was never that cold to require a heater.
as for housing/garage issues...our budget is approx 1.2K/month (hopefully including utilities)...so not sure how far that's gonna get us. i have been told that housing in MA and in particular where we'll be based (cape cod) is very expensive. we're hoping to find a place with at least 2-3 bedrms, 1-1.5bathrm and ideally a 1-2car enclosed garage. not sure if i'm being realistic with my budget?
i read from somewhere that some landlords will offer 1mth free rental with a 1-yr lease contract. if true, that'll work really well for us since we are likely to be away for at least 1month every year. is this a common feature or just some gimmick?
our plan is to find temporary accommodations (maybe even in a hotel/BB) for the first couple of weeks while we look around for a place to stay for a few months (till end Dec 09). then we'll probably be back in singapore in jan/feb 2010 (possibly up to 2mths). we'll only sign a 1-yr lease after we return to MA in feb2010.
by the way...anyone here ever use International Auto Source
http://www.intlauto.com/ before? is it reliable and good value for money?we realised we don't have much stuffs to bring over to the US....so probably no need to use those international movers. am wondering if those freight/postal services provided by fedex, dhl or even speedpost will be more affordable? works out to be approx $10 per 1kg. figure i'll only have less than 100kg worth of stuffs to send over for now..
Airport parking.
You're so in luck.. The Boston Airport garage expansion project completed 2007.
and they provide complimentary services .
I also called up Park,Shuttle and Fly. Asked about winter parking for one month in their open air parking lot. They assured me, I don't have to worry about the snow and stuffs.. they take good care of the car, and provides jump start services.
So, ye don't have ta worry eh ?
more about installing a block heater.
Lodgings
$1200 seems like a reasonable price.. according to this listing on Gatekeeper Property management ( Yearly rentals) .. not too sure about the parking and location tho.
Capecod Property Managements also do leasing for owners/yearly rentals.
You can try contacting a few of em and find out what they have.
Any hooo... you need to decide where also lah... Cape cod.. south of boston.. yada yada.. i also confused..hehehehehe...
1 month free rental is common when apartment vacancy goes up. But always read the fine prints ah.. and ask questions. And the promotion shouldn't be the reason why you will rent from them lah....
Extended Stay America/Homestead for your initial lodging needs.