A Quick Guide To Moving To A New State For More Space Or Escaping The City

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Moving to a new state is not as simple as transferring to a nearby apartment or neighborhood. The entire process takes time and requires patience and careful planning to avoid stress and potential problems.

When moving to a new state, it's important to research the best suburbs in the area, such as The 5 Best Suburbs of Milwaukee WI, to ensure you find the perfect place to call home. You can’t just pack up your bags and leave on a whim.

You probably understand that it takes plenty of preparation to move out of state if you're reading this. To help you prepare for your move, here are several things you need to do before moving day arrives.

Start Planning Once You Confirmed the Move

Procrastination is your enemy when it comes to long-distance moves. Begin preparations as soon as you know that you’re moving. Don’t make the mistake of searching for moving services and car shipping companies so close to the moving date. Make a checklist of what you need to do to help you better manage your time.

In this checklist, arrange the tasks according to urgency and importance. Things like booking movers and utility installation at your new home should be the top of your priorities. You can do this in the traditional way with pen and paper or use a spreadsheet, online moving checklist, or mobile app.

Do Some Research About Your New City and State

Before officially settling down in your new home, take the time to know more about the place you’re moving to. Look up the local schools if you have children, the healthcare facilities, and churches if you belong to one. If you don’t have a place to buy or rent yet, take this opportunity to survey the real estate near these establishments.

It would be ideal if you could visit the city in person to get a feel of the place where you’ll start a new life. Test the commute during rush hour to estimate the travel time for driving and riding public transport. The alternative is to use Google Street View to at least look at the neighborhood.

Compare the Costs of Living

Moving to a different state will most likely cause a shift in the cost of living, either higher or lower, depending on the state of origin and destination. Thus, it would help if you compared the differences between the prices of food, rent, transportation, or car transportation services, and other necessities. 

Higher living costs would mean you need to adjust your budget or increase your income. Lower prices would give you extra money to spend on other needs, save, or invest.

Since you’re already looking at costs, spend some time to check out taxes. You need to be aware of the state’s property, sales, and income tax rates so you won’t get overwhelmed once you’ve moved. 

Update and Obtain Important Documents and Records

Moving to another state will require updating your information on documents like your driver’s license and car registration. This task should be among the priorities in your moving checklist. Update all your essential documents before the move to avoid issues later, like finding out you can’t drive without an updated license.

You also need to obtain all critical records before moving, such as medical records from your family physician. If you have children transferring to a new school, ask their old school to forward their records to the new school.

Don’t Forget About Insurance

Get moving insurance to protect your valuables and belongings from damage while in transit. You need to understand what is covered by the moving company’s insurance policy for valuables. You might need to get a more comprehensive policy if you’re moving valuables.

Packing Tips

Get enough packing and moving supplies before you start so you won’t break your momentum just because you run out of tape or rope. Don’t just randomly pack items. Organize them by room and label the boxes so there won’t be mix-ups.

Place heavier items into smaller boxes and lighter items into bigger boxes to help make it easier for movers to carry them to the truck. Some long-distance movers use their trucks for more than just one client, so be sure to label the boxes with your name to avoid lost packages.

Conclusion

Preparation will help weed out potential issues with your move and make the process less stressful. However, expect that not everything will go exactly as planned, so be ready for some small contingencies. The important thing is that you enjoy the moving process and start your new life in another state on a positive note.

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