Pls i have series of questions regarding life of a new immigrant relating 2 jobs, housing & other things in MD

Question

It's a family of 4- mum, 3 kids 20,18,14. Mum is a CNA. Not more than 6 months of credit history.. is it enough to buy a townhome and how much is to b paid monthly and for how many years?
Firstly, what job shd an 18yr old with no experience in the U.S. take that pays good?
Secondly, should we rent or buy a townhome. Pls explain the meaning and implications
Thirdly, need a permanent CNA job that pays good for mum
Fourthly, How much does utility bill average in a month. Thanks. All links, expalnations and suggestions welcome. Thanks again.

N.B Permanent residents with valid green cards.

Answer 1

Here are a few web sites that might give you more ideas:

http://relocationessentials.com/Default.aspx This site contains information regarding cost of living, tax rates, real estate etc.

http://www.salaryexpert.com/
http://www.salary.com/
These two sites will give you some ideas on average salary by job title and location.

http://www.realtor.com/
This site could help you search for houses/condos to purchase or rent.

My suggestion to you is that you do not purchase a home yet until you have time to settle in and learn more about what area you would like to live within your city. Moving to another country can cost a bit of money. So rather than have your capital tight up in real estate, you may want to use it to purchase a car (you would definitely need one), buying new clothing etc.

A good place for 18-year old to work is Starbucks. They are everywhere and always need people. The company offers employee benefits (i.e. health insurance) for even part time workers. The typical clientele is better than fast-food restaurants (another popular job option for teens).

I would also suggest that if you could try finding a community of your ethnicity at the city you are moving to who might be more willing to provide assistance and share their experience. You can try search for them using search engines like Google or other Internet community like Yahoo Groups.

It isn't easy moving to a new country with 3 children. I wish you the best of luck.