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We are Buying a House: Our Homebuying Journey as Immigrants

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Seven years after moving to the US from the Philippines, we are finally buying our own home! It’s been quite the journey. Charina and I just rented apartments in the Philippines so this is our first time buying such an expensive building!

There are several challenges though! Interest rates are going up, the housing market is crazy, and we cannot afford homes in the Nashville area! We’re definitely priced out!

But we’re doing it anyway.

I will share with you things we did to prepare for this process.

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In Housing

Moving to a New Apartment in Nashville

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Originally published in July 2019.

I am no stranger to moving to a different house. While I was growing, my father, who was an itinerant preacher, moved from one church to another every 1-3 years.

The longest time we spent at a parsonage (a house assigned to a church’s pastor) was six years. By the time I turned twenty, we have stayed at about 10 houses.

In 2015, my wife and I reduced our belongings, packed the essentials, and moved from Manila, Philippines to Nashville, TN USA as I started a new job.

So I do know about moving and packing things.

We’re saying goodbye to this house in a couple of weeks!
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How to Look for an Apartment in the USA

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A Guide for Non-resident Aliens moving to the USA

You’ve accepted a job offer to work in the USA; and you got your visa approved. It feels more real now… you are really going to the United States to work! The next step is to plan for your move and search for a place to stay in the USA.

If you’re looking for the apartment search spreadsheet, scroll down below.

How to look for an apartment in the USA

Should you take a house-hunting trip?

Here’s a tip that you should be aware of: your employer might offer a house-hunting trip for you before you move, and that might be part of your compensation and relocation package. You don’t need to take that. That house-hunting trip will be considered as taxable income, which you will need to pay for.

Here’s the good news: you can look for an apartment near the area of your office in the USA by using tools that are available online for free!

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