Go ahead, rub it in! Might as well pour on some salt while you're at it.
No State income tax in Texas though, so you don't have it all bad
Moving back to Europe
- Thread starter FIREd
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No State income tax in Texas though, so you don't have it all bad
Ronstar
Moderator Emeritus
In France, when buying a condo with an existing kitchen, the kitchen cabinets stay but the appliances (including the range hood) are considered furnishings and may not be included. In my case, the kitchen needs a complete overhaul.
In France, the formula to calculate property taxes is quite complex. Basically, the tax is based on the “rental value” of the property - the annual amount that the property would rent for at market rate. That “rental value” takes into account various factors like the size of the property, its condition, its type, and its comfort level (but not its value). Once the “rental value” is determined, a tax rate (variable from town to town) is applied to calculate the property tax. In my metro area, for example, the tax rate applied varies from 10 to 18%, so it pays to choose one’s location carefully.
Huston55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Congrats on finding a place & making an offer!
That’s significantly higher than in the US. Are there costs/fees for additional things or, is it the same list of items as in the US but just higher cost for them?
That’s significantly higher than in the US. Are there costs/fees for additional things or, is it the same list of items as in the US but just higher cost for them?
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W2R
Moderator Emeritus
Congratulations and I am so happy to read that everything is progressing this well.
It's fascinating to read about the different customs surrounding real estate transactions there, such as the formal meeting with the sellers when you signed your intent to buy. I hope no unexpected obstacles arise, and it sounds unlikely that any would.
Even though closing costs may seem a little steep, that's a one time cost. Property taxes are not, and yours are so much less than in most parts of the US. Definitely a good deal.
Hopefully you can get the kitchen and flooring work done soon and get moved in. Then you can resume your usual delightful retiree activities which I would imagine might include sleeping late, relaxing, and doing whatever you want to do each day. Oh, and enjoying that gorgeous new car and the condo itself....
It's fascinating to read about the different customs surrounding real estate transactions there, such as the formal meeting with the sellers when you signed your intent to buy. I hope no unexpected obstacles arise, and it sounds unlikely that any would.
Even though closing costs may seem a little steep, that's a one time cost. Property taxes are not, and yours are so much less than in most parts of the US. Definitely a good deal.
Hopefully you can get the kitchen and flooring work done soon and get moved in. Then you can resume your usual delightful retiree activities which I would imagine might include sleeping late, relaxing, and doing whatever you want to do each day. Oh, and enjoying that gorgeous new car and the condo itself....
Closing costs are often called "notary fees" in France but the notary told me that it was a misnomer. In reality, those "fees" are mostly taxes (including a title transfer tax). He did not break it down further however.
tmm99
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Nice to hear everything is coming together nicely for you. It seems many things are quite different in comparison to the US. You were raised in France, but you lived in the US for many years, correct? Are you feeling any kind of re-entry shocks at all? Or everything seems all new again and nice? Just curious if you want to share.
NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Will you be doing another DIY project?
I read that Bricomarché is the largest DIY chain, but never thought of nor had time to visit one to see how it compared to Home Depot in the US.
I was raised in France but lived almost all of my adult life in the US. I have not felt a re-entry shock yet. Everything seems vaguely familiar, yet new. As I mentioned, I was quite young when I left for the US and I never learned to deal with many aspects of adult life in France, like getting my own healthcare coverage, paying taxes, buying real estate, or getting a car registered. Besides, we are now in the internet era and many things are done differently today than they were 20+ years ago. So, in many ways I am going through a learning process.
I will be doing some upgrades myself (putting down hardwood floors and painting the walls), but I will leave the kitchen to the pros, I think (although I went to Ikea this weekend and saw a nice kitchen that I might consider installing myself).
We have a few Bricomarché stores in the area, but I go to Leroy-Merlin. In many ways, it feels like a Lowe’s store don’t you think? The aisles are even organized in a similar fashion.
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Helena
Full time employment: Posting here.
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No State income tax in Texas though, so you don't have it all bad
Property tax for schools is frozen at age 65.
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Update:
Things are a bit slow at the moment. I was sick with the flu for a week but, thankfully, I did not have to put my travel health insurance coverage to the test. I did not go to the doctor or to the hospital, I just got some basic medicine from the pharmacy and waited it out. Next month, I become eligible for the French national health insurance scheme.
I am still waiting for the movers to deliver my stuff. It has been more than 60 days since my personal effects were packed and shipped. My container has arrived in France but it has not yet cleared customs. I am also still waiting to close on my new condo (waiting for the town to wave its right of first refusal on the sale).
Otherwise, I am getting used to my new life in France. Life is actually pretty cheap here. I love that I pay 20 euros for my 20-euro cell phone plan (no hidden taxes and fees).
One thing that I did not foresee was the pressure to "fit in". At my age (44), being "retired" is completely unacceptable in this country. Actually, for most people, it is unfathomable that one could attain FI without having cheated, taken advantage of others, broken the law, or (worse in some people's mind) inherited money. I was facing a lot of push back for not working and not even looking for work. Even the local FIRE forum encourages its members to maintain some kind of paid activity until full retirement age. Everybody was trying to find me a job and it was becoming tiresome. So I have decided to create myself a cover "career" as an English/French translator. I created a website and printed some business cards and I tell people that I work from home. In reality, I don't advertise my services and don't plan on making any money from this career, but now people know what to make of me and they leave me alone.
Things are a bit slow at the moment. I was sick with the flu for a week but, thankfully, I did not have to put my travel health insurance coverage to the test. I did not go to the doctor or to the hospital, I just got some basic medicine from the pharmacy and waited it out. Next month, I become eligible for the French national health insurance scheme.
I am still waiting for the movers to deliver my stuff. It has been more than 60 days since my personal effects were packed and shipped. My container has arrived in France but it has not yet cleared customs. I am also still waiting to close on my new condo (waiting for the town to wave its right of first refusal on the sale).
Otherwise, I am getting used to my new life in France. Life is actually pretty cheap here. I love that I pay 20 euros for my 20-euro cell phone plan (no hidden taxes and fees).
One thing that I did not foresee was the pressure to "fit in". At my age (44), being "retired" is completely unacceptable in this country. Actually, for most people, it is unfathomable that one could attain FI without having cheated, taken advantage of others, broken the law, or (worse in some people's mind) inherited money. I was facing a lot of push back for not working and not even looking for work. Even the local FIRE forum encourages its members to maintain some kind of paid activity until full retirement age. Everybody was trying to find me a job and it was becoming tiresome. So I have decided to create myself a cover "career" as an English/French translator. I created a website and printed some business cards and I tell people that I work from home. In reality, I don't advertise my services and don't plan on making any money from this career, but now people know what to make of me and they leave me alone.
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Sounds perfect. I used to do some freelance translating (Portuguese/English) and I enjoyed it greatly. Here's a website you can look at that could help you develop some background information in case anyone gets nosy and asks you for detail.
American Translators Association
Glad you got over the flu successfully. Best of luck on the other stuff.
W2R
Moderator Emeritus
That must have been miserable, and I am glad you are feeling better.
Sounds like everything is moving along, at a slow pace. That's a great deal for your cell phone.
I got the latter a bit, even here on the forum from one or two people. I had saved all that I would need for my retirement, as soon as my retiree benefits including health insurance kicked in; but then my mother died resulting in a totally unexpected inheritance that I received the year before I retired. Bad timing (although there is never a good time for one's dear beloved mother to pass away). Even though I didn't dip into my inheritance at all in order to retire, some people here on the forum have assumed it had something to do with my ability to retire when I did. Basically my attitude towards them is they are sourpusses who can kiss my royal … well, who should just think for a minute before posting, or simply ask instead of assuming.
As for peoples' attitudes towards you right now, maybe you can just tell them that this is why you didn't just stay home and take the best job offer there. Most people have to travel to where the job is, if they want the best salary and benefits and especially if they want to retire early. I had not even been to Louisiana for 41 years before I moved here, and I came here because the job was here. I do not know, but I would imagine that was probably at least part of why you spent much of your life so far from home and family.
Good plan!
Take care, and hopefully you will be fully over the flu and will have recovered your strength, just in time to deal with moving into your new condo.
Sunset
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Wow, so surprising.
Update:
My personal effects, shipped by sea from the U.S. back in December, finally made it here! They were delivered to my home by truck last Wednesday. Almost everything arrived intact (as usual, there were a few scratches and a bit of breakage). But I don't feel homeless anymore! In the end, the international move was barely more of a hassle than a cross-country move.
Money-wise, I am >90% done transferring my savings from the US to France. So I now know what capital (in euros) I can count on to fund my retirement here. It is more than I had expected. First, the Euro-dollar exchange rate was more favorable than I had projected (I was expecting to receive 0.83 euros per dollar but I received an average of 0.87 euros after fees so far). And I did not spend nearly as much as expected on my condo (I bought a bit of a fixer upper and I plan on doing the renovation work myself). So, I ran FIREcalc with my new numbers, and I decided to give myself a hefty raise. After tightening my belt for the past few months, while I got a handle on my new financial situation, I now have plenty of disposable income (lower-than-expected fixed expenses help a lot). Statistically, my new "income" (what I withdraw from investments) puts me in the upper middle class here! I'd be just middle class in the U.S.
My personal effects, shipped by sea from the U.S. back in December, finally made it here! They were delivered to my home by truck last Wednesday. Almost everything arrived intact (as usual, there were a few scratches and a bit of breakage). But I don't feel homeless anymore! In the end, the international move was barely more of a hassle than a cross-country move.
Money-wise, I am >90% done transferring my savings from the US to France. So I now know what capital (in euros) I can count on to fund my retirement here. It is more than I had expected. First, the Euro-dollar exchange rate was more favorable than I had projected (I was expecting to receive 0.83 euros per dollar but I received an average of 0.87 euros after fees so far). And I did not spend nearly as much as expected on my condo (I bought a bit of a fixer upper and I plan on doing the renovation work myself). So, I ran FIREcalc with my new numbers, and I decided to give myself a hefty raise. After tightening my belt for the past few months, while I got a handle on my new financial situation, I now have plenty of disposable income (lower-than-expected fixed expenses help a lot). Statistically, my new "income" (what I withdraw from investments) puts me in the upper middle class here! I'd be just middle class in the U.S.
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Bestwifeever
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REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
I always thought you had class...
Moemg
Gone but not forgotten
I am so glad things are going so well for you !
Huston55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
JustCurious
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This may be a dumb question, and I apologize in advance if it is...since you grew up in France I assume French is your native language? I am sure you are (or were) fluent in French, have you had any issues with regaining your fluency now that you have returned to France? Did you get rusty or out of practice? Have you encountered any changes such as new slang or new word usages that you had to learn? Does anyone detect that you speak French with a different accent since you lived in the U.S. for so long?
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