How to Move to a New City (From A to Z)

Know Your Why. Prepare Mentally and Emotionally for the Big Move

One of the toughest challenges through the whole moving process is definitely accepting the fact you’re about to change every segment of life completely. Relocation means a lot more than changing the place of living. It encompasses a home, job, environment, community, even a state and affects the entire lifestyle.

All this combined can be pretty overwhelming, especially when you’re miles away from your family and friends and lack emotional support. If not prepared properly, people may experience some severe consequences like adjustment insomnia – a sleeping disorder that can lead to depression after moving. That’s why defining your reasons to move is important. This way, you’ll be able to strengthen the focus and overcome nostalgia, melancholy, and other negative feelings much more easily.

Plan to Stay in Contact With Old Friends – You Will Need Emotional Support During the Post-Relocation Period

One of the most common mistakes people make, especially when they are relocating for the first time, is failing to stay in touch with their old friends. Whenever you feel nostalgic or melancholic, contact your friends and ask for consolation. A simple talk with them and inviting them to visit can deepen your connection and help you overcome the difficulties you are experiencing. Learn what the greatest sights in the vicinity are and invite your old mates to visit them together!

Decide What Place Suits Your Lifestyle Best

Deciding where to live means considering all important things that can affect your lifestyle. It’s not the same if you’re looking for the best places to live abroad with family or searching for the best places to retire.

The vicinity to work, the school, green areas, or the subway can be a decisive factor when choosing a home to buy or rent. And when it comes to picking the right place to live, the situation is a little different. Here are some major factors that could impact the final decision.

Learn Everything About the Conditions of the Real Estate Market When Choosing a Home

If you’d like to have a house with a big yard and need a home with several bedrooms, then you’ll definitely want to know the housing market of the places on your shortlist of preferred cities to live in. Like everywhere else in the world, there are some cities that are more expensive than other ones, so matching your budget with needs and expectations is a must. One of the best house hunting tips is to start on time, and don’t rush, especially if you’re about to buy a home.

Public Transportation Options and Connection to Other Parts of the US

When relocating thousands of miles away from your hometown, knowing what your options are to get to another part of the States will definitely affect the decision on where to live next. Especially if the infrastructure is not as developed in the place where you’d like to set up a home. The vicinity of the airport and flight frequency are things to consider before making a final decision to move to a particular location.

Also, commute time and public transportation options are other essential details to explore. The average one-way commute time in the US is around 27.6 minutes. So if the commute time is higher than average, this should be a red flag concerning the traffic and poor infrastructure.

How Safe Is the Neighborhood?

Whether you’re relocating with family or alone, being sure that the surroundings are safe is definitely the crucial factor when deciding where to live. Reading reviews online and exploring other people’s experiences can be helpful. However, if you want to access official data, then resources such as AreaVibes and the website NeighborhoodScout are great for checking the livability score. Those platforms show crime rates, demographics, and real estate trends.

Bonus tip: If the properties in the area are below the average price, this could be a red flag that the safety standards are not that high. If this is the case, always ask the real estate agent why the price is low.

Entertainment and Amenities the City Has to Offer

Checking the entertainment and other amenities offered is especially important to do if relocating to a small town. If movie theaters, restaurants, clubs, gyms, swimming pools, or anything similar are amenities that make your life better, then going to a place without any of these will be a huge mistake.

Explore the Job Market of the Area

Pursuing a career and looking for a dream job is definitely worth relocating. If the prospects in another place are considerably better than in the place where you currently live, relocating for a job is a logical step.

However, before initiating the relocation, ensure to explore details such as:

• The average salary in the industry and area,
• What companies offer the best working conditions for employees,
• What is the estimate for further industry development,
• Is the area convenient for starting a business and are there any tax incentives,
• What are the property prices and how does it affect the migration to the specific area? Remember that these two are tightly connected. The more people are coming to the specific area, the higher the property and rental prices, which can be a great starting point for real estate investors, too!

How Much Money Should I Save to Move to a New City? Essential Tips to Keep the Finances Under Control

Keeping the costs low is the main aim of all those who are relocating to a new city. To organize the relocation, first, you should make an estimate of how much money to prepare. The amount of savings you’ll need in order to move will be determined, among other factors, by the size of the household. So when creating an inventory list, make sure to be as precise as possible and save money on relocation costs.

Consider Sharing the Apartment with a Roommate

If you’re relocating on a low budget, creating an expenses checklist is definitely a smart decision. The factor that incredibly raises the costs is the type and size of the property. Sharing an apartment with a roommate is the most effective way to cut expenses, so ensure to explore roommate websites and find the right person to share experiences with! Living with a roommate can be especially good when relocating to another state alone.

Don’t Forget About Paperwork

According to the majority of those who have relocated in the past, organizing important documents at home is the most tedious task and one of the most common things you may forget to do when you move. However, going through all the documentation and sorting through it is necessary. Getting rid of all the paperwork you don’t need and keeping stuff such as medical records, school records, tax-related documents, and everything else worth packing is the best technique.

Check Regulations About Concerning the Address Update

Everyone who has had to change their address in the past knows how much of a drag it is to receive someone else’s mail. Not only is it annoying, but it can also potentially get you in trouble with the law. Opening someone else’s mail can lead to legal consequences! Changing an address with USPS will not only ensure the next tenants don’t have to waste time researching how to stop getting mail for previous residents but will also allow you to get your bills and other mail regularly.

Also, an address update is necessary for ID cards, driving licenses, social security cards, and transferring utilities, so don’t forget about these either. The best thing is – everything is doable in a few clicks, so the whole process will be quite easy. If you want to find more useful ideas on how to organize documents, take a look at the video below and learn how to do it properly!

Create a Timeline and Stick to It to Organize Everything Seamlessly

Having a timeline is a must when relocating if you want to avoid last-minute moving stress. Setting deadlines to accomplish tasks like decluttering or changing the address is essential to motivate you to finish them on time and stop procrastinating, which is the number one problem when it comes to relocations.

Schedule the Relocation Date at Least Three Months in Advance

The most important date to schedule is definitely the relocation date. Once the date is set, you’ll know how fast you should work and what the priorities should be. Scheduling the date at least three months in advance is just enough time to pack and organize the household. So keep this time in mind when booking the move

Pick the Right Cross-Country Moving Company to Provide You With All the Necessary Assistance

How do you move to a new city easily? The best way to attain this is to have experienced cross-country movers by your side to help you with the organization of the whole process. Check if the company is legitimate and use FMCSAs online tool to look up the USDOT and the MC numbers.

The next step is exploring what type of cross-country moving services they offer. The more services they cover, the less effort you’ll have to put, and the better the price, too! Remember, the rate is always more affordable when you use a combination of at least two services. So make sure to pick the company that can offer everything from packing services to assistance like auto transport.

In the End – Is It Hard to Move to a New City?

Now that you have all the steps covered, we are sure that the question of how do I move to a new city doesn’t seem as frightening anymore. Even if you have to organize a move across the country to get to the desired destination when following those steps, there won’t be any space left for stressful situations, and planning a move to another city will be the easiest thing to do! Although you might be thrilled because of the upcoming change, you still have to take care of the tiniest detail and organize the whole process. Just plan everything in advance and try to cover as many details as possible, and everything will go in a breeze.