Looking for and moving to a new place is no stroll in the park. Whatever the reasons behind your big leap of relocation, it is a very challenging undertaking to find and settle in a new home. One way to ease the search is to condense all your requirements into a compact moving house checklist.
Whether you are moving just two blocks away, transferring to another state, or migrating to your dream country, moving causes a lot of physical and mental stress. Therefore, you need to be mindful of several factors before you shift to the new place, which you would soon call HOME. Confused about where to start? Below is a curated list of 10 things you may want to include in your moving house checklist to enjoy a smooth transition.
Learn About the City Atmosphere
You are shifting to a completely new neighbourhood and how well you will be able to adjust to the surrounding is one of the most important concerns. A laid back ambience or a fast-paced environment – what’s the mood of your city? Once you figure that out, you can adjust your expectations.
Learn as much as you can about the city atmosphere. Take some time to visit the area and maybe even stay there for a few days to get a good idea of the environment. The direct experience will help you get an idea of how well the city vibe will match with your personality. If you want any additional information, you can ask friends, family, and colleagues who live in that area.
Research the Availability of Services and Amenities
While you are there, remember to also check out what facilities you can take advantage of in and around your new residence. If you are moving to a metropolis, you ought to expect lots of services and amenities. Even though many of these offerings are not mandatory, they may enhance your lifestyle. Check whether the new area has easy access to grocery stores, gyms, medical facilities, airports, schools, etc. All of these will help lead a convenient lifestyle in your soon-to-be new home.
Identify Cultural and Entertainment Activities
Oftentimes, home seekers ignore the entertainment options that a new location has to offer. However, the recreational value that a place provides is just as important as the functional aspect. In addition to looking at the number of accessible amenities, you should also consider what entertaining activities are available for you and your family to enjoy during leisure time.
Check what the weekly activities the place has to offer or how happening the nightlife is. Immersing in such events and activities can ease your transition into the new lifestyle. Moreover, these activities create scope to socialise with others in the area and meet like-minded people. A routine as simple as evening walks at the park can make settling down at a new area joyful and easy.
Find Out About the Climate
Can you adapt well to climate changes? If not, then you should add this step to your moving house checklist. Find out about climate changes. Oftentimes, a new city will introduce you to a new climate – which you may or may not be comfortable with. Some cities, for example, are unwelcomingly cold. Other cities may have wet weather or a tropical climate that you are unaccustomed to.
It is essential to conduct proper research to find out about the extreme weather conditions of the new location and also analyse whether or not you can tolerate the change of climate. This can affect your physical comfort all year round and may even impact your health.
Research Cost of Housing
Whether you are buying a house or renting an apartment, the cost will vary significantly from one place to another. So, set a target range first and try not to go beyond your budget when looking to buy or rent a new home.
When it comes to budgeting do not leave out miscellaneous expenses like monthly utility rates and annual real estate tax. These are a part of your monthly expenditure and should be included in the cost of housing. Ultimately, in addition to gauging your affordability, the aim is to assess whether the convenience and new location are worth your money.
Calculate the Cost of Living
In addition to assessing how liveable the city is, you are also required to calculate the cost of living and find out if you can afford to live there. Consider factors like housing, groceries, utility expenses, transportation, and healthcare and get a total of the estimated weekly or monthly expenses. You may want to check how far you can stretch your dollar in the new location. If you move to a place where the expenses are sky-high, affording the simple joys of life might become difficult and your quality of life will, therefore, be affected.
It is advisable that you secure an emergency fund big enough to cover six months of living expenses in the new place. This way, you will have a safety net to rely on in case your initial estimation of monthly expenses does not match the actual expenses. The emergency fund will prove particularly helpful if you plan to look for a new job after the move.
Secure Steady Source of Income and Assess Financial Capabilities
Many people move to a new place because of a new job opportunity. Indeed, the hope of professional growth can be very exciting for career-driven people. If you fall into this category, you might want to put your reality on a check before making this bold move. Why you may ask.
Well, relocating to a new place will have several financial consequences. So, one of the top considerations of your moving house checklist should be to consider how well your new salary will measure up to your monthly budget. You may want to have an open discussion with your new employer regarding salary expectations. Additionally, you can negotiate and request relocation benefits from the new employer.
On the other hand, if you are moving to a new place for other reasons and still looking for a suitable job, it is important to have some savings to back you up during the job hunting period. In this case, you need to consider the availability of suitable jobs and the competitiveness of the job market as well. Otherwise, the move can turn into an unnerving financial nightmare.
Ensure Security and Safety
For sure, all the aforementioned factors need to be considered before choosing a new house but one of the more critical additions to your moving house checklist should be the assurance of safety and security. Even with all the modern facilities and financial backings, you would not want to move to a place with security threats.
Despite having an exciting and progressive life, safety is a concern in many cities. Therefore, you need to check crime rates and overall safety ratings of the place long before you set your heart on a new house. Apart from this, you can also research how impartial and responsive the authorities are in terms of responding to unanticipated and negative events. Besides, if you want a preview of how harmonious and peaceful your stay in the upcoming years will be, you should inquire how tolerant and friendly the neighbours are.
Seek Reviews and Testimonials
If you do not have the time to visit the city personally or if you think the short stay was not enough for all the information you were looking for, you can resort to reviews and testimonials. Thanks to technological advancement, you will find a treasure trove of information through blogs and YouTube vlogs.
Furthermore, you can get more genuine opinions if you scour through comments about the city on various online forums. However, you have to consider that people’s opinions and observations on online platforms will vary due to circumstantial events. The most reliable reviews are those that you get from a relative or a friend who has been residing in that city for quite some time.
Finalise the New Home and Start Planning for the Move
Finally, you have all the information you need and have finalised where your new home will be. The last step in your moving house checklist would be to actually begin planning the moving. Confused about where to start? Check our moving timeline and break the daunting moving process into eight attainable sections of weekly goals.
Looking for and moving to a new place is no stroll in the park. Whatever the reasons behind your big leap of relocation, it is a very challenging undertaking to find and settle in a new home. One way to ease the search is to condense all your requirements into a compact moving house checklist.
Whether you are moving just two blocks away, transferring to another state, or migrating to your dream country, moving causes a lot of physical and mental stress. Therefore, you need to be mindful of several factors before you shift to the new place, which you would soon call HOME. Confused about where to start? Below is a curated list of 10 things you may want to include in your moving house checklist to enjoy a smooth transition.
Learn About the City Atmosphere
You are shifting to a completely new neighbourhood and how well you will be able to adjust to the surrounding is one of the most important concerns. A laid back ambience or a fast-paced environment – what’s the mood of your city? Once you figure that out, you can adjust your expectations.
Learn as much as you can about the city atmosphere. Take some time to visit the area and maybe even stay there for a few days to get a good idea of the environment. The direct experience will help you get an idea of how well the city vibe will match with your personality. If you want any additional information, you can ask friends, family, and colleagues who live in that area.
Research the Availability of Services and Amenities
While you are there, remember to also check out what facilities you can take advantage of in and around your new residence. If you are moving to a metropolis, you ought to expect lots of services and amenities. Even though many of these offerings are not mandatory, they may enhance your lifestyle. Check whether the new area has easy access to grocery stores, gyms, medical facilities, airports, schools, etc. All of these will help lead a convenient lifestyle in your soon-to-be new home.
Identify Cultural and Entertainment Activities
Oftentimes, home seekers ignore the entertainment options that a new location has to offer. However, the recreational value that a place provides is just as important as the functional aspect. In addition to looking at the number of accessible amenities, you should also consider what entertaining activities are available for you and your family to enjoy during leisure time.
Check what the weekly activities the place has to offer or how happening the nightlife is. Immersing in such events and activities can ease your transition into the new lifestyle. Moreover, these activities create scope to socialise with others in the area and meet like-minded people. A routine as simple as evening walks at the park can make settling down at a new area joyful and easy.
Find Out About the Climate
Can you adapt well to climate changes? If not, then you should add this step to your moving house checklist. Find out about climate changes. Oftentimes, a new city will introduce you to a new climate – which you may or may not be comfortable with. Some cities, for example, are unwelcomingly cold. Other cities may have wet weather or a tropical climate that you are unaccustomed to.
It is essential to conduct proper research to find out about the extreme weather conditions of the new location and also analyse whether or not you can tolerate the change of climate. This can affect your physical comfort all year round and may even impact your health.
Research Cost of Housing
Whether you are buying a house or renting an apartment, the cost will vary significantly from one place to another. So, set a target range first and try not to go beyond your budget when looking to buy or rent a new home.
When it comes to budgeting do not leave out miscellaneous expenses like monthly utility rates and annual real estate tax. These are a part of your monthly expenditure and should be included in the cost of housing. Ultimately, in addition to gauging your affordability, the aim is to assess whether the convenience and new location are worth your money.
Calculate the Cost of Living
In addition to assessing how liveable the city is, you are also required to calculate the cost of living and find out if you can afford to live there. Consider factors like housing, groceries, utility expenses, transportation, and healthcare and get a total of the estimated weekly or monthly expenses. You may want to check how far you can stretch your dollar in the new location. If you move to a place where the expenses are sky-high, affording the simple joys of life might become difficult and your quality of life will, therefore, be affected.
It is advisable that you secure an emergency fund big enough to cover six months of living expenses in the new place. This way, you will have a safety net to rely on in case your initial estimation of monthly expenses does not match the actual expenses. The emergency fund will prove particularly helpful if you plan to look for a new job after the move.
Secure Steady Source of Income and Assess Financial Capabilities
Many people move to a new place because of a new job opportunity. Indeed, the hope of professional growth can be very exciting for career-driven people. If you fall into this category, you might want to put your reality on a check before making this bold move. Why you may ask.
Well, relocating to a new place will have several financial consequences. So, one of the top considerations of your moving house checklist should be to consider how well your new salary will measure up to your monthly budget. You may want to have an open discussion with your new employer regarding salary expectations. Additionally, you can negotiate and request relocation benefits from the new employer.
On the other hand, if you are moving to a new place for other reasons and still looking for a suitable job, it is important to have some savings to back you up during the job hunting period. In this case, you need to consider the availability of suitable jobs and the competitiveness of the job market as well. Otherwise, the move can turn into an unnerving financial nightmare.
Ensure Security and Safety
For sure, all the aforementioned factors need to be considered before choosing a new house but one of the more critical additions to your moving house checklist should be the assurance of safety and security. Even with all the modern facilities and financial backings, you would not want to move to a place with security threats.
Despite having an exciting and progressive life, safety is a concern in many cities. Therefore, you need to check crime rates and overall safety ratings of the place long before you set your heart on a new house. Apart from this, you can also research how impartial and responsive the authorities are in terms of responding to unanticipated and negative events. Besides, if you want a preview of how harmonious and peaceful your stay in the upcoming years will be, you should inquire how tolerant and friendly the neighbours are.
Seek Reviews and Testimonials
If you do not have the time to visit the city personally or if you think the short stay was not enough for all the information you were looking for, you can resort to reviews and testimonials. Thanks to technological advancement, you will find a treasure trove of information through blogs and YouTube vlogs.
Furthermore, you can get more genuine opinions if you scour through comments about the city on various online forums. However, you have to consider that people’s opinions and observations on online platforms will vary due to circumstantial events. The most reliable reviews are those that you get from a relative or a friend who has been residing in that city for quite some time.
Finalise the New Home and Start Planning for the Move
Finally, you have all the information you need and have finalised where your new home will be. The last step in your moving house checklist would be to actually begin planning the moving. Confused about where to start? Check our moving timeline and break the daunting moving process into eight attainable sections of weekly goals.