How to Decide Where to Relocate

So you're ready to make a move. You need a change, maybe you hate the weather, or the stress of a big city, but how do you decide where to go?

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet access

1. Save money. Chances are you will not find work right away. If you don't have some money socked away, wait and use your future move as motivation to save!

2. Ask yourself why you want to move. Weather? Lifestyle? Time to leave the nest? Bored? These reasons should dictate which locations you will research. If you know someone who lives in a place that you might want to move to, reach out to them and pick their brain.

3. Consider how far you will be from your family and friends and how much it will cost to visit them. This is very important, as there will be many trips back and forth for holidays and other family events.

4. Find out the cost of housing. Look up the statistics of crime, the job availability in your field and if you have children, research the schools.

5. Make a pros and cons list once you have a place or two pinpointed. This will help you compare which location is better for you.

6. Visit these places. Stay for a week and scope out the areas. Talk to the people that live there. Read the local newspapers, check the classifieds. Soak up as much information as you can before you move.

7. Check out housing. Plan on renting first, as it's much less of a commitment. In my experience once you relocate to a new area, the first neighborhood that you move into is not where you end up permanently.

8. Once you have spent some time in a few choice locales, narrow it down and choose your new world! Set a moving date.

9. Start looking online for jobs in that area. Send resumes, and try to do as many phone interviews as you can. Be aware that a lot of companies will not even consider your application if you don't have a nearby address, so you may just have to wait until you get there to find work. If you're lucky to get interviews, set them up all in the same week.

10. Take one more trip to your new location for interviews and to secure an apartment. Try to rent a place near the area where you mostly likely will work.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're moving out of state, rent a truck and do it yourself. Trust me. My stuff was 5 days late, and I never recovered money or items that were stolen
• Make sure that you have enough money
• Make lots of lists
• Maybe ask a friend to make the move with you
• Don't leave before all your loose ends are tied up
• Don't make a hasty decision about where you "think" you want to live

[Glinda69]

on 4/1/2008 Thank you, this is the best advice thus far.