Getting Ready for Your Cross Country Move
Moving
A cross country move can be a logistical nightmare, or it can be a well-planned event. With a few tips, you can end up in your new home enjoying life, or you can end up stressed out, frustrated, exhausted, confused, and wishing you had never left home.
Regardless of whether you are moving because you have been transferred, have gotten a job in a new city, or just have wanderlust and want to relocate, these handy tips will take some of the stress out of getting ready to move.
Doing your homework before you move
When you don’t know anything about the city that will be your new home, it is time to do a little research. You will want to know the average salary so you can figure out where your job lands you in the spectrum. The average real estate prices will give you an idea of the rentals in the area.
Crime statistics will give you a sense of what neighborhoods are safer than others. There are even ratings for neighborhoods. If you need mass transit, you can find out what neighborhoods are served by it.
Here are some tools you can use to make the search of your new location easier:
- StreetAdvisor is totally dedicated to neighborhood reviews and information on your new location.
- Yelp offers information about the nightlife and restaurants, but it also has a lot of information from local posters who review places and even entire neighborhoods.
- Foursquare is another place to find useful information.
- City Data offers an incredible amount of information about each entire city, and its various neighborhoods. You will find cost of living statistics, average housing prices, and even special attractions of the area. There are locals on their forums who are more than willing to share a wealth of information about their town or city.
- Neighborhood Scout will give you a bird’s eye view of each neighborhood you are considering.
Technology has created some awesome tools for you to use to do a little more than just research statistics and descriptions of prospective new homes. Google Street View lets you check out the neighborhoods first hand. An aerial view is available also.
You will also want to know what the crime is like in the areas you are considering for your relocation, especially if you have children. It is a good idea to contact the police department responsible or the areas you are considering, to get a report of the crimes per year in the neighborhoods you have chosen. Explain to them that you are considering moving into that neighborhood, and they are usually more than willing to give you some information about the crime rate and what types of crimes have been committed there in the previous year.
Other great resources for crime statistics for neighborhoods include:
- Crime Reports offers great data for towns and cities, but not much or rural areas.
- Family Watchdog is a service that helps you locate sex offenders in your chosen neighborhood.
- SpotCrime can send you regular alerts of crime in your chosen areas.
Once you have found the perfect neighborhood, it is now time to find the perfect living space for your cross country move.
