Say you were moving across the country or even moving to a different region what are the most important things to think about before the move? I'm guessing housing is number one priority with a job following closely behind? What else should I be doing?
Only reason I have ever moved any distance was for a job...and a job that included a major pay raise and career potential.
I also checked cost of living where the job was for an apples to apples comparison.
I lived in Idaho for 20 years...was commuting to MHAFB from Boise...1.5 hrs each way...found a job in Oregon that paid another $15 hr...cost of living between Boise and Eugene/Springfield was about 10 percent more expensive.
I worked the Oregon job for six months living out of my pickup camper driving 8 hours home on Thursday nights prepping and packing to sell the Boise house. Moved all our stuff out in a trailer one load at a time.
-Mac
I also checked cost of living where the job was for an apples to apples comparison.
I lived in Idaho for 20 years...was commuting to MHAFB from Boise...1.5 hrs each way...found a job in Oregon that paid another $15 hr...cost of living between Boise and Eugene/Springfield was about 10 percent more expensive.
I worked the Oregon job for six months living out of my pickup camper driving 8 hours home on Thursday nights prepping and packing to sell the Boise house. Moved all our stuff out in a trailer one load at a time.
-Mac
Checking the area's average weather and politics. Even what direction their politics is heading could mean a lot.
My wife an I both lost our jobs during the 2020 BS. We have lived in 4 states in the last 4 years. Oregon, Arizona, Arkansas, and Texas. Aside from jobs and housing we found several other things to consider. Cost of living is a big factor to investigate. There are some beautiful places in this country but if you can't afford a decent lifestyle then they probably aren't worth it. Crime has become a bigger factor in considering relocating. Investigating this takes a little more diligence now. You can not just go by the reported statistics. If the local law enforcement is not opening cases on crimes then they do not get reported. Larger violent crimes seem to be reported more accurately than property crimes. Another thing that can easily be overlooked is access to healthcare. Unfortunately the system is in real trouble right now and there are some areas that are significantly worse than others. My wife and I are both employed in the healthcare field. We actually left Arkansas for this reason. It was a stunningly beautiful place but my wife is a practitioner and what was happening there was truly frightening. I am not sure of your age or medical needs but this might be something that would warrant some further investigation. Religious and political viewpoints may also be something to consider. If you move to a place that is completely opposite of your personal beliefs you will likely not find it as enjoyable. Aside from that then there are just the obvious things like access to activities you enjoy. Best of luck in your search!
- Job/income source
- Housing cost, whether renting or buying and if buying, what the total picture looks like if selling where you're at now and buying in the new place
- Property tax
- Crime
- Schools, if applicable
- Social/political climate
- Weather
- Leisure, lifestyle, etc.
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Don’t forget to check the state and local gun laws too! You don’t want to accidentally become a criminal just by bringing your legally owned property over a state line.
We had a brief stint in Baltimore some years ago. We flew out and spent a Thur/Fri/Sat just driving to all the different neighborhoods and came up with a list of what we liked/disliked about everything. It was nice knowing, when we finally rented a place, where all the needed amenities were nearby (shopping, restaurants, etc.) and how to get to them. It gets old pretty quick driving all day everyday but we think its a good idea and really helps narrow the search of where you want to be within an overall larger area.
Try and spend more than a weekend in your potential neighborhood. When we moved to ATL from Chicago we spent 6mo with my in-laws trying to find the right neighborhood. Traffic at 10am with a realtor is very different than at 5:30pm in the rain and you need to get to the kids Dr before they close. We ultimately backed out of our first offer because there was only one way in/out of the subdivision to the single main road.
Also vet your neighbors as much as possible. On one side, we have keys to each other’s houses, the other side was an elderly couple who raised a family and enjoyed having more small kids next door but if they were the get off my lawn type, it wouldn’t have been good.
Also vet your neighbors as much as possible. On one side, we have keys to each other’s houses, the other side was an elderly couple who raised a family and enjoyed having more small kids next door but if they were the get off my lawn type, it wouldn’t have been good.