tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post4174742209236539668..comments2023-09-22T07:47:54.317-04:00Comments on EF'M: The Life of an FSO Spouse: EFM: Evaluating Future MansionDavid L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16507045630471874296noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-72416311911070725682010-03-26T08:18:17.094-04:002010-03-26T08:18:17.094-04:00Just wanted to drop a note thanking everyone for a...Just wanted to drop a note thanking everyone for all of this info; lots to chew on here. Great work, great compiliation of thoughts and advice. Thanks again! (And feel free to keep adding)David L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16507045630471874296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-9722941474982442542010-03-26T05:20:29.294-04:002010-03-26T05:20:29.294-04:00We asked to be in the heart of the city, near the ...We asked to be in the heart of the city, near the business or shopping district. We wanted to have an urban experience. We are one of the only ones in Embassy Manila that's in our area, so we're glad that we did that. We knew we wanted condo living over a house so that we'd get a varied experience now before kids...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-57482347827744893172010-03-25T08:29:18.737-04:002010-03-25T08:29:18.737-04:00Some of these things won't matter to you, and ...Some of these things won't matter to you, and I don't know that much about Hermasillo. But they're all things to think about.<br />Dishwasher<br />Full-size washer and dryer<br />Bathtub<br />Swimming pool/hot tub<br />Extra freezer (or space for one)<br />Garage<br />Outdoor space (yard, garden, patio)<br />Proximity to other consulate employees<br />Proximity to school (no, not an issue if you don't have kids, but people you're likely to be friends with might live near it)<br />Proximity to consulate (commutes can be a nightmare, even compared to D.C.)<br />Easy walk to stores/restaurants (if walking is allowed)<br /><br />ZoeZ. Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08704553385554129335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-30924975222938689862010-03-24T23:55:58.079-04:002010-03-24T23:55:58.079-04:00A bathtub. As crazy as it sounds, we didn't f...A bathtub. As crazy as it sounds, we didn't find out until we moved to Iceland (and lived in temporary housing for 6 weeks) that our permanent housing had no tub. For small children, this can be a disaster. The GSO at the time gave us a misguided story about how no one in Iceland had tubs, they all just hung out at the hot pots.<br /><br />Yes, they did, but almost every house had a soaking tub or whirlpool due to the abundance of clean, fresh water. We tried everything from a kiddie pool to toying with buying a portable tub. In the end, we were able to get one installed (hurried up by my daughter breaking her arm) and enjoyed our last year with a never-ending supply of boiling hot, fresh, and lightly sulfur- scented (you can learn to love it) baths...heaven, and I still miss it!<br /><br />Oh, you might want to ask about closets/storage, too...sometimes noticeably absent...and an Ikea closet is not the same as a built-in...oh, and heated driveways, especially in countries with harsh winters...nice, too, if you don't want to back down into traffic on a solid sheet of ice at a 45 degree angle (studded tires only go so far)...Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14545024934754374573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-15264658961394809382010-03-24T20:19:16.374-04:002010-03-24T20:19:16.374-04:00Features you might think about prioritizing might ...Features you might think about prioritizing might include:<br />- home size/# bedrooms<br />- apt vs house<br />- having a garden or yard<br />- stairs vs. no stairs<br />- kitchen size<br />- parking for one vs. two vehicles<br />- proximity to work<br />- proximity to downtown, gym, etc. (whatever makes sense for your post)<br />- shared vs. private yard (such as if you have a dog)<br /><br />In my limited experience, the "newness" of the appliances doesn't vary that much between residences at a post. And in any case, you will not be responsible if they break down due to age, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.<br /><br />Your wife might look at the intranet site for the post (especially GSO and CLO sections) to see if there are photos or other other details about the housing pool which might give you both more ideas about the major issues to consider for your post.<br /><br />Good luck!Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13186113760588444851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-65030487907825945642010-03-24T09:07:14.637-04:002010-03-24T09:07:14.637-04:00Oh, wow, David - how interesting!
We have yet to...Oh, wow, David - how interesting! <br /><br />We have yet to go overseas, so it's really neat to read about this.<br /><br />(Not in Mexico - 100% - ROTFL!)<br /><br />I have nothing substantive to add... just wanted you to know that I love this topic and I can't WAIT to see how this continues to unfold for you guys and what you guys ultimately get!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-50918667478437540992010-03-24T00:21:14.788-04:002010-03-24T00:21:14.788-04:00I haven't gone to my first post yet, but we go...I haven't gone to my first post yet, but we got our housing assignment, fell in love with it, and were later told we can't have it. So, my advice is to not get too attached to your assignment until you actually move into it. <br /><br />We requested a yard for the kids to play in, close proximity to a garden so we can grow our own food, contemporary house, extra bedroom for guests, newer appliances, and much more. We'll see how it all turns out.Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01741222609583042393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-69887722555582648282010-03-23T18:08:51.204-04:002010-03-23T18:08:51.204-04:00I agree with Hannah about the welcome kit!!
Whe...I agree with Hannah about the welcome kit!! <br /><br />When we got to Monterrey, we were surprised by how far away we were from the rest of the families who had kids. Now we really don't mind it at all and kind of enjoy it, but it makes playdates harder. And we really would've liked a backyard for the kids to play in, but didn't specify. We got a patio...<br /><br />We said we wanted to be close to parks so the kids could go play and they gave that to us!<br /><br />You might want to mention covered parking...it gets hot here!!<br /><br />Good Luck!!Brynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632080239103256045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-68089745485001357482010-03-23T18:07:24.775-04:002010-03-23T18:07:24.775-04:00We bought a roll-around dishwasher from a departin...We bought a roll-around dishwasher from a departing family. It's worth emailing the departing family to see if they have anything they're not bringing with them and want to sell. I'm not sure about houses in Hermosillo, but we found ours in Matamoros to be a lot larger than we expected.Ryan Lockehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03203713329553258160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6549445053733095568.post-62738633410707526652010-03-23T16:33:28.743-04:002010-03-23T16:33:28.743-04:00Can't help you with housing requests per se, b...Can't help you with housing requests per se, but I'd ask what is in the welcome kit and how long you can keep it - till UAB arrives, till HHE arrives, etc. I find that helpful to know for purposes of packing out.hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14664942400486395078noreply@blogger.com