Alfie’s own relocation story
From no U.S. status to settled in Houston.
I made this move myself.
Before Houston, I worked in banking in Hong Kong, reading credit risk for a living. That background shapes how I think about real estate decisions today: protect the downside first, then look for the upside.
Moving to the U.S. meant starting over on paperwork I once took for granted: building a credit history from zero, learning a new housing system, and figuring out which steps actually mattered first. I built the guides on this site from that experience, and I keep updating them as the process changes.
If you are earlier in that process than I am now, I am glad to talk through what I actually learned, not just what a checklist says.
Questions people ask me about my own move.
Plan your first 90 days before you land.
For families arriving from Hong Kong or elsewhere overseas. A 30-minute call covers renting without an SSN, U.S. credit, and what we can handle directly in Texas versus where a referral makes more sense. Cantonese or English.