Over 35 million Americans make a move each year. 16% of these individuals pack up their belongings and hit the road in order to relocate to a new home.
Sometimes relocation is necessary. Career changes, marriage, and financial motivations may mandate a cross-country move.
Yet if you’re making the decision to relocate to a new community for other reasons, you may be peering at the map with no small amount of trepidation (and overwhelm).
It is possible to relocate with confidence, even if you have yet to visit the community in question. I’ve made several transitions personally to new cities without having set foot in them prior and am ultimately glad I made these.
Here are a few tips you can keep in mind as you plan your next big move.
Identify Key Financial Considerations
I’m always one to urge financial considerations in any significant decision. Yet relocation often comes down to money—whether we like it or not!
Financial considerations for relocation involve more than peering into your wallet and counting cash.
I always begin by assessing the cost of living in a specific town or city. You may be able to get hard numbers on this from a real estate perspective simply by trolling Craig’s List and noting average monthly rent for single rooms, apartments, condos, and family homes.
Other property listing sites like Realtor.com can give insight into what type of income bracket you’ll potentially be stepping into.
Yet real estate is not everything. Gas prices, cost of food, and transportation needs will all impact the cost of living for a specific location. For this reason, I recommend using Nerd Wallet’s cost of living calculator, which makes use of core data from the ACCRA Cost of Living Index, U.S. Census, Yellow Pages, Walk Score, and more.
Simply input your current city of residence, desired destination, and annual income and NerdWallet will provide information about what you will need to do to maintain your current standard of living once you relocate.
Naturally, if you intend to relocate for job purposes, this data may be less essential for your considerations. If you intend to relocate and then purchase real estate, I recommend reaching out to real estate agents ahead of time to have a conversation about viability.
Know the Demographics
Demographics refer to a community’s specific profile according to average population age, income, profession, ethnicity, gender, and more. Be sure you know a community’s general demographic makeup before you move, as this can inform your decision more than you may realize.
For example, if you are a college graduate looking for an urban area with high job potential, you may naturally seek communities with a younger, entrepreneurial demographic (in comparison to one largely composed of retired communities).
As in this example, demographics may often dictate a certain region’s cost of living, job availability, and growth potential. You can learn more about a location’s demographics by researching online or checking out AreaVibes.
Peruse Events Listings
It is possible to assess a location’s social buzz before even traveling there, especially if you are looking at far away destinations. Navigate to a town or city’s events page, either via its Chamber of Commerce website or local online publications.
It may be important for you to move to a place that constantly has something to offer in the form of concerts, festivals, nightlife, and social activities. Or it may not be as pressing a stipulation.
Whatever the case, you deserve to step into a community that can help you pursue your passions and sustain your interests outside of your professional life. Avoid destinations that don’t meet this bar, wherever it’s set.
Assess Property Proximity to Life Essentials
If you are looking for apartments or houses from afar, be sure to assess their proximity to key needs, such as grocery stores, bus stops, subway stations, good restaurants, and medical services. Some property listings sites will give specific properties a “Walkability” score, indicating how car-dependent (or non-dependent) a certain area is.
If you have children (or expect to have children in the coming years), identify how close properties are to local schools. Some families move to properties within the precinct of reputable school districts, thus choosing a home most proximate to a desired educational institution.
It’s critical to think of the future as much as possible when assessing proximity. If you or your partner anticipate switching jobs anytime soon, this can actually impact the living space you choose, including its size and location.
Spend some time on Google Maps to get a real-time visual of what a community has to offer. If you are able to visit your potential new city, I naturally recommend that you do so to get a tangible sense of whether or not it will meet all of your needs.
Connect with People Who Know
Sometimes the best way to make your relocation decision (or to feel better about it) is to connect with the people who know. You may find that a certain community has a Facebook group open to new members; other towns have social activities or Meetups for relocators.
If you are purchasing or renting property, you may wish to do so through a realtor in order to personalize the process. As I’ve discussed in prior posts, the best real estate agent will go above and beyond to service out-of-towners and give them a true sense of what their new home will feel and look like.
If you do choose a realtor, be sure to browse online reviews of this realtor’s services before jumping in. Select a realtor who is well-established in your community of choice and familiar with relocations.
Relocating to a new destination is an exciting process, particularly if you’ve been eager for a significant change for quite some while.
Before you pack up the U-Haul, however, spend some time ensuring you’re headed to the right destination. Scrutinize cost of living, demographics, and property proximity to life’s essentials. Take deep breaths and don’t forget to celebrate this crucial transition!
