Crown

http://www.designtowermiami.com

 Should I stay or should I go

They build one in Frankfurt, too. 

For me this would be way to much hassle. I was at a open house in Berlin. Luxury apartments with a similar concept, you are parking the car in the elevator and the elevator brings you in front of your apartment. The whole process just takes to long. It is much faster to jump in an "normal" elevator and drive with your car out of the garage. The car elevators are slower than others and they only can transport one car in a time. The "normal" elevators are not stand alone, means there are more than one per building, they can pick up many people from different levels and they are moving very fast. 

dedam:

http://www.designtowermiami.com

 Should I stay or should I go

You just put salt in my wound ...I love the concept, I love the building and every time I'm in Florida, I have it in my sight because we are staying in Sunny Isles Beach and I always see the progress made.

If I had the money, this would clearly be one of my top choices there. Directly at the beach, Publix and CVS are just across the street (Collins Avenue), Aventura Mall is in the vicinity and Miami can be reached in 15 minutes using the Express Lanes on the I-95. Just perfect... 

Not in my price range though. 

Btw: I will send you a PM, another interesting location but I don't want to post it in a public forum.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

This building ws mentioned on RT before, even Nick said he looked at it and "didn't get what he wanted". Cool concept, inflated prices of course, but only for tourists or pied a terre...

Their are going for Brazilian customers,,,,that is what the developer said in a interview.

At the Porsche dealership they told me they have lots of Brazilian customers buying Porsches......to be honest I was very surpriced.

They WERE going for Brazilans. Now that the value of the real has halved, they have to find other buyers...

US Zillionairs buy in Palm Beach. All other economy's are down and US dollar is way to expensive.

SciFrog:

This building ws mentioned on RT before, even Nick said he looked at it and "didn't get what he wanted". Cool concept, inflated prices of course, but only for tourists or pied a terre...

I think Nick loved the concept as well but he wanted a certain condo and it was already sold, so he moved on.

It depends on what you're looking for. This building (or others in the Miami area as well) would be perfect for me and my wife but we are open minded, looking for connections with other interesting people and we hate quiet environments, we want "action" and something to see, so...just perfect for us.  

--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

dedam:

Their are going for Brazilian customers,,,,that is what the developer said in a interview.

At the Porsche dealership they told me they have lots of Brazilian customers buying Porsches......to be honest I was very surpriced.

Over the past years, I met many Brazilians in Miami area but recently, not so many. The USD got way too expensive to buy real estate in the US (example: The Euro was 1.55 USD not a long time ago and now it is 1.05 USD, so you can imagine what this means to the real estate business in Miami). In the past, many French and Russians were buying US real estate there but now, it seems there could be another crisis. Americans don't seem to like the condo buildings too much, so... Maybe I'm going be able to snatch a deal in a couple of years if I keep my eyes open but right now, I couldn't really afford buying some real estate in that area. Too expensive (well...compared to Germany prices, still cheap) for a vacation home.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

dedam:

Their are going for Brazilian customers,,,,that is what the developer said in a interview.

At the Porsche dealership they told me they have lots of Brazilian customers buying Porsches......to be honest I was very surpriced.

If I am a visitor for the winter in Florida, renting a flat, can I buy a car in my name on Florida plates and use it while in Florida?

Good question. More importantly how will you insure the car and will you need a driving license? Probably yes to both...

Canadian drivers license but visitor in the US (snowbird type). 

You need a US drivers licence. To get a US drivers licence you need a social security number.

A social security number is not what you want to have.....ask your mayor of Londen. Uncle Sam will watch over your world wide income! 

If stay longer then 90 days in US I can give you tips...send me a PM.

dedam:

You need a US drivers licence. To get a US drivers licence you need a social security number.

A social security number is not what you want to have.....ask your mayor of Londen. Uncle Sam will watch over your world wide income! 

If stay longer then 90 days in US I can give you tips...send me a PM.

Not necessarily. Not all states requires those, just ask all those illegal immigrants how they managed to get a driver's license. 

You don't need a SSN to buy a car or drive a car. 

You might however need a TIN "Tax Identification Number" that anyone can get regardless of their immigration situation.

Ah the stupid TIN, I have one, from gambling in Vegas haha. 

wantone:

dedam:

Their are going for Brazilian customers,,,,that is what the developer said in a interview.

At the Porsche dealership they told me they have lots of Brazilian customers buying Porsches......to be honest I was very surpriced.

If I am a visitor for the winter in Florida, renting a flat, can I buy a car in my name on Florida plates and use it while in Florida?

As far as I know, you can but your stay is limited to 6 months, then you have to exit (and depending on the immigration officer you meet at the border during re-entry, you could be in trouble if you exit for a day only and come back). The automatic entering system works great now, with the exception that it has difficulties with double names and such. My wife gets "flagged" every single time when we enter the US, so we need to go to the immigration officer and re-do the whole thing. Why? She has a double first name with a dash between the two names and the system cannot read the dash, so it "flags" my wife and we have to go through the person to person check.  Great technology. LOL

Also, the immigration system has me flagged as a Langley resident, apparently because I once put Langley (as a joke) as my home location in my Facebook profile. Each time, the immigration officer asks me why I never enter the US through Virginia or any international airport near by or when I have been to Langley lately and I tell him it is a mistake and he can change it in the system but then he tells me that this is not possible  and I'm good to go.  So be careful what you're using in your online profiles on major social networks, it can "brand" you forever.

The B2 visa is a tricky thing. You have the right to stay 180 days (6 months) in the US and you have the right for multiple entries but, if the immigration officer at the border doesn't like your nose, you're in trouble. If you stay every year the full six months or close to it, at some point, the immigration officer may suspect that your primary "living location" is the US. This is bad for you because this is considered as some sort of illegal immigration, no kidding. So if you get in a fight with the immigration officer because he asks to many questions (some tourists know what I am talking about ), he simply denies entry and you're done. You can fight this in court of course and your chances are good because you actually have a B2 visa (with ESTA, your chances to fight your entry into the US are ZERO!) but first, you need to leave the US and get a US lawyer from outside the US. So you better be nice to that grumpy immigration officer because he can basically do what he wants.

Another problem with the B2 visa: If you decide you want to immigrate to the US, already having a B2 visa can be a huge obstacle. I don't want to get into details but it complicates things a lot. So if you plan to stay in the US at some point, Green Card or making an investment there, be careful with the visa type you're using to enter the US. You may actually make it impossible to immigrate if you have the wrong visa. Some immigration lawyers may be able to help you with this one but don't be too sure. Better: Talk to an immigration lawyer before you decide to get a B2 visa or any other visa. Work visas are even worse, they basically kick you out of the country after the visa expires and you're not allowed to come back for some while, just using ESTA as a tourist. Of course everything I posted is "simplified", if you want detailed and accurate information, you need to ask an immigration lawyer to be on the safe side. 

I enter the US always with ESTA, so I have all options open for whatever I decide in the future.

--

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

dedam:

You need a US drivers licence. To get a US drivers licence you need a social security number.

I don't think this is accurate. If you can prove that you have a property in Florida and a fixed address, you can actually get a US driver's license. Only problem (in some regions): Every time you come back (after the 6 months), you need to renew it but I think it is possible online and the only hassle is the fee you have to pay.

A social security number is not what you want to have.....ask your mayor of Londen. Uncle Sam will watch over your world wide income! 

Oh, there are so many possibilities here...a good immigration and tax lawyer can help here. I guess you have one, so you know better than me. Hint: Wife...kids. 

If stay longer then 90 days in US I can give you tips...send me a PM.

Well, maybe we should really meet for a coffee or dinner next time I'm in Miami. I "collect" tips from various people, so I can make the right decision when I decide to buy property in Florida. Right now, me and my wife are more inclined to move to Florida as snowbirds when we are close to our retirement but things could change, depending on where my daughter wants to study (she has Florida in mind but you never know...kids change...their life changes...so ). The whole immigration idea has been paused since the current US laws make it impossible for us, especially for my wife. Maybe when the US needs doctors, they will rethink their residency requirements, even for doctors who have worked before for years in the job. Also, the current strength of the USD is another problem.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

RC:

wantone:

dedam:

Their are going for Brazilian customers,,,,that is what the developer said in a interview.

At the Porsche dealership they told me they have lots of Brazilian customers buying Porsches......to be honest I was very surpriced.

If I am a visitor for the winter in Florida, renting a flat, can I buy a car in my name on Florida plates and use it while in Florida?

As far as I know, you can but your stay is limited to 6 months, then you have to exit (and depending on the immigration officer you meet at the border during re-entry, you could be in trouble if you exit for a day only and come back). The automatic entering system works great now, with the exception that it has difficulties with double names and such. My wife gets "flagged" every single time when we enter the US, so we need to go to the immigration officer and re-do the whole thing. Why? She has a double first name with a dash between the two names and the system cannot read the dash, so it "flags" my wife and we have to go through the person to person check.  Great technology. LOL

Also, the immigration system has me flagged as a Langley resident, apparently because I once put Langley (as a joke) as my home location in my Facebook profile. Each time, the immigration officer asks me why I never enter the US through Virginia or any international airport near by or when I have been to Langley lately and I tell him it is a mistake and he can change it in the system but then he tells me that this is not possible  and I'm good to go.  So be careful what you're using in your online profiles on major social networks, it can "brand" you forever.

The B2 visa is a tricky thing. You have the right to stay 180 days (6 months) in the US and you have the right for multiple entries but, if the immigration officer at the border doesn't like your nose, you're in trouble. If you stay every year the full six months or close to it, at some point, the immigration officer may suspect that your primary "living location" is the US. This is bad for you because this is considered as some sort of illegal immigration, no kidding. So if you get in a fight with the immigration officer because he asks to many questions (some tourists know what I am talking about ), he simply denies entry and you're done. You can fight this in court of course and your chances are good because you actually have a B2 visa (with ESTA, your chances to fight your entry into the US are ZERO!) but first, you need to leave the US and get a US lawyer from outside the US. So you better be nice to that grumpy immigration officer because he can basically do what he wants.

Another problem with the B2 visa: If you decide you want to immigrate to the US, already having a B2 visa can be a huge obstacle. I don't want to get into details but it complicates things a lot. So if you plan to stay in the US at some point, Green Card or making an investment there, be careful with the visa type you're using to enter the US. You may actually make it impossible to immigrate if you have the wrong visa. Some immigration lawyers may be able to help you with this one but don't be too sure. Better: Talk to an immigration lawyer before you decide to get a B2 visa or any other visa. Work visas are even worse, they basically kick you out of the country after the visa expires and you're not allowed to come back for some while, just using ESTA as a tourist. Of course everything I posted is "simplified", if you want detailed and accurate information, you need to ask an immigration lawyer to be on the safe side. 

I enter the US always with ESTA, so I have all options open for whatever I decide in the future.

--

 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

 

Whatever you write here doesn't apply to Canadian citizens. I know well the US immigration system, my question was wrt registering a car in the US as a snowbird but it seems it is not possible unless you get a visa like P1 for example.

I wasn't talking about Canadian citizens, I was talking about those who actually have difficulties establishing (permanent) residence in the US, like Europeans.

Dedam is not Canadian and you replied to his post (and asked him). 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

I think he is already in the US, so he must have figured out already all these details...Canadian citizens follow another process to enter the US however when in the country they are just visitors as any other European....=>therefore, European or Canadian citizen to buy, register and insure a car  in the US it is the same process/documents required...Entry to the US it is different!

wantone:

I think he is already in the US, so he must have figured out already all these details...Canadian citizens follow another process to enter the US however when in the country they are just visitors as any other European....=>therefore, European or Canadian citizen to buy, register and insure a car  in the US it is the same process/documents required...Entry to the US it is different!

I know but Dedam is a snowbird from Europe. I think there is (was) a bit of confusion here. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

Like I said, when in the US already there is no difference if you are from Europe or from Canada.

Imagine a typical scenario: You live in Europe or Canada and want to spent 3 months in Florida during the winter. So, you buy a house/flat in Florida. Now you have a house/flat in your name and for the 3 months your are in Florida you want to use a nice car on Florida plates and insurance and the rest of the year you park it in the garage there. You are still a visitor in the country like anybody else who visits for a week or a short period of time, Can you buy one?

wantone:

Like I said, when in the US already there is no difference if you are from Europe or from Canada.

Canadians don't need ESTA to stay 90 days or a B2 visa to stay 182 days, so there is a difference. Tomatoes...Tomatos. LOL

Imagine a typical scenario: You live in Europe or Canada and want to spent 3 months in Florida during the winter. So, you buy a house/flat in Florida. Now you have a house/flat in your name and for the 3 months your are in Florida you want to use a nice car on Florida plates and insurance and the rest of the year you park it in the garage there. You are still a visitor in the country like anybody else who visits for a week or a short period of time, Can you buy one?

If you have a Tax ID number, you can do that and usually get a Florida driver's license (which isn't necessary if you are staying only 6 months or 3 months but you can buy the car anyway, same as the house).  A Tax ID number is very important because without it, you may have issues when you sell the house or you may have issues to get electricity, water and other services. Many snowbirds from Europe also open a US LLC or corporation for legal and inheritance reasons, creating functions for their family members in them. Again, this is very simplified, for accurate information, you need a lawyer who is specialized in this stuff. Even without Tax ID number, there are ways (according to information I have) but it is more difficult.

What many snowbirds don't seem to know is however a very tricky formula the US tax office seems to use for establishing if someone is overstaying his time as a snowbird. As far as I know, this formula basically means that you can stay the first two years up to 182 days per year in the US but the third year, you can stay only 90 days. This is something many don't know and they fall into the "trap", which would allow the US tax office to claim on your worldwide(!) income. So you better stay less than 120 days a year in Florida if you want to avoid the US tax office "noticing" you. 

It is also a very good idea to file this form:  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8840.pdf , so the tax office knows you and knows that you are serious about staying a citizen and resident of your home country.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

RC:

My wife gets "flagged" every single time when we enter the US, so we need to go to the immigration officer and re-do the whole thing. Why? She has a double first name with a dash between the two names and the system cannot read the dash, so it "flags" my wife and we have to go through the person to person check.  Great technology. LOL

Same thing happened to my wife the last time we visited the US. My daughter and I have US passports but my wife is spanish and therefore has a compounded first & middle name and two last names (first from father and second from mother). Well apparently the inmigrations officers take the first name only and the second last name as the last name, which should be the opposite, first & middle are one single name, and then the real last name is the first last name, not the mother's side last name. Long story short its not her name they use and it comes out to be a be very general comon name in spanish language, equating to the typical "John Smith" in english. So it gets flag because apparently there is a "John Smith" on the blacklist obviously, there must be hundreds. Ironically her real last name is very very rare.

So in we go to the room were the inmigration officer has to check with homeland security or whatever to identify my wife and clear her. Of course all phones lines to homeland are busy and took 3 hrs to get through and clear her with just a couple of questions  ... after a long transatlantic trip with two connections, lost a limo we had rented to get to the hotel, etc. Ridiculous and unnecesary.

I'm going to US next year and already dreading passing inmigration, I'm noot confident they haven't taken  notice of what happened the last time and will repeat it all over again. Actaully thinking of using this before the trip so they can solve it before we actually get there   http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-trip

⇒ Carlos - Porsche 991 Carrera GTS

I was in NYC beginning of this month and in and out of customs in record time. Took about 15 minutes to get through customs and going out (two days after the Paris attacks) was also very fast. Was actually surprised by the relaxed attitude of the staff, they were basically goofing around with the passengers.

2012 Cayenne S White/Espresso 

Ex: 993 Targa, 986S, 986 and 964 C2

Carlos from Spain:

RC:

My wife gets "flagged" every single time when we enter the US, so we need to go to the immigration officer and re-do the whole thing. Why? She has a double first name with a dash between the two names and the system cannot read the dash, so it "flags" my wife and we have to go through the person to person check.  Great technology. LOL

Same thing happened to my wife the last time we visited the US. My daughter and I have US passports but my wife is spanish and therefore has a compounded first & middle name and two last names (first from father and second from mother). Well apparently the inmigrations officers take the first name only and the second last name as the last name, which should be the opposite, first & middle are one single name, and then the real last name is the first last name, not the mother's side last name. Long story short its not her name they use and it comes out to be a be very general comon name in spanish language, equating to the typical "John Smith" in english. So it gets flag because apparently there is a "John Smith" on the blacklist obviously, there must be hundreds. Ironically her real last name is very very rare. ...

This is crazy. 

Carlos from Spain:

RC:

My wife gets "flagged" every single time when we enter the US, so we need to go to the immigration officer and re-do the whole thing. Why? She has a double first name with a dash between the two names and the system cannot read the dash, so it "flags" my wife and we have to go through the person to person check.  Great technology. LOL

Same thing happened to my wife the last time we visited the US. My daughter and I have US passports but my wife is spanish and therefore has a compounded first & middle name and two last names (first from father and second from mother). Well apparently the inmigrations officers take the first name only and the second last name as the last name, which should be the opposite, first & middle are one single name, and then the real last name is the first last name, not the mother's side last name. Long story short its not her name they use and it comes out to be a be very general comon name in spanish language, equating to the typical "John Smith" in english. So it gets flag because apparently there is a "John Smith" on the blacklist obviously, there must be hundreds. Ironically her real last name is very very rare.

So in we go to the room were the inmigration officer has to check with homeland security or whatever to identify my wife and clear her. Of course all phones lines to homeland are busy and took 3 hrs to get through and clear her with just a couple of questions  ... after a long transatlantic trip with two connections, lost a limo we had rented to get to the hotel, etc. Ridiculous and unnecesary.

I'm going to US next year and already dreading passing inmigration, I'm noot confident they haven't taken  notice of what happened the last time and will repeat it all over again. Actaully thinking of using this before the trip so they can solve it before we actually get there   http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-trip

Carlos, was your last trip made before before the ESTA Visa Waiver Program was introduced, maybe?  I suspect it must have been for her to experience those problems.
It appears that immigration officers at the desk now call up the "pre-approved" ESTA data online using passport number and nationality, eliminating recognition errors due to incorrectly entered names, etc.. The border check now appears to have the primary function of confirming that the person entering the country is the one whose details are shown in the ESTA file. 

fritz

993Targa:

I was in NYC beginning of this month and in and out of customs in record time. Took about 15 minutes to get through customs and going out (two days after the Paris attacks) was also very fast. Was actually surprised by the relaxed attitude of the staff, they were basically goofing around with the passengers.

I don't know who did it and how they managed it, but somebody appears to have got immigration officials and other ground staff that passengers come into contact with at Atlanta airport to really clean up their act in the last couple of years. The improvement in throughput speed at immigration, and friendliness, helpfulness and general attitude all round were really noticeable when I went through there a month ago.    

fritz