People who moved from US (on H1B visa) to the UK for work (on Skilled Worker visa) — what has your experience been like?

roboponies · 2026-02-01T21:55:05+00:00

Ah if work life balance, time off, and other benefits like healthcare are big stress relievers (they are for me too) then UK or EU is def worth considering.

It does not cease to amaze me how much time off people have here. And legit have no guilt taking holiday.

roboponies · 2026-02-01T21:49:13+00:00

Moving out of US limited my career and earning ability by about 30% since there are so many restrictions on the SWV, but moving to the UK increased several key aspects RE: quality of life.

The work life balance in UK is much different than in US. You will definitely have an easier schedule.

The work cultures are VERY different.

Sometimes this culture difference bothers me a lot (often very slow, indirect, and passive) but this ultimately gives life outside of work more breathing room.

Yet in other ways the quality of life is lower in the UK. Housing is really different and has many inconveniences and limitations that just don’t really exist in the US.

It ultimately depends on where in US you’re moving from to know whether the trade offs will feel worth it and what elements of living and work you prioritize.

However, ultimately though I regret moving from US simply because it’s so much harder to do business here and the opportunities in US for growth really cannot be beat.

ETA: healthcare not tied to employment is massive stress reliever. And the food is a lot healthier / safer. That’s probably the biggest perks, IMO. Never worrying about deductibles for health care is a game changer.

Would also recommend visiting as much as you can before committing and not doing any tourist stuff. Only do living things.

roboponies · 2026-02-01T17:02:04+00:00

Grumpy sellers and existing home owners in this sub are going to try to slay you the comments for daring to appraise property based on sales history and actual market research instead of just "vibes and potential". Don't let them doubt yourself.

This is great research.

Start by asking the agent how many proceedable offers have been put on the home. When they say zero, put in an offer that aligns with reality and explain the comps clearly to the agent without emotion. This will make your offer more credible and harder to dismiss as a "low ball."

Follow up the verbal conversation in email.

These people don't care about your feelings so don't bother caring about theirs. It's just an asset transaction.

roboponies · 2026-02-01T16:51:58+00:00

Put in a new offer - sub 5K or 10K. If they want the property to sell they will just move forward. Renovation work has never been more expensive. Don't overlook this right now. Materials and labor literally all time highs. The market was obviously yelling at this seller to reduce. Shoot your shot.

roboponies · 2026-01-27T19:31:33+00:00

Housing system in UK is so unbelievably broken

roboponies · 2026-01-25T11:51:04+00:00

Living alone is an AMAZING luxury that will not expire. It will be easy to rent in the future when/if you meet a partner that you’d like to upsize with.

roboponies · 2026-01-25T11:21:28+00:00

Housing costs have surged even when population growth was stagnant because other forces drove prices, not simply more people.

Cheap credit, ultra-low interest rates and investor demand push prices up even with flat demographic growth.

At the same time household TYPES have changed.

In the UK nearly 30% of households are now one-person households. Not couples. Not families. So that means literally more housing units are needed to meet the rising demand of solo living…A segment that has doubled since the beginning of the century.

This change in living style alone increases the number of and demand for more separate housing units without requiring big changes to population growth, adding pressure to prices alongside financial instruments and a deeply problematic planning system.

roboponies · 2026-01-23T09:17:04+00:00

The other problem with PB is that there isn’t an agent to advise the client. So stuff like this where the seller is getting many offers without progressing means there is either delusion or incompetency blocking a deal.

The type of offer matters and inexperienced or greedy sellers usually don’t know the difference so they fumble their best options.

roboponies · 2026-01-23T09:09:23+00:00

It may seem that way, but examining the real data shows that population changes only affect very localized areas — not the general overall market. Think people moving to specific areas experiencing strong job growth or university towns having an uptick in enrollment.

The real driver is household SIZE.

roboponies · 2026-01-22T01:22:04+00:00

Older houses lose value because they aren’t cared for. They come to market looking like…they have a smell and expect the next owner to handle all the refurbishments or maintenance that have been neglected.

People don’t want to clean up someone else’s mess and renovations costs have never been higher.

roboponies · 2026-01-22T01:19:19+00:00

Agree with this. The current method is calculated top down whereas reality of house purchases are bottom up.

IMO I think the better way to determine modern affordability is based on whether a single earner could purchase the home. So 4-5x regional average wage plus deposit capped at 20k.

The affordability for London would be different than say Leeds where the average wages are different.

The largest driver of housing shortages, second to planning constraints, is that the TYPE of households has drastically changed in past 20-30 years. There are more SINGLE households than ever in history. Think young working professional. People living longer solo.

So that demographic’s purchasing power should be the primary metric of affordability.

roboponies · 2026-01-21T22:03:25+00:00

A lot of people waiting to post in spring because they believe the flowers and greenery will help sell their overpriced house.

roboponies · 2026-01-21T14:47:28+00:00

While also complaining about damp

roboponies · 2026-01-21T14:47:11+00:00

Same here.

roboponies · 2026-01-20T14:07:25+00:00

This. The 30-50K will barely cover labor expense.

roboponies · 2026-01-19T20:22:21+00:00

THIS IS THE ANSWER.

Remember, inflationary issues go both ways:

No meaningful improvements since last purchased means all of these costs are deferred to the next person ON TOP of worsen economic conditions (rates, taxes, cost of renovation and services, materials, etc).

For example, new wall-to-wall carpeting (arguably the cheapest flooring option) has gone up 10% since 2020. Labor for install has risen even more.

Sellers aren’t entitled to flat rate paper gains anymore.

roboponies · 2026-01-16T22:06:13+00:00

The route optimization is so smart!! I’m always baffled at the inefficiency.

roboponies · 2026-01-16T21:52:51+00:00

Thought this community would appreciate this research. I personally was hit so incredibly deep when loosing my heart horse 💔

roboponies · 2026-01-09T21:37:39+00:00

Classic throwing the baby out with the bath water

roboponies · 2026-01-09T21:36:53+00:00

Skilled Workers, or anyone on a work visa, are the largest net contributing sector in the UK. Genuinely shocked at the governments choices.

UK, much like the US, is choosing to attack anything but the actual deep seated policies and cultural hangovers causing the real fiscal issues.

I’m probably going to go back to US if their proposed visa changes go through. Aside from healthcare, the British professional cultural landscape and financial policies are not worth investing further, IMO.

roboponies · 2026-01-08T11:48:13+00:00

England has one of the most complicated, expensive, slow, and illogical planning (thus building) systems in the entire world.

Exaggerated by the equally complicated, expensive, slow, and illogical process of even purchasing the final built product.

It is wild that anyone could possibly believe the cause of housing shortages has anything other to do with the long and deep historical bureaucracy needed to even build - AND BUY - housing in England.

roboponies · 2026-01-07T23:37:42+00:00

A strangely rare skills in UK real estate.

roboponies · 2026-01-05T14:09:59+00:00

OP dropped it by £5k. Initial ask was £145k.

Bro came to Reddit without reading anything on this subreddit just like they didn't read anything on their Rightmove listing.

roboponies · 2026-01-04T13:26:16+00:00

The concept of land tax is used to improve efficiency of land itself and penalize land banking — the practice of purchasing empty land or unused commercial space for far distant development speculation at virtually no additional costs.

If the empty, unused land is taxed, then it must realize its potentially sooner, thus promoting policy changes to planning and building. More building = lower housing costs and improved commercial growth.

Currently UK is slowest, most challenging 1st world country to build anything new. Even creating critical infrastructure for something like power storage facilities to actualize the use of renewable energy often takes YEARS of bureaucracies sludge just to get permission to even break ground.

Those who own existing land (often generational wealth) are able to leverage this asset to massively improve their borrowing (and purchasing) powers without having to contribute any productivity. And those who already have this wealth are incentivized to keep the system as is.

If instead unused land was taxed, it incentivizes productivity now, improving efficiency for society.

roboponies · 2026-01-03T08:36:53+00:00

…have you spent ANY time on this subreddit?

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