Overseas Chinese Web Guide

The problem with living in a desirable location is that everyone else wants to live there as well. Of course, when you visit open houses on the weekend, everything looks great because you never see the grinding traffic that slows down all surrounding commute lanes during the weekday. So, if you are thinking of moving to a new location, check out traffic conditions on Google Maps during your typical commuting hours and see if the drive to and from your new house to work is even manageable.

If you are thinking about immigrating to the United States or moving within the United States, you are probably aware that housing prices vary from region to region. Fortunately, Coldwell Banker offers a Home Price Comparison Index, which allows you to see what an equivalent house in 4 different regions will cost. First, set the market value of house in a region you are familiar with. Then, select three other markets.

Coldwell Banker told met that a $1,000,000 house in Palo Alto, CA is similar to a $438,000 house in Queens, NY, a $187,000 house in Phoenix, AZ and a $218,000 house in Las Vegas, NV.

Expectant fathers and mothers are often told that it’s never too early to start saving for college. Unless they have an unusually precocious child, most parents have 18 years to accumulate enough savings to pay for college expenses. Then again, if their child is unusually precocious, maybe a free ride on an academic scholarship is in the future.

However, no one really warns newlyweds that it’s never too early to start saving for day care or preschool. Depending on the choices availabe in your area, day care or preschool can be quite expensive, as in more expensive than tuition at a public university.

For the 2006-2007 academic year, UC Berkeley assesses $3,899.75 per semester for undergraduates who are California residents. Double that for the entire academic year and a college-bound parent is paying $7,799.50.

Challenger School, in comparison, charges annual prepaid tuition for five all-day preschool of $14,905 and all-day kindergarten of $10,087. And, parents don’t have 18 years to save up for this sum.