[alyssa&avery]

Another great poll question has been suggested by a member. Approximately what was your TOTAL cost for your Guatemalan adoption, or if not yet complete what do you expect it to be?

This would include: agency fee, attorney fee, USCIS, postage, document certifying, air fare, hotel and food.

I have made the voting anonymous since I would consider this to be very personal information. If you've completed more than one adoption and the totals were DIFFERENT then you can vote twice (remember to do both votes at the same time ).

If anyone has any other suggestions for poll, just let Steph or I know. It's always great to have suggestions and input on what you'd like to see on the forum!

[angieandstever]

Sorry, I am so new to this I did not realize how personal it is!

This will be really helpful. At least I can get a general idea. Thanks!

[alyssa&avery]

This honestly was not in response to your post. I didn't even see your post until after I posted the poll.

It's a question that gets asked often. Most times people will be glad to share, but to protect everyone's feelings I decided to make it an anonymous poll!

I'm sure others may PM you with info on their cost and agency info, but this will give you and others who may be interested at least a ballpark average.

Also, I feel it's very important to add that you shouldn't let cost influence who you use for an agency or attorney. Some good ones have low-average fees and some not so good ones have average-high fees. Bottom line is you can't judge an agency or an attorney by what they charge. Get lots of feed-back before deciding on an agency!

[angieandstever]

I am hoping to find a good one with a low average fee! If anyone has one I would really appreciate a PM with the information.

Thanks again.

[iammonikasmom]

I voted but didn't take into consideration all those other wonderful things (which I did not keep track of) have the receipts, just never added them up, so you have one vote in the 24-26 that my guess should be the next one. sorry

[cr653]

voted and bumped


cris

[Mariais5]

I have decided NOT to add everything up. A lot of our costs were visit trips and taking the whole family on the pick up trip. We call Bryce, "The Million Dollar Baby"

The cost of her adoption was more than the total cost of all four of our other children X TWO!!!

We wouldn't take a hundred bazillion dollars for her though!

[Mary Mulcahy]

I votes and I think adding up everything its pretty close to $30,000.00

Since I am single, some of the documents I only had to do once and only one adult plane ticket ect..
Mary, mom to Danny and Ricco

[alyssa&avery]

Thanks for chiming in Mary! That gives other singles something to gauge their costs by.

[AddisonsMommy]

Well, judging by the results so far, I think the dollar range is running a little tooooo low. I think you should have a few more rungs on the ladder of the poll. I think there are many people who tallied their costs to be greater than $35 to $38K, or even more.

Just my opinion...who agrees?? Unfortunately, I know others will too....

Jen
Mommy to Addison, worth every penny in the world!!!

[alyssa&avery]

Jen,

Sorry, I can't add any more options to the poll. I'm sure that there will be others who agree with you, but I'd really like this thread/poll to stay on topic and not off to where people think I didn't post enough options. In retrospect I should have went a bit higher with the choices, but two kiddos running around the house is just a wee bit distracting sometimes!

What I can do, is when this poll closes in 7 days is to post a new poll with more choices. For now, I think this will at least give people a "ball park" guess.

[coachmom]

Too afraid to add it all up... but it was well worth it!!!(except the money we lost on our first agency)
Doretta

[Slatond10]

Don't even have the pick up trip $ included or the gifts I took and I am over $32K. But as other's say. It was well worth it.


And I hope to be out of adoption debt this March! Feb is the 1 yr aniv for pick up and March will be another celebration for out of adoption debt

[Lisa1234]

Hi,


I think "high" range is too low if you include the cost of the Homestudy agency and post placement fees.

Lisa

[jcmc]

We were at 39,000.00. That is including an agency switch with lost agency fees and 2 visit trips plus pick-up.